Elijah's Chair for a circumcision ceremony

Elijah the prophet, regarded as the guardian of all Jewish children, is traditionally believed to be present at every circumcision ceremony. Accordingly, throughout the Jewish world, special chairs are made to provide him with a place of honor. Some of these chairs have a single seat and some have a double seat, as is the case here. One place is for the sandak (godfather), who held the child on his lap; the other is reserved for Elijah. The back of this chair is inscribed with the name of the person who commissioned it, Zelig Hendel Fach.

Credit: The Feuchtwanger Collection, purchased and donated by Baruch and Ruth Rappaport, Geneva