Menorah (Hanukkah) facts for kids

The Hanukkah menorah, also called a hanukiah, is a special lamp with nine branches. It is used to celebrate and remember the miracle of Hanukkah. Eight of its branches are lit, one for each day of the eight-day Hanukkah holiday. The ninth branch is called the shamash, which means "helper." It is used to light the other eight candles.

A Hanukkah menorah

A Hanukkah Lamp from Lemberg, Austria-Hungary, made between 1867 and 1872. It is now in The Jewish Museum of New York.

A Hanukkah lamp from the 14th century, found in France. It is now in the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaïsme.

A silver Hanukkah Menorah from Macedonia.

A silver Hanukkah menorah.

A Hanukkah Menorah with a Star of David.

Public Hanukkah Menorah Displays

Around December, during Hanukkah, menorahs are often displayed in public places. Important people, like elected officials, sometimes help light these menorahs. The Chabad-Lubavitch movement is well-known for holding public lighting ceremonies. They have done this since 1987, following a request from their leader, Menachem Mendel Schneerson.

Menorahs at the White House

Since 1979, the White House has been part of the lighting of the National Menorah in Washington, D.C. President Jimmy Carter was the first president to attend this ceremony in Lafayette Park.

Later, starting with President Bill Clinton in 1993, a Hanukkah menorah began to be lit inside the White House. In 2001, President George W. Bush started the yearly tradition of a White House Hanukkah Party. This party includes a menorah candle lighting ceremony.

Menorahs in the United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom holds a menorah lighting each year. This event takes place at the home of the Speaker of the House of Commons, which is inside the Palace of Westminster. The menorah used today was specially made for this event by Michael J. Martin, who was the Speaker at the time.

Big Menorahs in New York City

There are two very large menorahs in New York City, each standing 32 feet tall. One is in Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn. The other is at Fifth Avenue and 59th Street in Manhattan, close to Central Park. This huge menorah weighs 4,000 pounds and was created by the Israeli artist Yaacov Agam. Because the menorahs are so tall, a company called Con Edison helps light them. They use a crane to lift people up to reach the top.

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  President Carter at the Hanukkah Menorah Lighting in Lafayette Park, 1979.

What the Hanukkah Menorah is Called

In English, people usually call this lamp a "menorah" or "Hanukkah menorah." The Hebrew word menorah simply means "lamp." In modern Hebrew, the lamp is often called a chanukkiyah. This word was created in the late 1800s by Hemda Ben-Yehuda. Her husband, Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, was very important in bringing the Hebrew language back into everyday use.

Where to See Hanukkah Menorahs

Many museums around the world have amazing collections of Hanukkah menorahs. These include the Israel Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Jewish Museum in London, which owns a famous menorah called the Lindo lamp. There is also a collection in the small Jewish Museum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

U.S. President Harry S. Truman in the Oval Office, receiving a Hanukkah Menorah as a gift from the Prime Minister of Israel, David Ben-Gurion (center). To the right is Abba Eban, the Ambassador of Israel to the United States.