Lighting up the holiday

Every menorah tells a story.

That's especially true of those in the collections of two Metro Detroit couples, Liz and Les Kannon in Ferndale and Rabbi David and Alicia Nelson in Southfield.

Their homes display dozens of the nine-branched candelabrum traditionally used to celebrate Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights.

The eight-day holiday, observed by generations of Jews throughout the world, starts at sundown Dec. 11 and continues until nightfall Dec. 19.

Whether hand-crafted from fused glass or machine-made of humble metal, each of the couples' menorahs comes with an interesting history or tale.

Styles range from a striking Israeli work of art in yellow fused-and-leaded glass that's a focal point in the Nelsons' living room to a palm-size, moose-shaped menorah in the Kannons' collection that's more a whimsical decoration than a true menorah.

One menorah in particular in the Nelsons' artsy collection seems to capture the essence of Hanukkah, which celebrates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in the second century B.C., following a victory by the Jews over the Syrian army. The temple lamps, as the story goes, burned miraculously for eight nights when there appeared to be enough oil to last for only one.

Made of vintage brass with a blue patina -- a style the Nelsons call "Israeli art deco" -- the symbol-rich menorah is designed with eight candle-holding Maccabees, or Jewish soldiers, marching in a line toward a ninth soldier guarding the temple door. (A menorah's ninth candle, called the shamash or servant candle, lights all the other candles in the nightly Hanukkah ritual).

"The menorah is an important Jewish art form -- it has intrigued artists for centuries," says Rabbi Nelson, whose collection of more than 40 menorahs includes antique and traditional styles from Eastern Europe, Brazil and Morocco, as well as contemporary Judaica (Jewish art pieces) from the U.S., Italy and Israel.

In one corner of the Nelsons' antiques-filled dining room is a cluster of intricate, oil-burning Moroccan menorahs made in the 1920s of alpaca silver. A nearby wall arrangement showcases brass replicas of ancient German menorah designs crafted by a Brazilian artist, Jose Feldman, who befriended the Nelsons in their first congregation in Rio de Janeiro in the 1960s.

Coincidentally, the artist's Brazilian granddaughter-in-law, Teresa Feldman, and two great-grandchildren have been houseguests of the Nelson family for the past several weeks.

In the couple's living room, a mini-version of a 1962 bronze menorah at a suburban Baltimore synagogue sits atop a handsome, wood-clad 1939 Philco radio. It's displayed across from the contemporary yellow glass menorah that's the family's favorite to light each Hanukkah.

"There is only one other like it in the world and that's owned by a former president of Israel," says Alicia Nelson, who sells Judaica and menorahs other than those in their personal collection through her business, Tradition! Tradition!

The art-glass menorah and the story behind it were gifts from the rabbi's great uncle, Joseph Nelson.

Also holding a place of honor in the Nelson home is an unusual, silver-plated Peacock menorah from the early 1900s that was a gift from Congregation Beth Shalom in Oak Park on the couple's 25th anniversary with the synagogue. (Nelson has been rabbi emeritus for four years.)

In Ferndale, the Kannons' collection of 27 menorahs includes mostly traditional styles in metals such as brass, pewter, sterling and gold plate, plus a few ceramic versions depicting an Old World village and Hassidic rabbi musicians.

Some of the menorahs were gifts from friends and family. Others were ordered online or found at art fairs or in stores such as Target or Bed Bath & Beyond, says Liz Kannon, an administrative assistant for membership at the Jewish Community Center in Oak Park.

"You start with one and all of a sudden you have 10, and then you decide, 'Oh, we must be collecting,' " she says. "They're so decorative and artistic -- it's a way to display Judaica, and not terribly expensive. It's just fun."

Then, glancing around her dining room where most of the family menorah collection rests atop a large wood cabinet, she says, "Maybe we've gone a little overboard."

The Kannons received their first menorah 30 years ago from his grandparents, who gave it as a traditional bridal shower gift. "It's still my favorite," Les Kannon says of the simple metal design.

Liz Kannon, a bicyclist, likes their bicycle-shaped menorah with the shamash on the handlebars, and also is fond of an abstract design, in pewter, of a couple embracing.

Both Kannons like their brass menorah shaped like a bonsai tree; it's pictured on Homestyle's cover. Their collection also includes a music box menorah that plays "Rock of Ages" and belongs to their grown son, Josh.

A mixed-metal menorah, festooned with hanging Jewish stars and other charms, was given to their daughter, Andrea, by the mother of Les Kannon's best friend, after the friend passed away.

Even more fun than looking at all the menorahs is lighting them, according to the Kannons. Most of theirs have been used, as evidenced by telltale wax drippings clinging to some of the holders.

Every year, the couple lights several menorahs each night of Hanukkah after draping TV trays in their sunroom with wax-catching aluminum foil. "You're supposed to put them in the window when you light them so that people can see them," Liz Kannon explains.

When their children were young, the Kannons typically invited friends and lighted more than a dozen menorahs at once. Even if it was only the fifth or sixth night of the holiday, that was a lot of candles. "It got very warm in here," recalls Les Kannon, who always makes potato pancakes, or latkes, for their celebration.

Other Hanukkah traditions include playing dreidels, a spinning top game, and giving children gelt -- coins that are either real or chocolate wrapped in foil.

The Kannons still keep several pairs of 3-D cardboard glasses in an old Hanukkah basket, and pull them out for guests to see eye-popping, holographic dancing dreidels and rainbow bursts around the burning candle flames.

Friends know that when the Kannons or Nelsons throw a Hanukkah party, menorahs are supplied -- it's never BYO. After all, there are plenty to go around.

Hanukkah candle-lighting 101