The 2011 Hanukkah Lamp

Susan Braunstein: The lamp was made in a Displaced Persons Camp after World War II in Germany, in 1945. And it has an inscription which dedicates it to General Joseph T. McNarney. He was the head of all of the European Theater of Operation, beginning in 1945, and was responsible for the Displaced Persons Camps. And they dedicated this lamp to him. On the base are four Hebrew letters, which stand for "A Great Miracle Happened There." It's an expression that we use during Hanukkah. Here were people who had been liberated from tremendous oppression, and the story of Hanukkah celebrates exactly the same thing, 2,000 years ago. When we got the call from the White House that they wanted this lamp, we were just so honored to be able to bring this lamp, because we know that it has such a special story that really relates to the history of this country and the military and the wonderful role that they have played. I imagine that the person who made this probably could not imagine that it would end up in the White House. I don't know what happened to that person. We don't know where they are, but I am sure that they would be incredibly proud to know that something that they crafted with their hands out of the ashes of World War II is proudly being displayed and looked at by the President of the United States.