NEW HAVEN — Rabbi Daniel Greer searched high and low for the perfect Ner Tamid for his Yeshiva of New Haven synagogue. The Ner Tamid(eternal light), which hangs in every synagogue in the world, is a symbolic reminder of the menorah which burned continuously in the inner sanctuary of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.
Rabbi Greer, director and president of the Yeshiva, thought of the special eternal light which graces the Touro Synagogue in Newport, R.I., the National Historic Site where he says he frequently prays. So he and his son Eliezer, the synagogues building chair, set out to reproduce that Ner Tamid, which was dedicated in 1765.
After 18 months and three phases of design, the Yeshiva of New Havens new Ner Tamid is an exact reproduction of the one at Touro Synagogue. Designed by Jay Brotman, a New Haven architect who volunteered his time, the Ner Tamid, which is made of solid brass and is 57 inches in height, was manufactured by Crenshaw Lighting, a company in Virginia. The Ner Tamid was funded by an anonymous donor.
It is appropriate for our institution, which will hopefully be around as long as the Touro Synagogue, to spread Torah and to be a light to the community, Rabbi Greer said.