Explore the Rich Heritage of Menorahs: A Virtual Talk from Eldridge Street

Join us on Wednesday, December 10th at 6pm ET for a virtual exhibition talk with the collector!

In conjunction with the Museum at Eldridge Street's ongoing exhibition, Lighting the World: Menorahs Around the Globe, collector Dr. Aaron Feingold will take the audience through his collecting journey and the incredible stories and histories he has learned along the way. In addition to his personal accounts, you will have the opportunity to view some incredible historical menorahs from Jewish diasporas around the world.

Please see the Zoom link in your order confirmation email. This program is entirely virtual.

Registration for this Zoom program is pay-what-you-wish. The following are suggested amounts for each ticket type: Adults $12 Seniors $10 Students $8

REGISTER HERE

This virtual program is in conjunction with Lighting the World: Menorahs Around the Globe, an exhibition featuring over five centuries of menorahs from Jewish communities in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas. The exhibition has been on view in the Museum's Main Sanctuary since 2018.

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From the collector, Dr. Aaron Feingold: The collecting of Chanukah menorahs and lamps has been a passion of mine for over three decades. I have always been intrigued with Jewish communities throughout the Diaspora, and this collection focuses on Jewish communities all over the world. The theme is universal but each menorah contains unique elements and provides a window into Jewish history and civilization through the centuries, and into the particular location and historical period in which the menorah originates.

My collection links these communities historically, symbolically, and culturally. They have survived forced migrations, pogroms, the Holocaust, the rebirth of Israel and more. “If only they could talk!”

My collection has brought me around the world, from lighting a menorah from my collection at the White House Chanukah party to negotiating for an additional example in a synagogue in New Delhi, India.

The Museum at Eldridge Street is the perfect venue historically, aesthetically, and culturally to present such a collection, and I am looking forward to sharing it on Zoom for the first time with all of you.

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About the Museum at Eldridge Street: The Museum at Eldridge Street is housed in the Eldridge Street Synagogue, a magnificent National Historic Landmark that has been meticulously restored. Opened in 1887, the synagogue is the first great house of worship built in America by Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. Today, it is the only remaining marker of the great wave of Jewish migration to the Lower East Side that is open to a broad public who wishes to visit Jewish New York. Exhibits, tours, public programs, and education initiatives tell the story of Jewish immigrant life, explore architecture and historic preservation, inspire reflection on cultural continuity, and foster collaboration and exchange between people of all faiths, heritages, and interests.

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Image Credit: Photo by Erin Flynn, 2025. Statue of Liberty Menorah. United States, Manfred Anson, late 20th century, silver.