Foto: Karl-Heinz Stadtler
Sabbath lamp on kettle hook, height-adjustable, 8 burning points for the oil flames with drip catcher. Brass, lamp 47x26cm; hook 52 x 9cm (with 10 teeth). On permanent loan from Carol Baird, San Diego, CA
The Sabbath lamp is lit on Friday evening before the start of the Sabbath. The mostly star-shaped hanging lamps with six to eight flames have been typical of Jewish homes since the late Middle Ages. Originally oil lamps, they were later also used as candlesticks and even later some were even converted to electric light. This Shabbat lamp was in the house of the Familie Frankenthal from Vöhl and was given to the Vöhl synagogue on permanent loan by the descendant Carol Baird from the USA.