6-4
Photograph
Brooklyn,New York
This is the picture of the ship that brought Molly's great-grandfather, David Massey, to Casablanca in North Africa from Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn in November of 1942 where he served in the US Army. This ship was captured during World War II from Italy by the U.S. It was called the “Conte De Savoya” and was then renamed the “Hermitage.”
Before traveling on this ship, each soldier was given a large lemon in case of sea sickness and a huge block of brown soap to wash his clothes. There were 2,500 men on the ship. There wasn’t enough food. The soldiers ate only once a day and were hungry all of the time. They slept in hammocks.
Molly’s great-grandfather was in company C, and they had to sleep in the lowest deck of the ship. They traveled for three weeks by sea constantly dodging enemy submarines who were trying to sink the ship. The sailors had duties on the ship. One time when Molly’s great grandfather had kitchen police duty, he recalled the kitchen staff baking cinnamon buns which was unusual. There were enough buns for each man on the ship, and he was warned not to eat one or allow anyone else to snatch one before they were officially given out. To this day, it remains one of his favorite treats he is unable to resist.
These are the United States dog tags that belonged to Molly’s great-grandfather David Massey. They were issued to him in 1942. They contain his name, his army serial number, his blood type, and an H that stands for Hebrew. This H identified him as a Jew.
Molly’s family treasures these items.
Braille Writer
United States
Avi’s maternal great grandmother, Bernice, crafted the first Braille Machzur and Siddur with this hand operated, non-electronic Braille writer. It is operated by closing the long metal piece over the yellow paper and poking at the paper with the stylus through the spaces. The result is a series of round bumps on the side opposite of where the page was poked. These bumps form the Hebrew Braille writing.
Circa 1960, Bernice presented the Siddur and Machzur to a blind person, Billy (who was a member of the shul where Bernice’s husband was the rabbinic leader ) in honor of his Bar Mitzvah. After the first one was published, Bernice made more siddurim for other people in need. However, by the time Bernice made her last few Braille sets, they had come out with a mechanical Braille typewriter.
Although she could have made a lot of money for her hard work, Bernice always gave her sets as a gift to those in need.
Siddur
Austro-Hungarian Empire
Daphna's maternal great-great-great-grandfather Yoseph Unger received this hand written siddur from his father, Yoel Unger of Rechnitz. His father was a famous Rabbi in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Yoseph was Yoel’s first born and both of them were torah scholars. Yoel [1800-1885] was the Chief Rabbi of Paks where he ran a great yeshiva. His most famous work is a response on the Shulchan Aruch called Tishuvat Riba. The nusach of this siddur is that of the Ari z”l, which is a mix between Ashcanaz and Sephardi. The siddur was handwritten which might be seen as a mystical act of devotion.
This siddur has been in Daphna’s family for over 150 years
Wedding Cap
Ohio
This wedding cap was first worn by Madeline’s great-great grandmother, Gertrude Barnett Rosenblatt, in 1899. Gertrude Rosenblatt was the first person in her family born in the United States. The wedding cap was purchased in Cleveland, Ohio and has been worn by every bride in Madeline’s family on her mother’s side. Each bride repaired and added her own pearls to it. In 1993, the wedding cap went under an extensive restoration and was placed on a molded structure to keep it from disintegrating.
It is particularly meaningful to Madeline because her great grandmother, for whom Madeline was named, wore the wedding cap.
Documents
Italy
Andrew's paternal grandmother, Miriam T. and his paternal great grandparents, Zachary and Molly Monheit lived in a displaced persons camp in Bari, Italy after World War II. The first document is Zachary and Molly Monheit’s Italian civil marriage certificate that was issued on December 20, 1946, by the local magistrate in Alessano, Italy and then certified on March 6, 1947, by the Department of Charm and Justice in Rome. Miriam T. was born on April 13th 1948, in Rome, Italy. The Monheits spent two weeks on a ship called the Marina Di Jumper which landed in Pier 90 in New York City on December 14, 1949. There was a minimum five year wait for the Monheits to become citizens of the United States.
The next set of documents is each of their certificates of citizenship which were issued and sealed by the United States Department of Justice on April 12th 1955. Interestingly, the back page of the Italian marriage certificate was then endorsed on April 20th 1957 by a New York State notary public who certified that their Italian marriage agreement was indeed a valid United States marriage contract.
The pocket watch is a memento of Zachary’s days as a peddler on the streets of Rome. He felt it was his most successful trade and decided to keep it forever.
It is now stored safely in Andrew’s grandmother’s house in Englewood and is a constant reminder of his family’s heritage.
Megillah
Aleppo, Syria
Aleppo, Syria had a big Jewish community. Gabby’s maternal great grandfather, Ibrahim (Abraham)Shammah was born and raised there. This Megillat Esther was given to him by his father in honor of his Bar Mitzvah. Ibrahim’s Bar Mitzvah was in the early 1930s. He was never sure of his exact age because they didn’t keep accurate records in Syria.
He used this megillah every Purim. Gabby’s great-grandfather fled from Syria with the megillah because Jews were being persecuted. He then moved to Lebanon, but they started to kill Jews there as well. Finally, he moved to America and the megillah came here with him.
He then passed the megillah on to Gabby’s grandfather who still has it today.
Field Glasses
Germany
As a soldier in Kaiser Wilhelm’s German Army in World War I (circa 1914), standard military issue was one set of field glasses to improve vision on the battlefield. This pair belonged to Fred Israel, Anna's paternal great-great grandfather. The glasses are held in a special case.
Fred Israel fought for Germany for four years in the “Great War to end all Wars,” mostly in France. He was a commissioned officer, and ultimately earned the German badge of honor, the “Iron Cross Second Grade.”
Fred was born on May 3, 1889, in the town of Karlsruhe, Germany. He married Eva Lowe on August 26, 1919, and then took a job as a salesman for a large German man’s clothing company to support his new family. It is hard to imagine, but even after Fred served as an officer in the German Army during World War One, he was still imprisoned briefly by the Nazis in the Dachau Concentration Camp. Miraculously, he was released shortly after.
He then left Germany to go to the United States, where he ultimately settled in Elizabeth, New Jersey with his wife, daughter, son in law, and grandchildren. In August of 1958, at the age of 69, Fred passed away while on vacation in the Catskill Mountains.
These field glasses have been in the family for close to 100 years, and will always serve as a memory of this great man.
Key
Teheran, Iran
This key belongs to Areli. It opens the mausoleum of Mordechai and Esther from the Purim story. Areli’s maternal great-great-great-great grandfather David Soophe took care of this grave and was given the key because he was trustworthy. David gave it to his son Yitzchak Soophe, who gave it to his son Nathaniel Soophe, who then gave it to his daughter Jinos Partial. She then gave it to her grandson, Areli. Areli keeps the key in a very safe place. This key is very special to Areli and his family.
It’s a way for them to connect with their Jewish heritage.
Coffee Grinder
Romania
Alana’s maternal great-great grandmother had a very special coffee grinder which was passed on from generation to generation. It traveled from Romania all the way to New York. Sarah Beck Sloser owned this coffee grinder and used to hold it on her stomach while grinding coffee. Sarah and her family left Romania in 1904 because of religious persecution. From there they moved on to Winnipeg, Canada where they stayed for 20 years. They had this coffee grinder with them while carrying all their other items from country to country.
Sarah’s family left Canada because her son died in a boating accident, and the memories were too painful for them to stay. From there they moved to New York where they had a good life. Their son, Maxwell, Alana’s great grandfather, graduated from St. Lawrence Law School in 1925.
Now the coffee grinder is in Connecticut in Alana’s aunt’s home.
Brass Samovar
Poland
In 1927 Aaron's maternal great grandparents Rebecca and Zev Zlotnick left Poland. They took their son, Dov Zlotnick, (Aaron’s grandfather) a feather filled comforter and a brass samovar from Rebecca Zlotnick’s family. They traveled by boat to the United States and left behind their entire family who all tragically perished in the Holocaust. This samovar was used for heating water. Hot coals were placed in the center tube and the water was heated in the outer chamber.
The samovar was used when the family and friends would gather to sip tea and talk about life.
Menorah
Spain
David's paternal great-grandfather Josef B. was born in Barcelona, Spain in the early 1900’s. While he was growing up, his family owned a beautiful antique, silver menorah. Joseph’s family lit the menorah every year. After his mother died, Joseph received this menorah from his father as a reminder of his mom’s tradition. It has remained at David’s great-grandparents’ home since they got married.
When Jacob got married, the menorah was given to him, until David’s father received it at his wedding. The menorah is passed down to every first born in the family. The next person to receive the menorah will be Jacob B. All the first born sons have the names as Jacob or Joseph in the B. family.
Hopefully this tradition will continue for many future generations.
Documents
Germany
The Jewish community of Berlin, Germany was forced by the Gestapo to send about one hundred Jewish children to work for the SS at Am Grossen Wannsee. This was initially the place where the Final Solution of the Jewish people was decided in 1941.
Zehava's opa had to get up at five o’clock in the morning to be at work at seven o’clock because it took him two hours to get there. In the wintertime he could not put on tefillin at home because it was too dark. So he and his friends took their tefillin secretly and davened with a minyan in the coal bunker.
Under the Nazi law the spelling of Zehava’s opa’s last name was changed to Zajdman to identify that his parents came from Poland. All the male Jews had to add the name “Israel” to their first name. This identification card was issued seventy years ago. Zehava’s opa had to show this card when he entered work and left work.
In 1942, in order not to be deported to a concentration camp, Zehava’s opa went with his family into hiding.
Candles and Kiddush Cup
Lithuania
Zachary’s maternal great-great grandparents, Max (Lazer Mendel) and Lena (Chyena Leah) Kaplan came to New York from Kupishka, Kovna Gubernia, Lithuania in the late 1890s. Chyena Leah and Lazer Mendel received the Kiddush cup and the candlesticks as wedding gifts circa 1885. Zachary (Eliezer Yehuda) is named after Lazer Mendel whose Hebrew name was Eliezer. Zachary’s family uses these items every Shabbat in their home.
This links the generations and creates a connection between Zachary’s great-great grandparents in the 19th century and his family today in the 21st century.
Army Uniform
New Jersey
Jonathan’s maternal grandfather, Leo Gross, served in the United States Army Reserve from December of 1960-December of 1966. He joined the army reserve because he felt that it would be very hard for him, as a religious Jew, to be drafted into the regular army for two years but he still wanted to serve his country. He was stationed at Fort Dix, New Jersey, in the infantry unit. He then returned home.
As part of his obligations he spent the next five and half years going to weekly meetings in the NYC armory and spending two weeks every summer at Camp Drum, an army base in Watertown, N.Y. Kosher food was scarce, so Leo and the other observant Jewish soldiers were only able to eat fresh fruits, vegetables, and food from care packages sent to them by their families. For Shabbat, they received kosher food from the Jewish Welfare Board. This food consisted of gefilte fish, canned meats, canned soups, canned vegetables, grape juice and challah. Leftover food would be used during the week until the next Shabbat when the packages would arrive again.
The “Kosher Boys,” as these religious soldiers were called, would warm up their food on radiators. When Leo arrived at Fort Dix for basic training, he weighed 200 lbs. After three months, his weight dropped to 150 lbs.
When Jonathan sees his grandfather’s uniform, it reminds him of the sacrifices his grandfather made to remain a religious Jew while at the same time being a patriotic American who wanted to serve his country.
Wedding Dress
United States
Imagine that you are about to get married, however to spoil this, your future husband is going to Europe five days after the wedding. What do you do if you can’t buy a wedding dress? Maybe you go to your mother and ask her to make you one? That is exactly what Devora K.’s paternal grandmother, Deena Eisenberger, did. Her fiance had to sail to Europe, and had tickets for five days after. If they didn’t marry before then, they would have had to wait indefinitely for him to get back. So, she did what any responsible person would do, she asked her mother for help. Her mother made most of the clothing for the family, but still, a wedding dress was a big challenge.
Devora chose this object because though at first it seems completely ordinary, Devora’s own great grandmother made it by hand in only five days.
Coin
Germany
Sigal’s maternal great-great-grandfather hired a jeweler to make a pin with a coin in it for his daughter Betty. Betty Lind Strauss left Germany before the Holocaust at the age of twenty-seven. At that time, one was only allowed to bring ten dollars to America. This coin/pin could be sold in case she ran out of money. Betty was able to find a job as a nanny soon after she arrived in New York and was able to keep the pin.
It was all she had left from her parents.
Photo Album
Germany
Rachel’s maternal side of the family happened to be one of the few lucky families that were able to leave Germany before the Holocaust started. As a reminder to her family, one of Rachel’s first cousins, Moshe Wasserman, compiled an album full of pictures of their family. In order to do this, Rachel’s maternal great uncle, Adi Rapaport, lent Moshe these photos.
The photos are of Rachel’s family’s maternal grandmother, Tzippy Rapaport, and her family. They were mostly taken in Germany before they immigrated to the United States, from about the years 1900-1950. Some of the pictures show swastikas painted on store fronts reminding Rachel’s family how lucky they were to be able to leave Germany before the war. Moshe Wasserman has printed multiple copies of this album and gave them to cousins, aunts, and uncles.
This album will always be cherished by all of the relatives because it reminds everyone about their amazing family history.
The Early Smicha
United States of America
During World War II many Jewish people were drafted to fight for the American army. Zachary's maternal great grandfather, Rabbi Irving Dropkin, knew this fate, and decided to become a Chaplin in the army. He thought he would be safer as a Chaplin than fighting combat. He received his smicha from The Jewish Theological Academy of Torah Vadoth in 1948.
Thankfully, Rabbi Dropkin never was drafted to the army. He worked for his father’s electrical business and then became a top sales man selling insurance for Metropolitan Life. Many years later, Temple Zion of Long Beach needed a new rabbi since their rabbi retired. They approached Rabbi Dropkin in 1985 and asked him if he would consider becoming their rabbi.
Rabbi Dropkin was a warm person and a good speaker. Rabbi Dropkin accepted the position and never retired until he died on March 28, 2008, at age 85. He and his wife Birdie were adored by their congregants. Rabbi Dropkin converted many people and brought many non-observant Jews to Orthodox Judaism.
Zachary’s family treasures his smicha certificate because it reminds them how many people’s lives this special man touched.
Documents
Russia
In circa 1970, Avia’s maternal great-great-great grandfather, Beryl Perlmuter, was living in Russia. The Russian army came to take him into the army and in those days Jewish people had to stay in the army for 12 years. Some people would injure themselves so they didn’t have to leave their family and go and fight. Instead Beryl decided to run away.
He had to struggle to get on a boat to the U.S, but finally he succeeded. He came to America, worked, and soon brought his wife and his child. Unfortunately his son had a very bad case of “whooping cough”, so the government didn’t let him into America. Four years later Beryl saved up enough money to bring his family and his father. These are the documents that show that he and his family came into this country.
Avia hopes to have these special papers in her family for many years to come.
Wooden Figurers
Germany
Adir’s paternal great grandfather, Shlomo C., was in a concentration camp during the holocaust. His friend decided to give him two wooden figures that resembled him and his wife Rosa.
When the Holocaust was over, Shlomo and Rosa moved to Turkey. Rosa gave birth to their son Avraham C.
When Avraham was old enough to live on his own, he took the two figures and moved to Israel. There he married a woman named Zehava. They had three children, Shlomo, Eliyahu, and Joshua. Since Shlomo is the oldest, Avraham decided to give him the two figures. Now, they are displayed in Adir’s living room.
Eventually they will be passed down to Adir.
Letter
Romania
Imagine having to go to war, leaving all of your family and friends behind. This is what Sarah’s great–great-grandmother’s brother Sebastian Rossin had to do. Sebastian wrote this letter to his sister Bertha, Bertha’s husband Max, and their children whose names were Sara (Suri), Theodor, Marcel, and Toni. He wanted to reassure them that he was alive.
Sebastian told them that he was healthy and asked how everyone was doing under the poor conditions of World War II. Sebastian also gave Bertha five cents to write back to him. The reason the coin is still there is because Bertha used her own five cents instead.
The lady in the picture is Bertha and the baby is Sara (Suri).
Sarah was named after Sara (Suri).
Pictures
Israel
Stephan’s maternal great-grandfather, Yehuda Szachnowicz was born in Poland circa 1910. He fled Poland in the early 1930s before the war and established himself in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He was a very Zionistic man. In the 60’s and 70’s he became very involved with the non-profit Zionist organizations, Keren Hayesod and Magbit. He traveled to Israel on a yearly basis to meet Israeli leaders, and on some occasions, received awards for his work. He died in Brazil in 1990.
These pictures are some of many that he took with presidents, the prime minister of Israel and members of the Knesset.
Whiskey
Brooklyn
Noam’s maternal grandfather, Joseph Appleman was born in Harlan County, Kentucky in 1926. By age 13, Joseph and his family, now living in Borough Park, Brooklyn, were very much aware of how the Great Depression was affecting the people around them. It was decided that Joseph would have a smaller and quieter Bar Mitzvah than originally planned; considering that most of those attending were in great financial distress.
At his Bar Mitzvah kiddush, herring, kichel (bowtie cookies coated in sugar), and two bottles of whiskey were the only items served. While one bottle of whiskey was consumed, the other bottle was never opened and is still sealed today.
This past Parashat Vayara, Noam and his extended family had the zichut to celebrate the second Bar Mitzvah of their grandfather, as he had turned 83. Joseph planned to open the bottle then, but felt compelled not to since it had become to all a family heirloom.
The bottle is a reminder that to be considerate, you have to put other people’s feelings before your own.