Object numberM1993/048
DescriptionSilver Havdalah spice container used to mark the end of the Sabbath. Dr Laszlo Adler found this spice box, which had belonged to his grandparents, in his family home in Kaposvar, Hungary, when he returned after the War. It had been missed by looters, and was the only item of value that remained in the house. The Adlers were deported from Hungary to Auschwitz in 1944.
Dr Adler went to Vienna in 1930 to study medicine. He spent three years in Germany and learnt to speak German. He lived in other countries around the world at different times. During the war he worked as a doctor in different labour camps, which saved his life. In June 1944 his parents were taken from their homes in Kaposvar and sent to Auschwitz where they were murdered.
Havdalah (Hebrew for ‘separation’) is a Jewish religious ceremony that marks the symbolic end of Shabbat and ushers in the new week, symbolically separating the holy day from the mundane period that follows. The ritual involves lighting a special havdalah candle with several wicks, blessing a cup of wine and smelling aromatic spices. Shabbat (the Sabbath) ends on Saturday night after the appearance of three stars in the sky.
Dr Adler went to Vienna in 1930 to study medicine. He spent three years in Germany and learnt to speak German. He lived in other countries around the world at different times. During the war he worked as a doctor in different labour camps, which saved his life. In June 1944 his parents were taken from their homes in Kaposvar and sent to Auschwitz where they were murdered.
Havdalah (Hebrew for ‘separation’) is a Jewish religious ceremony that marks the symbolic end of Shabbat and ushers in the new week, symbolically separating the holy day from the mundane period that follows. The ritual involves lighting a special havdalah candle with several wicks, blessing a cup of wine and smelling aromatic spices. Shabbat (the Sabbath) ends on Saturday night after the appearance of three stars in the sky.
Production placeKaposvar, Hungary
Production periodpre-World War II
SubjectJudaica, religious objects
Object namespice boxes
Materialsilver
Dimensions
- whole height: 210.00 mm
base diameter: 60.00 mm
Language
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Dr Laszlo Adler