UPDATE: It seems like there’s a good chance this piece is not historical. A silversmith designer, Yossi Swed, claims that he designed this piece 20 years ago or so, and that it’s an original creation, not something used during the Inquisition, World War II, or any other time. I will try to keep you updated as the day goes on, and I find more information. The original poster has not responded to my messages so far. Stay tuned.
UPDATE 2: Okay, I’ve written up a full explanation. Feel free to read it here.
We often hear of stories of Jews who kept their faith throughout history, and the many amazing sacrifices they made to make sure their children would still keep their faith. But it’s extremely rare to see photographic evidence of these sacrifices.
Last night, Redditor atcaskstrength posted 24 photographs of a gorgeous contraption that at first seems like a simple teapot. However, as the photographs progress, you see that this was an ingenious contraption used to allow Jews to practice their religion in hiding. Items like this have been used since the Inquisition. This item is one such piece, although unfortunately the information about the original time and place it was used seems to have been lost.
I messaged him and asked him I could post it here, and apparently he’s a fan of the blog so he said yes. I’m very excited to present to you an abridged version of the “Hidden Synagogue” (link to the full gallery below):
The “Teapot”
Taking Off The Top Piece
It’s A Dreidel!
Next Piece
A Spice Holder (For Havdalah)
Next Layer Down
The Eternal Flame
Inside Of That Is Another Secret: A Megilla
An Etrog Holder (For Sukkot)
Opening It Up…
Shabbat Candlesticks
Under The Candlesticks… A Seder Plate
Everything Open
But One More Thing… A Menorah
I want to thank atcaskstrength for sharing this amazing gift with us. It’s so beautiful to see how hard Jews worked to keep their faith, and I hope it inspires people to remember how real this faith really is and how hard we’ve worked to keep it within us.
To see the full, unedited gallery, check out the original imgur post atcaskstrength put up.
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