Travel Hanukkiah/Menorah Custom: From 18th Century Germany to Today's Apps

If you think today's apps for lighting Hanukkah candles while on the go is a modern invention, you're in for a big surprise. Yes, the Jewish Museum's Light My Fire app for the iPhone is very clever, as is Menorah for Android. But considering that we are a wandering people, Jews must have developed a travel Hanukkiah/Menorah custom way before hi-tech set in.

Sure enough, they did. Have a look at this 18th century German folding menorah. It's perfect for the merchant making many sales miles. 

What prompted me to investigate this custom is a beautiful travel Hanukkiah made by the late Josef Fleischmann, father of my friend Rochelle Treister. 

Josef Fleischmann hailed from Czechoslovakia, where at the age of 14 he apprenticed as a silversmith. Josef eventually married and began to build a family. The winds of war brought him to Canada in 1939 along with his wife and two sons. Apparently economic considerations forced him to pursue other professional avenues; still, he did not abandon his love for creating beautiful and unusual silver Judaica. So, when Rochelle turned to him to create a travel Hanukkiah after airport security took apart her bag because she had an old, battered long tin Hanukkiah inside, he was more than happy to activate his creative juices and golden hands.  This is what he came up with.

On the outside it looks like an elegant pressed powder case from days of yore.  Open it up, and voila!

A tidy travel version. No student, sales person or average traveler  could ask for more.

So...hmmmm....is there a way that you can make your next craft project a travel Hanukkiah?



Hanukkah Candles Photo Credit