6-2
Picture
United States
Yakira’s maternal great-great uncle, Moshe Alexander Gross, is pictured in this photograph standing in the front row second from the right. He is with his Navy unit during WWII.
Moshe Alexander was born in 1922 in Krulah, Romania and immigrated with his family to the United States in 1934 at the age of twelve. Moshe Alexander voluntarily enlisted in the U.S. Navy even though he was exempt from the draft because he was studying in Yeshiva in Brooklyn.
He believed that as a Jew it was important to fight for his country and to help his fellow Jews being annihilated in the Holocaust. Moshe Alexander Gross was killed in the D-Day Invasion of France on June 6, 1944, at the age of twenty-three. After Moshe’s death, his parents wanted to create a living memorial in honor of their brave and beloved son. In 1945, Yeshiva Zichron Moshe was founded in his memory in the Bronx by his parents, Isaac and Regina Gross, with Rabbi Yerucham Gorelick as the Rosh Yeshiva.
The Yeshiva grew and expanded and moved to South Fallsburg, N.Y. in 1969. Today, it is a vibrant and flourishing yeshiva community with a high school, kollel, and yeshiva k’tana.
Wimple
Kew Gardens, New York
William’s paternal grandfather, Robert S. was wrapped in a swaddling cloth at his brit milah on June 7, 1944, in Kew Gardens, New York. That swaddling cloth was later made into a “wimple.”
A wimple is made of linen and is the swaddling cloth used at a brit milah. The wimple is also known as a Torah binder. It is presented to the synagogue in honor of the male child when he first comes to shul, usually at the age of three. This was the German custom that William’s paternal great-grandfather, Jacques S., followed.
On the wimple is written in Hebrew, William’s grandfather’s name, his Hebrew date of birth, which is the 23rd of Sivan, and the Jewish wish that he flourishes in a life of Torah and mitzvot and marries under a chuppah.
Chumash
Germany
When Eli told his father, Meir B., about the Heritage Fair, Meir told him that he should bring in an object from his great- great - great grandfather Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch. When Eli spoke with his grandfather Yaakov, he told him that he inherited a book from his grandfather, and he will give it to him.
This sefer is Sefer Shemot. The book was copied and published in 1912. Only in the 1960’s when his work was translated, did the name Samson Raphael Hirsch become well known among British Jewry. Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch translated the Chumash from Hebrew into German. When Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch came to America, he moved to a Jewish community called Washington Heights. While living in Washington Heights, Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch opened a yeshiva.
Eli’s grandfather Yaakov still likes to use this sefer today and now Yaakov gave it to Eli. Eli hopes to learn from it for many more years.
Picture
Marmarosh- Sighet
These are pictures of Gabrielle's maternal grandfather, Joseph Adler, and his family. Joseph Adler was born in 1922 in the town of Marmarosh-Sighet, which was on the border between Hungary and Czechoslovokia. Joseph was the oldest of four children, two brothers and one sister.
Once the war started, Joseph’s parents thought that it would be safer to live in a big city, and so they sent their two oldest sons to live with an uncle in Budapest. There, Joseph lived as a Christian, and he forged fake documents for other Jews so that they too could have Christian identities.
Unfortunately, Joseph could not get those documents to his immediate family. His brother Yitzchak, who accompanied him to Budapest, had gone to work for his uncle at his factory in the forest. There he joined a partisan group, and he was ultimately caught and killed by the Nazis. In the spring of 1944, Joseph’s parents, brother and sister, were taken by the Nazis to Auschwitz where they were exterminated.
When the war ended, Joseph returned to his home in Marmarosh-Sighet to look for his family. Unfortunately, all that survived of his family were these pictures.
Joseph cherished these pictures and took them with him when he immigrated to America.
Golf Club
U.S.A
Gabriel's paternal great-grandfather, Max B., had a very interesting life story. He was born in Poland and moved to Austria as a young boy. Before World War II began, Max was studying for his doctorate and was also a member of the Austrian National Table Tennis Team. In 1939, before the Nazis took over Europe, Max and his wife Binnie moved to Cuba. When they arrived in Cuba, Max was able to teach himself Spanish, and then get a job as a translator for a shipping company because of his ability to speak many different languages. Through his work at the shipping company, he was able to help many Jews escape from the Nazis, as they would allow him to fill vacant spaces on the ships leaving Europe.
After World War II, Max and his wife Binnie moved to the United States and started a shoe business. Even before 1948 Max and Binnie were very strong Zionists. Most importantly throughout their lives Max and Binnie B. were always very strong supporters of Jewish and Israeli causes.
When Max came to America he wanted to participate in the culture here as well, and he refocused his enjoyment of sports from table tennis to golf which was one of the most popular sports in this country at the time.
This golf putter was the one used by Max B. after he arrived in this country.
Teacup
Denmark
Inger Glud is Aviva’s paternal great-great grandmother who lived in Copenhagen, Denmark. She was born in 1887 and lived to be 96 years old. Inger had a special talent for painting, and after her husband died she spent much of her time painting beautiful flora and animal motifs on Royal Danish porcelain.
This piece is one of many items that she created. She gave it to her son-in-law, Dr. Paul Freudenthal, for his birthday gift on February 27, 1947. Some of her pieces are quite valuable. According to this newspaper clip, a similar piece was sold at an auction for $1,000.
Aviva’s great-great grandmother was asked many times to paint for the Royal Danish company, however, Flora Danica only to painted for her family.
Book
Germany
The Holocaust was a terrible and destructive event in Jewish history, when many Jews throughout Europe were brutally murdered by the Nazis. Josh's maternal grandfather, Rabbi Eli Fishman, survived the Holocaust as a teenager. He lost his parents, three younger siblings, and many other relatives when his town in Poland, Rachav-Annapol, was destroyed. He went to labor and concentration camps, including Auschwitz, and was on a death march to Dachau, where he was liberated in 1945 by allied troops.
At a convalescent center established for survivors, young Eli Fishman learned with Rabbi Shmuel Snieg, the chief Rabbi of Germany after the war. After receiving smicha (ordination) from Rabbi Snieg, Rabbi Fishman immigrated to America and was a Rabbi of different congregations for 47 years. He married Josh’s grandmother, has four children, nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Rabbi Fishman believes his survival is due to Hashgocha Pratis-divine intervention.
He wrote the miraculous story of his journey and the historic truth about the Holocaust so that the Jewish people would always have his testimony.
Seder Plate/Hagada
Perth Amboy, NJ
Avraham Yoel, Gabi's paternal great-grandfather was born in 1910 in Sharosh-Potok, Hungary. His father, Rav Peretz Weiss, was the chief rabbi of the town. He came to Perth Amboy, NJ in 1920. He was married to Beatrice Fertig, and together they founded the Hillel Academy of Perth Amboy. He worked at an airplane plant where he made planes for World War II. The plant wanted him to work on Shabbos, but he refused and left the job.
Avraham Yoel moved to Crown Heights so his children would have a better Jewish life. He learned his brother’s business and opened a butcher shop in Brooklyn. Avraham Yoel was a quiet, shy, modest man who was devoted to Judaism. He had great midot, such as visiting the sick in hospitals and homes, and he took care of children who, unfortunately, lost their parents.
Every Pesach Avraham and Beatrice had big Sedarim at their house and invited lots of friends and family. Ever since Avraham got married, he used this Seder plate every Pesach.
Avraham Yoel’s son Yossie, Gabi’s grandfather, still uses it today.
Diary
Hungary
Jozsef Czukor, Evan’s maternal great-great-grandfather was a prisoner in Nagycenki labor camp in Hungary beginning in June of 1944. This diary was written in the form of letters to his wife Erzsebet. The diary was written in Hungarian and was rescued from the labor camp by Jozsef’s brother in-law named Baila Cohen, who survived the War. On the first page of the diary, Jozsef writes that in the event of his death the diary should be returned to his address or to his son Laci’s address.
Unfortunately, Jozsef Czukor became ill in December of 1944 and died in the labor camp one day after the camp was liberated. His wife Erzsebet and daughter Klari were killed in Auschwitz. His son Laci Czukor, Evan’s great grandfather and namesake, was a prisoner in another labor camp and survived the war.
Laci Czukor kept the diary hidden from his family because it was too painful for him to share it with them and to relive those memories. The diary was not discovered until his death in 1995. The diary was then translated into English, and the original diary is now being preserved at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Israel.
Whenever Evan reads an entry in the diary, he recognizes the personal impact that one person’s life has on so many others, and the miracle of those family members that did survive the Holocaust.
Ketubah
Russia
Kate’s maternal great-great grandparents were married in 1896. This is their ketubah, a marriage contract, showing the Hebrew date 15 Tamuz 5656. It translates to June 26, 1896. This document is 114 years old. At the bottom of the page, the printing is in Cyrillic, which shows that they were living under Russian rule.
This marriage certificate is special to the Miller family as it is a reminder of their heritage and foundation of their family’s roots.
Henna Dress
Israel
Sabine's grandmother, Tova, got married to Sabine’s grandfather, Albert Carmel, in Israel in 1969. Both of Sabine’s grandparents are Iraqi, and they had a henna ceremony for their wedding. Sabine’s grandmother wore this henna dress. This henna dress was very special to her because it was a symbol of marriage and love.
When Sabine’s mother, Hannah, married Sabine’s father, Armand E. in 1992 at Ahavat Torah Englewood, N.J., she wore this dress as well. At their wedding there was a henna ceremony and prior to the wedding, Sabine’s grandmother, Tova Carmel, gave the dress to Sabine’s mother. Sabine’s mother, Hannah E., loves this dress because she knows that the dress has sentimental value.
Hopefully, the dress will be passed on to Sabine and her sister Adi for their special henna ceremonies at their weddings.
Tallis and Tefillin
Sarnik, Poland
In 1939 the Germans invaded the town of Sarnik, where Zachary's maternal grandfather lived. At that time, Jack Krinick was only seven years old. Jack ran away from the Nazis by going into the forest for six months. Jack took his clothing and his father’s tallis and tefillin. It was very important to Jack to preserve his father’s religious articles, and he did so.
Then Jack joined the legendary partisans, which was a resistance force fighting against the Nazis. After leaving the partisans he joined the Russian Army with his father. After leaving the Russian Army he went through Germany across the Swiss Alps to Italy, taking his tallis and tefillin. He ended up in America keeping his most beloved possessions his father’s tallis and tefillin.
This object inspires Zachary to keep the traditions of his father, grandfather, and great grandfather.
The Jewish people will always survive through their unbreakable bond with G-d and the Torah.
Painting Pallet
Poland
Noah's maternal great-grandfather, Ari Adler, was born in 1924 in Pabiance, Poland. He was brought up in a chasidic family and went to several yeshivot in Poland, where he excelled in his studies. Ari’s childhood ended at the age of 15 when WWII began in 1939. Ari survived the war with his immediate family, and afterwords, Ari moved to Paris where he married Noah’s maternal great grandmother, Miriam Adler.
They both moved to Israel in 1947 where Ari served in the Israeli Army during Israel’s War of Independence. Ari went to the Bezalel art school in Jerusalem in 1951 where he got formal art training.
Ari and Miriam and their two children moved to the U.S. in 1960. Ari’s family grew to include two more children and they settled in Forest Hills, New York, where Ari owned a successful business. During those years Ari painted as a hobby, but when he finally retired in the 1980s, Ari devoted much of his time to painting until 1995 when he died at the age of 70.
Most of Ari’s paintings reflect his experiences in Poland as a child and in the war. The paintings about his childhood in Poland are focused on the religious part of the chasidic shtetl. His holocaust paintings show the pain and suffering that Jews, like himself, experienced. Some of his holocaust paintings where displayed in the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C.
Today the entire collection of Ari’s paintings are proudly displayed in the homes of his wife and children.
Medal
Germany
Jacob W.’s paternal great uncle was a solider in the American Army during World War II. Jacob’s great uncle, David Dombroff, served in the seventh infantry unit that deployed from New York to Europe on June 3, 1944.
David Dombroff was in one of the first units to liberate Buchenwald on April 11, 1945. David Dombroff saw thousands of starving and troubled Jews, many of whom were sick and dying. He also saw mass graves and Nazi soldiers quickly trying to bury thousands of Jewish bodies. As the unit liberated Buchenwald, David Dombroff took home a Nazi badge as a testament to future generations for what he saw.
Uncle Davie passed it on to Jacob’s father who passed it on to Jacob, his namesake Jacob David W.
Tzitzit
Chernigov,Russia
Rebecca's paternal great-grandfather Nathan Narinski was born in 1898 in Chernigov, a small town near Kiev, Russia. He came to America when he was only fifteen in search of a safer Jewish environment for his family.
He arrived in Oakland, California to live with his cousins. In 1924, Nathan married his second cousin Rose Frankel. Before World War II began, he traveled back to Russia because his father was dying and he wanted to bring his family back to America with him. After Nathan’s father learned that his cousins who lived in America were not observant, he would not allow Nathan to bring his family back to California. These tzizit are a reminder of Nathan’s journey from Russia to America and from his childhood to adulthood.
Although Nathan was not religious, when he was older he kept this pair of tzizit close by so he would never forget where he came from.
Kiddish Cup and Siddur
Baltimore, Maryland
Although both the kiddish cup and siddur where passed down from grandparent to grandchild and are very old, they are still prized by the F. family.
The kiddish cup was given to Zachary from Isaac Kinek in 2007. Mr. Kinek had received this at his Bar Mitzvah in 1948. Most of the children in the Shul that he had gone to only gave Bar Mitzvah boys a small kiddish cup, but he was special. Mr. Kinek’s father was the cantor of the shul and, therefore, they gave him a much larger kiddish cup. The kiddish cup was inscribed with the name Yitzchak, Mr. Kinek’s Hebrew name. It also is inscribed with the Hebrew words Bait Hamikdash Hagadol, the name of the shul. At the Bat Mitzvah of Mr. Kinek’s daughter, Sherry Kinek (later Sherry F.), was awarded a beautiful siddur. It was given to her by her grandmother Mrs. Devorah Kinek.
Although Mrs. Kinek lived in Israel and did not see her granddaughter often and Zachary does not see his grandfather often, they love each other dearly.
Siddur
Poland
Moshe Kapitnick, Jared’s paternal great grandfather, was the first original owner of this siddur. Moshe Kapitnick, the C. family’s former last name, was born on October 9, 1897, in Poland. Moshe was the youngest of 11 siblings.
Moshe was given this siddur in 1910 by his father, when he turned 13 years old for his bar mitzvah, the celebration of becoming of a man. This siddur was published in 1907 in Przemysl, Poland. Moshe davened from that siddur daily. He fought in World War I for the Russian army, and he was wounded, captured and imprisoned by the German army. When the war ended, Moshe came to America and brought this siddur with him.
Moshe settled in Connecticut with his wife and two sons. When his son, Lawrence C., became a Bar Mitzvah, he passed this siddur to him. Lawrence C. is Jared’s grandfather. He passed this siddur and its story to his first grandchild, Jared.
Picture
Germany
Joachim Loewe, the paternal great-great-great uncle of Harry (Harry – Gilad O. – Sammy O. – Ruth O. – Eva Loewe - Eva Loewe’s brother) was just out of high school when he was drafted into the German army to fight the allies in World War I. Joachim was a mathematical genius, and when the war broke out he was immediately mobilized and sent to fight in France.
Since Joachim had a high school education, which was rare in those days, he joined his regimen as an officer. Sadly, he was killed in battle four weeks into the war and his body was never recovered.
The framed “Fallen Soldier Memorial Certificate” was given to the Loewe family to commemorate his sacrifice for the “Vaterland” (Fatherland). The certificate shows a soldier who sacrificed his life for Germany, and is getting rewarded by an angel who is bringing him to heaven. The actual signature of Kaiser Wilhelm, the head of Germany at the time, can be found in the lower right corner. Kaiser Wilhelm was a good leader who was fair to all people. When he died, Hitler rose to power and changed the German culture.
It is hard to imagine, but even after Joachim sacrificed his life for Germany, Joachim’s mother Rosa Loewe, his aunt Emma Loewe, and his cousin, Issi Loewe were all sent to Auschwitz where they were killed by the Nazis.
This gift from the German Government has been in the O. family for close to 100 years, and will always serve as a memory to Joachim Lowe, a great young man and fallen soldier.
Chuppah
Poland
Jillian’s maternal great-grandparents were the first people to get married under this family chuppah in 1929 in Antapol, Poland. They then moved to Pruzana after they were married. When Hitler came to power in 1933, there were several town meetings in Pruzana discussing how to leave Poland to a safer place.
In January 1939, Jillian’s maternal great-grandparents, and maternal grandfather were lucky to receive visas to America. They left on the second to last ship out of Poland before the Nazi invasion. The name of the ship was the Stephan Batore. They took with them their most important possessions, which included the family chuppah that already had been used for several family weddings in Poland.
The red chuppah with its yellow Magen David was proudly used by Jillian’s grandparents, great aunts and uncles, aunts and uncles, and cousins.