The custom is to put the menorah where it can be seen from outside — a front window, or a doorway facing the street. That single requirement decides most of what you need: how tall, how bright, and whether you want a real flame or an electric light.

Electric or flame?

Both work in a window, and they suit different situations.

Electric display menorahs plug into a wall outlet and stay lit as long as you want them lit. Nothing burns down, nothing needs supervision, and nothing has to be relit. This is the practical choice for a store window, an office, a lobby, a care facility, or any window that faces a street and needs to read from a distance.

Oil and candle menorahs take a live flame, which is what many families want at home. Our 12-inch models are built for this: drop a pre-filled olive oil vial or a candle into the branch for that night, and light it as you always have.

Which size for which window

Model Size Lighting Best for
LED Menorah 12″ (12 × 12 × 4 in) Olive oil vial or candle A home window or doorway
LUX Indoor Display Menorah 12″ Multicolor light display A home window, with colour
Indoor LED Display Menorah 24″ (2 ft), 11 lbs Electric LED Storefronts, offices, larger windows
LUX Indoor Display Menorah 24″, 13 lbs Multicolor LED Retail windows that need to stand out
Indoor LED Display Menorah 3 ft, 13 lbs Electric LED Lobbies, wide shopfronts, reception areas
LUX Indoor Display Menorah 3 ft, 17 lbs Multicolor LED The same, with full colour

The 24-inch and 3-foot models are built from steel with a polished finish — a deliberate step up from the small plastic menorahs with orange or blue bulbs that most people picture when they think of an electric menorah.

Placing it in the window

Put the menorah where it is visible from the street rather than where it looks best from inside the room — those are usually different spots. Sit it close to the glass, at a height a passer-by can see without looking up, and clear anything behind it that would wash out the light after dark. A sill deeper than the base is ideal; the 12-inch models need only about four inches of depth.

If the window is high above street level, size up. A 24-inch menorah in a second-floor window reads about like a 12-inch one at ground level.

Automatic lighting on the larger models

The 12-inch, 24-inch and 3-foot electric models have an automatic lighting mode. Hold the button or touch pad for three seconds, all nine bulbs flash three times, and from then on the menorah adds one more light every 24 hours from the moment you activated it. The shamash stays lit whenever any other light is on.

Because the cycle counts from activation rather than from midnight, set it at the hour you actually want it to advance. Full instructions are in the 12″–24″ menorah guides.

If you need something larger

Past three feet you are no longer working with a window. For a forecourt, plaza or building entrance, see outdoor Hanukkah lights and display menorahs, which covers the 6, 9 and 12 foot models and how to anchor them.

Browse

  • LED Collection — electric display menorahs, 12 inches to 12 feet.
  • LUX Collection — multicolor and dual-sided lighting.
  • Accessories — replacement bulbs, candle conversion kits and LED signs.