Object Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
2024.FIC.011 |
Object Name |
Lamp |
Title |
Ancient Israeli Oil Lamp |
Description |
A grey, triangular-shaped lamp features curved edges and two holes on its front, one at the top and one in the center. The center hole is significantly larger than the one at the top. Surrounding both holes are a series of elevated grooves. The back of the lamp is relatively featureless, with only an elevated circle near the center. The lamp is accompanied by a note and a framed photograph. The note reads, "2,000 YEAR OLD OIL LAMP dug up from the ruins of Jericho, Israel, presented to THE CITY OF TRENTON by THE GOVERNMENT OF ISRAEL through THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF TRENTON on September 8th, 1955." The photograph is a black-and-white image showing a group of men in suits presenting the lamp to Trenton's Mayor, Donal J. Connolly. Among them is Arthur J. Holland, a member of the City Commission at the time, along with other presumed members of the Jewish Federation of Trenton. According to The New York Times, Donal J. Connolly (Dem.) served as the mayor of Trenton from 1947 to 1959, one of the youngest mayors in New Jersey at the age of 38. Before becoming mayor, he served as a State Assemblyman in the New Jersey legislature. During his time in office, the role of mayor was largely ceremonial. Early in his tenure, he was indicted for allegedly issuing illegal beauty shop and school licenses but was later acquitted. Connolly was succeeded by Arthur J. Holland in 1959. He passed away in 1995 at the age of 86. In 1957, Mayor Connolly took a tour of Israel. According to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, while visiting the southern port city of Eilat, Connolly became the first person ever to receive a key to the city. In Tel Aviv, he presented Israel's government with pledges from Trenton's Jewish community to purchase $250,000 in bonds. During this trip, Connolly compared the Israeli city of Haifa to Trenton, noting their similarities as industrial port cities. Arthur John Holland (Dem.) served as mayor of Trenton from 1959 to 1966 and again from 1970 to 1989. According to Ellen R. Callahan of the Trenton Free Public Library, Holland graduated from Immaculate Conception High School in 1935 and briefly considered becoming a priest. He attended the minor seminary of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual in Staten Island but eventually left and pursued a degree in Political Science from Rutgers University. Holland worked at New Jersey polling firms before entering public service in 1951 as Deputy Director of Public Affairs for Trenton. He was elected to the City Commission in 1955, and four years later, he became mayor. Though the role was largely ceremonial at the time, he became Trenton's first mayor under a new Strong Mayor/Council system in 1962, which granted actual executive power to the office. In 1964, Holland and his wife made national headlines by purchasing a house in a predominantly African American neighborhood in Trenton. The move was praised globally, though it faced resistance from some local voters. Holland lost the 1966 election to Carmen J. Armenti, but after working in various consulting roles, including on President Lyndon B. Johnson's Model Cities Program, he returned to politics in 1970. Holland was re-elected mayor in 1970 and served until his death from cancer in 1989. Citations: Callahan, E. R. (2022, April). Mayor Arthur J. Holland papers 1951-1990. Trenton Free Public Library. https://trentonlib.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Arthur-J.-Holland-Papers.pdf Kamins, T. L., Friedman, G., Wineburg, R., & Wiener, J. (2015, March 20). Trenton mayor honored in Israel; gets first key to elath. Jewish Telegraphic Agency. https://www.jta.org/archive/trenton-mayor-honored-in-israel-gets-first-key-to-elath The New York Times. (1947, May 21). Mayor of Trenton Chosen. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1947/05/21/archives/mayor-of-trenton-chosen.html The New York Times. (1947b, November 25). Mayor of Trenton, 2 others indicted; acceptance of fees for illegal beauty parlor licenses charged to Connolly. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1947/11/25/archives/mayor-of-trenton-2-others-indicted-acceptance-of-fees-for-illegal.html Wikimedia Foundation. (2024, March 17). List of mayors of Trenton, New Jersey. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mayors_of_Trenton,_New_Jersey |
Date |
Ancient Antiquity |
Material |
Stone |
Artist |
Unknown |
Height (in) |
4.000 |
Length (in) |
2.500 |
Condition |
Okay |
Condition Notes |
Overall: Wear throughout. Front: There is wear all over Back: There is wear all over. There are black accretions all over the top. There is an abrasion on the center near the left side. And finally, there are numbers written upside down on the bottom that read, "113156." |
People |
Donal J. Connolly Arthur John Holland |
Classification |
Archaeology |
Subjects |
Politics & government Politicians Political representation Political participation Mayors Voting Lamps Lighting Light Judaism Government officials Government employees |
Search Terms |
Lamp Lighting Judaism Israel Jewish Jericho Antiquity Rome Stone Lamp Ancient Israeli Lamp Donal J. Connolly Arthur John Holland Trenton Mayor Gift 2,000 Years Old The Jewish Federation of Trenton 1955 September 8 113156 Ancient 1947 1959 1966 1989 Elath Tel Aviv Haifa |
Provenance |
Found in collection. This was originally given to the city of Trenton on September 8th, 1955. |