Elijah's Cup

Elijah (Eliyyahu in Hebrew), was a prophet and a miracle worker who flourished in the 9th century BCE in the northern kingdom of Israel. He is venerated in Judaism, Islam and Christianity as a prophet and messenger of God. This glass Elijah's cup features hand-etched figures of the prophet. It was made circa 1700 in Czechoslovakia.

In Judaism, Elijah’s name is invoked in the weekly Havdalah rite that marks the end of the Sabbath and is invoked in other customs, among them the Passover Seder and the brit milah (ritual circumcision). In Elijah’s honour, during the Passover, a special cup filled with wine is a feature of the Seder table, symbolizing that one day, Prophet Elijah will return to announce the coming of the Messiah, and with him, redemption.

Some say Elijah’s message and the meaning of his name go together like a glass of milk and warm cookies. Perhaps this is why a friend in Prague gave the cup to Livia Revay, sometime in the 1930s when she was enrolled at a university where she received her doctorate despite the numerus clausus restrictions. Livia survived the war hiding with false papers. The item was donated to the Sydney Jewish Museum by Albert Revay in her memory.