Ritual
These are very traditional artifacts from the students past. They are very meaningful to them.
Seder Plate
Czech Republic
Paternal Grandparents
The seder plate to the right was purchased in 1921 by my great grandparents Sophie and Israel Kern while they vacationed in Karlsbad, Germany. They were living in (what is now) the Czech Republic at the time. The seder plate was passed down to my grandma and grandpa and they passed down the plate to my parents. We use the plate every year at Passover. This plate is special because it has been handed down over three generations.
The Seder plate is used only twice each year, during the Pesach Seders.
Grandfather's Kiddush Cup
Germany
Grandfather
This Kiddush cup was handed down to my father from his father. This was my grandfather's cup when he was a little boy in Germany. This means a lot to the family because when my grandfather escaped from Germany, he was able to save the cup and bring it to America. Before he came to America, his family first went to France.
It was one of a few items that survived the trip from Germany to France to America.
Great Great Grandparents Menorah
Israel
My Mother
This menorah originally belonged to my maternal great great grandparents. They bought it in Israel. It is small and the bottom of it unscrews which makes it good for traveling which they did a lot. My great great grandparents gave it to my mom when she was a teenager. My mom says that it probably isn't worth a lot of money but it is valuable to her because it belonged to her grandparents and they were very special. I never knew my maternal great grandparents but I have heard many stories.
After the Maccabees' victory over the Greeks, they returned to the Temple and found it destroyed. The story passed down for generations is that there was only enough oil left to light the Menorah for one day. The miracle was that the oil lasted eight days, enough time to make more oil for the Temple.