"When one sees the tree in leaf one thinks the beauty of the tree is in its leaves, and then one sees the bare tree."
(Samuel Menashe)
The Kandils and the Ner Tamid (Eternal lights) are silver lamps of different designs and sizes. Visibly in evidence and hung out of reach, they can still be admired at the Nebi Daniel synagogue in Alexandria. We know nothing about those from the synagogues that have been sold.
We could count only 10 Rimonim (Silver ornaments or bells placed above the Sefer Torah) and 1 Yad (long silver finger-shaped pointer to follow the Torah reading). One would expect to find about 100 Rimonim and about 30 Yad considering the number of Sifrei Torah still present in Alexandria and the number of ancient Synagogues.
The embroided Tabernacle curtains (Hekhal) and covers for the reading pulpit (teba) are of great beauty. In Alexandria one can still find 62, generally donated by families. White curtains are traditionally used for the High Holidays.
It would seem preferable to honor the donor families by displaying their gift rather than leaving them to be eaten by moths.
In addition to the great Hanukkiah inside the Synagogue, there are 3 smaller ones. Considering the previous number of Synagogues in Alexandria, there is clear indication of loss as evidenced by the modesty of the display case.
There are also various cups and trophies of the former Maccabi teams in the community offices. We do not have any precise information for Cairo.
It would seem preferable to engage in controlled preservation, rather than accept neglect leading to the total disappearance of these objects.
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