The Museum of Lights in Casale Monferrato, Piedmont, added a new lamp to its collection on Hanukkah. Titled “I Remember Firelight and You Remember Smoke,” the piece was created by artist Ruth Beraha. The “sound” lamp features a central loudspeaker and eight speakers on its sides, like spider legs.
In Beraha’s piece, the sound of the shammash being lit evokes fire. The shammash is the lamp used in the Hanukkah menorah to light all the others. The lamp will be on display in the Carmi Hall until January 18, alongside the artist’s two other creations: an eagle caught in a crash and a marmot averting its gaze from the viewer. Once again, many people gathered at the synagogue in Casale Monferrato to share in the joy of the Festival of Lights. “It is a moment of intimacy and mutual understanding,” said Daria Carmi, president of the Jewish community. “In Casale, we celebrate Hanukkah in a public and collective setting in the name of culture, as well as by bringing together different sensibilities and promoting dialogue between secular and religious institutions in our area. This is the same spirit that keeps our families together.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n