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"  ABOVE: This finely crafted European silver menorah, c. 1870s, Poland, reminiscent of temple candelabra, was likely commissioned by its owners.  Prior to 1850, European Jews were excluded from joining the crafts guilds, so early Judaica was made mostly by Christian artisans.  In December, as Hanukkah approaches, Jewish families are readying menorahs \u2014 traditional nine-candle candelabra \u2014 in preparation for the eight-day Festival of Lights. While menorahs are the best-known form of Judaica, the category embraces many other ceremonial objects, including spice containers, Sabbath candleholders, mezuzah cases, seder plates, Torah pointers, and kiddush cups. &amp;quot;Judaica recalls ancestral customs and ceremonies from many centuries of Jewish life all over the world,&amp;quot; says Michael Ehrenthal of Moriah Galleries in New York City \u2014 from 17th-century Italian synagogues to homes in 18th-century Poland and central Europe, to the Jewish communities of 19th-century Morocco, ancient Persia, and Yemen \u2014 often exhibiting a unique blend of styles due to cross-cultural borrowings among the Jews of the Diaspora and their neighbors. Because many early works have not survived, European Judaica generally dates from the 18th, 19th, and early-20th centuries. Ehrenthal points out that before the mid-19th century, when European Jews were excluded from crafts guilds, most ritual objects were made by Christian artisans for their Jewish customers. Once Jews were permitted to work with precious metals, a number of notable Jewish artisans emerged, and their work is highly coveted today.  PRICE GUIDE: Plain tin menorahs may turn up at flea markets or online for less than $50, but fine, artisan-made antiques go for $750 and up. Of spice towers, Ehrenthal says, &amp;quot;Modest towers can be had for $700; especially fine ones can start at $2,000. A rare piece can go for more than $25,000.&amp;quot;  MEZUZAH CASES  WHAT: Small containers made from wood, ceramic, silver, brass, or other metals, that once contained a handwritten parchment prayer scroll inside. May be plain, carved, filigreed, sculpted, or bejeweled. TRADITION: Traditional Jewish households still use a mezuzah, which is nailed, always at an angle, to the doorpost of the home as a daily reminder of God&amp;#039;s presence.  SPICE CONTAINERS WHAT: Traditionally crafted to resemble towers (in deference to the preciousness of their contents), these containers also appear as small boxes, organic forms, and occasionally as figurative sculptures. TRADITION: Sniffing the aromatic contents (cloves, bay leaves, or fragrant flowers) is part of the weekly Havdalah ceremony that marks the end of the Sabbath, at sundown.  KIDDUSH CUPS WHAT: A ceremonial goblet. May be engraved with religious symbols or an inscription, or adorned with gemstones. TRADITION: Used on holidays and festive occasions, to welcome the weekly Sabbath, and during Havdalah (described above), when the cup is filled to the brim with wine \u2014 almost to overflowing \u2014 as an expression of hope and abundance for the week to come.  Spice Towers The most coveted antique spice containers are those shaped like fanciful towers, often reflecting the architecture of the region in which they were made.  Judaica courtesy of Moriah Galleries. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.countryliving.com/shopping/antiques/a503/metalware-holiday-1206/>