Hanukkah lamp. [Israel, 1950s-1960s].
Cast and engraved brass.
Upright Hanukkah lamp, with the inscription "Israel" (Hebrew) and the emblems of the twelve tribes.
Engraved on the lamp's reverse is a dedication honoring Menachem Begin: "1944-1964, twentieth anniversary of the declaration of revolt against the British. To the commander of the National Military Organization in Palestine, Mr. Menachem Begin, with honor, Yitzhak Gan-Zvi and family" (Hebrew).
Yitzhak Gan-Zvi (Ganzveich), an Etzel (Irgun) fighter, one of the detainees of the Etzel commanders' course at Shuni (August 1945); in 1944 he blew a shofar at the courtyard of the Western Wall, at the end of the Yom Kippur closing prayer service (as part of the "Wall" operation in response to the British prohibition on public ritual at the Western Wall, and with the intention of ridiculing the prestige of British rule and upholding national pride).
Length: 29 cm, width: 25.5 cm. Good condition. Two holes on base. Some corrosion. Slightly loose screw.