Noisemaker (Grogger)
Unknown Maker
- Central Europe? late 19th century|
On the festive Jewish holiday of Purim, worshipers fill the temple to hear the rabbi read the megillah (Book of Esther). In this tale from the Hebrew Bible, a Jewish woman becomes queen of Persia and foils a genocide of her people. It is traditional for the congregants to use a noisemaker to drown out every mention of the name of the Purim story’s villain, Haman.
This noisemaker may originally have been a police rattle. These types of noisemakers have also been used during Easter celebrations.
| Name: | Noisemaker (Grogger) |
| Artist: | Unknown Maker |
| Location: | |
| Origin: | Central Europe?, late 19th century |
| Medium: | Metal Hardware, Wood |
| Dimensions: | 7 7/8 in.x 7 11/16 in. |
| Credit: | Gift of Georgette Grosz Spertus from the Maurice Spertus Collection |
| Catalog Number: | 69.1.143 |