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This menorah was presented to President Harry S. Truman on his birthday on May 8, 1951. It was presented to President Truman by David Ben-Gurion and Abba Eban of Israel. The 1767 bronze menorah is from the Synagogue of Buergel, near Frankfort-on-Main, Germany. A Hanukkah type for eight candles with "shammash" (servant) in the center, crowned by the double-headed Eagle of the old German Imperial Reich. The menorah is the official emblem of the State of Israel. Its shape is said to have derived from the plant known in antiquity by the name "Moriah." The olive branches surrounding the menorah represent the Jewish people's yearning for peace.