A small numbers of Ashkenazi Jews began arriving in Bolivia in the early 20th century attracted by the country´s burgeoning mining sector. During the late 1930s and into the 1940s Bolivia was one of the few countries in the world to provide visas for Jewish refugees escaping the Holocaust. During this time the country absorbed over 20,000 Jewish refugees, mostly from Germany, Austria, Poland and other eastern European countries. Following the end of the war many members of the community moved on to other countries including Israel, Argentina and the United States. There is still a small community in La Paz, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz. However, their numbers are dwindling.

The menorahs are produced by Ceramica Walter, which was founded by Walter Melendres a ceramist from a humble rural and indigenous background who created a successful and prosperous business on their family's trade. The story of how Ceramica Walter began producing menorah´s begins with Evan Meyer, an American Jew, originally from Washington DC, who moved to La Paz, Bolivia in 2002 to work in international development, helping Bolivians find solutions to improve their lives. Along the way he realized that the best way to help Bolivians out of poverty was by finding markets for their artisans and their high quality handicrafts. The Hanukkah menorahs are a wonderful example of how Evan has worked with Ceramic Walter, to fuse his Andean ceramic designs with Judaica, helping bring to you these unique hand painted menorahs to your home.