Myths, of the Da Vinci Code variety, abound that vessels from the ancient Jerusalem Temples are squirreled away somewhere in the Vatican's bowels. Of course, if the Vatican actually had the ancient Jewish relics, including the menorah, or seven-branched candelabrum, at the center of the Chanukah story, it would likely publicize them in an effort to make a convincing material argument for the truth of the Bible.
The view that the Temple vessels, or keylim, are in Rome dates back to the early Middle Ages and builds on rabbinic arguments that they are still there, but the myth about the Vatican is a product of the post-Holocaust generation in New York, which harbors “justifiable” suspicion of Catholics. That's according to Steven Fine, who directs Yeshiva University's Center for Israel Studies and is the scholar behind the university's exhibition The Arch of Titus — from Jerusalem to Rome, and Back.
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