When the White House announced that it was accepting submissions for this year’s menorah, Mr. Heinemann pitched his own

Photo: Heinemann family

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with every year, the focus of the glittery White House Chanukah reception is the VIP guest list, the who’s who of Jewish communal life rubbing shoulders with White House and Congressional members of the tribe. The actual menorah used for the lighting ceremony is often an afterthought, though some iconic ones have popped up throughout the years, each one catering to a presidential preference.

One menorah used by President Obama reflected a “coexistence theme,” while another eco-friendly one was made from sustainable and recyclable materials. President Biden opted for a historical bent, with a menorah made from wood salvaged from the last time the White House was renovated, topped by silver cups inspired by ones that Thomas Jefferson used in his personal residence. This year, the White House staff selected a menorah they were sure their boss would be proud to stand next to: Big, Beautiful, and Gold.

The menorah, whose high-brass finish lends it a warm, golden glow, especially in indoor lighting or on camera, retails for $1,400. It weighs in at an impressive 32 pounds, measures 63 inches in height and 31 inches in width, and has an interesting story of its own.

Mr. Henry (Naftoli) Heinemann, a retired electrical engineer who worked for the US Army and is now a mechaber seforim living in Lakewood, New Jersey, was born in England during World War II, just months after his parents fled Fürth, Germany in the aftermath of Kristallnacht. The family then relocated to Washington Heights, New York, where many German refugees settled. The Heinemanns became members of K’hal Adath Jeshurun (KAJ), led by Rav Joseph Breuer, as well as the Kehillas Yaakov shul, led by Rav Yehuda Breslauer, which kept minhagim of the Fürth kehillah. The Washington Heights community consciously preserved the rich minhagim and mesorah of prewar German Jewry, which emphasized dikduk and hiddur mitzvah. The massive, ornamental menorah that is lit in KAJ every day of Chanukah reflects these values.

When Mr. Heinemann eventually moved to Monsey, New York, he was taken aback at the menorahs that were used in many of the homes and shuls. They were functional perhaps, but were also small, and in Mr. Heinemann’s words “pathetic.” It was an affront to the hanhagah he was raised with, and he felt, disrespectful of pirsumei nisa in general.

Never one to complain and then fall into complacency, Mr. Heinemann founded Pirsum Judaica. The company began producing large, beautiful menorahs, with the goal of giving shuls and homes access to menorahs that would reflect the grandeur that the mitzvah deserved. Over time, his designs were adopted both by synagogues around the world and by individuals looking for a more substantial home menorah.

When the White House announced that it was accepting submissions for this year’s menorah, Mr. Heinemann pitched his own. While the White House was looking for a menorah on loan, in an expression of hakaras hatov, Mr. Heinemann chose to offer the menorah as a gift to the president explaining that “like many Jews, I wanted to express my appreciation for the president’s superb handling of the situation of the Middle East and for his support of the Jewish people in general.”

Mr. Heinemann prepared a detailed, four-page written explanation to accompany his submission, outlining its background and intent. He also renamed the menorah from the “shul menorah” to the “Mega Menorah,” a nod to the “mega president” and a certain acronym that Mr. Trump has taken a liking to. His letter struck a chord, and the White House informed an elated Mr. Heinemann that the Mega Menorah was selected for the president to use at his Chanukah reception, held this year on Chanukah night number three.

Getting the menorah to the White House was quite the procedure, Mr. Heinemann says. The day before the event, it was transported to a secure screening facility where it was x-rayed and sniffed by White House canines. Finally, Secret Service men transported it to the White House and set it up. Mr. Heinemann himself was invited to the Chanukah reception to witness the leader of the free world stand next to his creation, one that conveys a sense of tradition, gratitude to the president and pirsum haneis on the grandest of stages.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 1092)