Wooden Tsedakah (charity) Boxes

The pre-restoration Tsedakah boxes were chipped and the surface eroded. The silver escutcheon and nameplate were tarnished. The donation slots had been eroded from use over the years.

To preserve the historic character of the slots, the restorers chose not to alter their form, but only to consolidate the raw wood with lacquer. They also filled the missing gaps in the boxes’ joints with colored resin, and blended eroded areas to reduce their contrast with the overall finish, taking caution not to erase the wear – evidence of the boxes’ history.