By Danforth Guy
Photographs by the author (click on them for larger versions)

Click here for news on the 2025 Hanukkah stamp design.

For the first time, an actual menorah was featured on a Hanukkah stamp from Canada Post in 2024. It was also the first time the Hebrew word for Hanukkah has appeared on a Canadian stamp.

The 19th century item comes from the Aron Museum of Jewish ceremonial art, held at Temple Emanu-El-Beth Shalom in Westmount, Quebec, on the island of Montreal.

A day before the postal strike, the stamp was issued there on November 14. The next day, the temple hosted a stamp presentation, but, as it was Friday evening, they were also holding services. It was felt a fuller celebration of the honour would be fitting, so they organized a reception and presentation in December featuring nine historic menorahs, including the one on the stamp. Each was discussed during a lecture.

It was a rare chance to see (and even handle) the menorahs outside their display cases. The one on the stamp is striking for its peacock, theatrical curtains, and crown. Its nine white candles were digitally colorized for the issue. The menorahs were displayed in the front of the Ark.Note the Official FDC on display with the menorah. According to the Canada Post press release, “originally created in Poland, the silver-plated object is believed to have been rescued from a burning synagogue in Germany in November 1938 – around the time when widespread violence erupted in Nazi-occupied territories.”

Canada issued its first Hanukkah stamp in 2017 and has issued one every year since 2019.

Danforth also reports:

A source at the Aron Museum of Jewish ceremonial art says Canada Post has selected a second menorah from the museum’s collection for the next Hanukkah stamp (2025). The early 20th century hanukiyah comes from mainland Europe and is made of brass. It was photographed at the museum in Westmount, Quebec, at the same time as the one pictured on the 2024 issue — part of a move to feature actual menorahs rather than the graphic ones created for previous Hanukkah issues.

The postal service has not announced any stamps for 2025. Even when it does, it likely won’t confirm the identity of the menorah until much later in the year.