Sacred Seforim
A Special Megilah
Warsaw, Poland
Daniel P.’s maternal great-great grandfather received this wooden megilah cover, which includes a megilah inside, from the Bezalel School of Arts and Crafts in 1907. He hired a Sofer to write a K’laf to fit in the cover. Daniel’s great-great grandfather gave it to Daniel’s great grandfather, who then gave it to Daniel’s grandfather. The megilah is a Ha’melech megilah. Every column begins with the word Hamelech, except the first word of the megilah. The megilah is made to be wound up after use. It is engraved with the replica of the Kotel Ha-Ma’arvi which is in Jerusalem. It also has an engraving of a tree on top of which are the words Etz Ha’chaim and an engraving of a Jewish star. The word Zion is engraved in the center of the star. The megilah is currently kept in Daniel’s grandparents’ house. His grandfather uses the megilah every Purim.
It has taught Daniel more about his great-great grandfather and his great grandfather.
A Book of Jewish Heritage
Yemen
Yechiya Grama, Tsipora S.’s maternal great grandfather, was born in Yemen during a time when the Jews had very little money or food. After all of his siblings died from famine, his mother took him and traveled to Israel by camel. Since they were too poor to own books, Yemenites thought it was vital to memorize the Torah. Tsipora’s great grandfather wrote this book, Sedar Lel Shavuot, in Israel from memory. In 1929 he brought the book to America. Tsipora’s family keeps this book on a bookshelf for display every year. They have owned this book for eighty years. This book reminds Tsipora’s family of her great grandfather, and his struggle to keep his Jewish heritage.
This book reminds Tsipora’s family of her great grandfather, and his struggle to keep his Jewish heritage.
A Sacred Siddur
Germany
Betty Gutenstein, Eliana K.’s maternal great-great grandmother, received this siddur engraved with her name on her wedding day, from her husband, Max Stern. This siddur indicates on the frontispiece that it is a pre-wedding gift from the Chatan. Such a gift is called “Sivlonot”, and is always reciprocated by a gift from the Kallah on the wedding day. Max chose this siddur for Betty as the publisher, Roedelheim, had a virtual monopoly on the production of high quality German liturgical work, and he thought that Betty deserved such a siddur. The siddur is written in a gothic German font as this was the font most frequently used in printing German literature at the time. It contains tefillot for the entire Jewish year, including many additional unique tefillot used and said on rare occasions. It also includes a complete translated and Hebrew version of Sefer Tehillim—almost unknown in today’s edition of siddurim.
When Betty died in a car accident in the Jewish year 5716, her son-in-law, Ernst Frohwein, Eliana’s maternal great grandfather, gave this siddur as a special memento to his daughter, Miriam, Eliana’s maternal grandmother, on Rosh HaShana 5717.
Miriam had been especially close to her grandmother, as she often visited her in her London home, where Betty lived after fleeing Germany prior to the war.
True Dedication
America
Circa 1930, Andrew K.’s maternal great- great grandfather, Joseph Wolf, came to America from Europe with almost no money. He was in search of a better life. It was very hard for Joseph to hold a job because back then people had to work every day of the week without a day off. However, Joseph was Jewish, and he refused to work on shabbos, even if it meant getting fired from his job every week. Fortunately, Joseph was able to make enough money for food and rent by working at a different job every week. But to Joseph, food and rent wasn’t enough. Joseph wanted a kitvie kodesh (a holy book). Of course a Torah, the best holy book, was much too expensive for him. Instead he purchased this migilah, which was less expensive. This miglah was probably the only migilah in his neighborhood and Joseph was the only one who knew how to read it properly. As a result, he became the baal koray. If it had not been for Joseph, nobody in his neighborhood would have been able to fulfill the mitzvah of hearing the migilah every Purim. Whenever Andrew sees this migilah, it reminds him of his great- great grandfather and his dedication to the Torah and the mitzvoth.
This migilah is the only connection that Andrew has to his great –great grandfather, Joseph Wolf.
A Religious Savior
Germany
Abby E.’s paternal great-great-great grandfather gave this sefer to her great- great grandfather so that he and his family members would never forget their Jewish heritage. For a Jew living in Germany in the year 1903 it was very difficult to find work. That is why Abby’s great-great-great grandfather gave the sefer to his oldest son, while he went to find work in America. Abby’s great-great-great grandparents could not afford to send the whole family, which is why the father journeyed alone. Her great-great-great grandfather did not want the family to forget their Jewish customs while he was away, so the family would be able to look in the sefer if they had any religious obstacles while he was gone. This sefer is kept in Abby’s grandparents’ house in Florida. It is still used today by Abby’s grandfather who looks up halachic questions in the sefer, even though he also uses newer versions.
This object is extremely unique and special to her family because it is a symbol that her family has followed Jewish laws and maintained Jewish traditions throughout many generations.
The Key To A New Life
Germany
Imagine being taken away from your family, not knowing if you will ever see them again. That is how Raquel G.’s maternal great-grandfather, Bela, felt as he was taken as a prisoner of war during World War II. When World War II was over, he went back to his home, and met the love of his life. They got married and decided to move to America. Knowing that they would have to do a lot of traveling, Bela bought two pocket-sized Siddurs. Since they were constantly on the move, they would take these Siddurs out of their pockets to daven. When Raquel G. and her sister, Deborah, were born, her mother inscribed each Siddur to them to remind them that with perseverance they can achieve their goals.
Raquel is inspired by her great-grandfather’s ability to start a new life and keep his faith in G-d.
Torah is Life
Poland
The Torah is not just a book; it can show the present and the future, and most significantly, the past. Imagine how Isaac Rivilan, Benjamin C.’s paternal great-great grandfather felt when he received this Mishnoyot in 1879 as a gift from a friend. This book has been passed down in the C. family until today. Jeff C., Isaac’s grandson, received this book around 1985, and he used it until it became too fragile to be used. This precious book will always be passed down as it shows that the C. family are, and will always be, Jewish. Isaac Rivilan even had his notes inside this book, and they are all kept in Jeff’s bookcase. Along with Isaac’s notes, there is a list in the back with several of the C.’s family’s relatives and significant days in their lives.
This Torah is a remembrance to all of the C. family’s cherished memories.
Sefer Vayikra
Frankfurt, Germany
When Sam S.’s paternal great-great grandfather came to America, he was able to bring a couple of sephorim from Germany with him. He decided to bring the five sephorim that his grandfather, Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, translated into German. When he came to America, he moved to a Jewish community called Washington Heights. While living in Washington Heights, he was the rabbi, and he opened a yeshiva. He used this sefer until his death.
He passed this on to Sam’s great grandfather who then passed it on to Sam’s grandfather who later passed it on to Sam’s father, Jeremy S., who still has it.
The Machzor That Had It All
Poland
Michal F.’s maternal great – great grandmother, Mindel (Kaleeka) Kaplan, was the prettiest girl in town. She received her Machzor as a present the year she got married to Yitzchak Kaplan. Mindel had four children when she and Yitzchak wanted to move to America from Poland. They worked very hard to save up the money, find a way to get to America, and have somewhere to live. When they were finally ready to move, they were limited on what items they could bring with them. Mindel’s Machzor was very special to her, and she just HAD to bring it. She traveled with it and never let it go, and every year she used it on Pesach. When she used it, it reminded her of Pesach when everyone would get together and celebrate.
Her Machzor was the thing that made her NEVER, not even once, forget her religion. She moved to America and still never forgot to use her machzor each Pesach.
Sorrow for Every Year
Rodelheim
Nachi L.’s paternal great grandfather owned a Selichot book, which has been owned by the L. family for approximately 80 years. This book originally belonged to Kurt Hertz, Nachi’s great grandfather. He took this with him to America from Manheim, Germany, right before the Holocaust began. Even though it’s kept on a bookshelf in Nachi’s house, it is not used. This Selichot book is unique because Rodelheim Sefarim aren’t made any more. This old, but useful book represents the L. family's German Jewish heritage. The L. family cherishes this Sefer because Nachi’s great grandmother, Eva Hertz, who was married to Kurt Hertz, passed away this past year.
Nachi chose to display this object for the Heritage fair in her memory.
Ze'enah u-Re'enah
Manhattan
Arianna W.’s paternal great-great grandmother Fanny Leah Saperstein moved to the Lower East Side of Manhattan from Russia in 1904 because of the Russian Pograms. One of the first things that she bought was a Sefer (book) called a Ze'enah u-Re'enah. It has a black cover that is very torn because she would bring it with her wherever she went. She went a lot of places with it. She moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts and lived there for ten years. Then she moved to Brooklyn, found a job, and lived there for the rest of her life. The pages are also very torn because she would say every word and turn the pages so many times. A Ze'enah u-Re'enah was a sefer that only woman learned from. The Ze'enah u-Re'enah is in Yiddish since only the men knew how to speak and read Hebrew. Fanny did not speak English, she only spoke Yiddish. Fanny had a great attitude about everything.
The W. family will continue to treasure her Ze'enah u-Re'enah.