Families are close knit in the Jewish community. We hold onto objects that have value to us from our relatives and ancestors. An outsider may not understand the value of an object, until its story is heard. Then, the object is priceless and a bond grows within the family.
Ancestor's possessions are important because they are real examples of objects used in their time period. They help us to understand what life was like back then. They can also describe places or events in that time period. They help us to comprehend and understand our heritage.
The glass shows our history in ancient Israel and that we were a civilized people thousands of years ago. It made me want to do research about the Roman Empire and what the glass may have come from in Israel. I wonder if the glass was part of a cup or something they used for the holidays.
It was bought by my great grandfather in the late 1920's or early 1930's. He carried it around in his pocket a lot and looking at it makes us remember him. He died before my father was even born. It has made me curious about my ancestors, their lives and what else they have left for us to learn about.
It has made me remember my heritage and how my family has always been totally Jewish. It makes me think about how much this religion is a part of my family and how it must continue to be a part of it.
The mixing bowl -- and Gram's recipes -- mostly came out during our Jewish celebrations such as Pesach and Rosh Hashanah. One of the neat things about being Jewish is our reliance on having religious celebrations at home as much as at our synagogue. Gram's recipes were a huge part of those celebrations for me and our whole family.
As the old saying goes, all Jewish holidays can be described by saying, "They persecuted us. We beat them. Let's eat!"
I know that the holidays are about more than food, but this bowl is about more than just the food that was made in it. It is about my heritage, my family, our traditions and about love.