MZ-9-O

The Ner Tamid (Hebrew for eternal light) lamp was found, along with other items, during archaeological work at the site of the Great Synagogue on Berka Joselewicza Street in 2004. The lamp is most often hung above or through the aron ha-kodesh (formerly in a niche on the western wall of the synagogue) and is lit regardless of whether the synagogue is empty or closed. This tradition is meant to remind us of the constantly lit menorah in the ancient Jerusalem Temple. The work was conducted by archaeologists from the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, under the direction of Dr. Małgorzata Grupa, during which they uncovered over 400 pieces of temple furnishings. The work was initiated by Yahali Gata and Yariv Nornberg of Israel. In 2019, in preparation for digitization, the lamp was conserved as part of the “Virtual Malopolska” project co-financed by the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund under the Malopolska Regional Operational Programme 2014-2020 and by the Malopolska Region.