The Lindo lamp

This is the earliest known English Hanukah lamp and has remained one of the most important item of Anglo-Jewish heritage in the museum since it was placed on loan in the 1930s. The winter festival of Hanukah celebrates the spiritual survival of the Jewish people under the Syrian Greeks in 165 BCE. This lamp was commissioned to mark the marriage of Elias Lindo to Rachel Lopes Ferreira. The Lindos were prominent members of the early community of Spanish and Portuguese Jews in London and founder members of Bevis Marks Synagogue. They distinguished themselves in science and literature, in charitable endowments and as patrons of the arts beyond the Jewish community. This work was acquired with assistance from the Wolfson Foundation.