6-5
Gold Bracelet
Europe
The Holocaust was a difficult time for all European Jews. Most Jews lost their possessions. Although most of Dahlia’s maternal great-grandfather’s Naftali Schanzer’s possessions have been lost, he kept one very special gold bracelet that his mother gave him. Naftali hid the bracelet in the heel of his shoe throughout the Holocaust.
Naftali Schanzer kept this bracelet his whole life, and before he passed away, he gave it to Dahlia’s mother, Felicia R.
Small Torah Scroll
Czechoslovakia
Even while he was a prisoner under Nazi rule, preserving mitzvot was Chazan Michael K.’s mission. Despite being separated from his home and family from 1944 to 1945, Michael’s great-grandfather, Chazan Michael K., was determined to keep the laws of the Torah. During a time when most people could barely fend for themselves, it was Chazan Michael K.’s mission to not only survive, but to safeguard his family’s Torah.
Valiantly, he organized secret minyanim using this Torah throughout his incarcerations in various work and labor camps. While most Torah scrolls are large and quite heavy, this Torah is a unique size and weight, with intricately carved Etz Chaim that allowed it to be transported in secret under very dangerous circumstances throughout World War II. Michael’s great grandfather, along with Michael’s grandfather, Emil K. and two aunts survived the war.
Eventually this Torah was brought to America, where it is used in various minyanim as a sefer sheni.
Kiddush Cup
Germany
This 100 year old Kiddush cup is a very special memento of the Baer/A. family. In 1910, in Frankfurt, Germany, Nicole’s paternal great-great-grandfather, Ferdinand Baer, and his sister, Bina Baer, gave Nicole’s great-great-great grandfather, Liebman Baer, a silver Kiddush cup as a gift for his 50th birthday. The Kiddush cup was engraved with the initials “LB” on one side, and on the other side, a statement in Hebrew which translates “a gift from your son Ferdinand and daughter Bina 1860-1910.” After Liebman and Ferdinand passed away, the Kiddush cup was given to Lisa Messinger, Nicole’s paternal great-grandmother. Lisa Messinger uses this Kiddush cup every single Shabbos, and then makes it Kosher for Pesach so she can use it on Pesach.
This Kiddush cup will continue to be passed down to other family members for years to come so that they will never forget about their past generations.
Book
Danzig, Czech
Have you ever heard that Jews never fought back during the Holocaust? Well, whoever told you that was incorrect. Although, Jews did not have the means or strength to overthrow the Nazis, they never lost their ability to use their intellect. Tamar's maternal great great-grandfather, Sami Glicksman, an important lawyer and Rabbi from Berlin, knew this when he filed a court case against Julius Streicher and Company for their despicable treatment of Jews.
When the Nazis heard about the case, he was put on the Gestapo black list, and he was forced to run and escape to America. The case was never settled in court. In the relative safety of America, Sami Glicksman published his book The Forgeries and Falsifications in the Antisemitic Literature and My Lawsuit Against Julius Streicher & Co.
This book was published first in German and later was published in 1989 in New York in English.
Pot
Russia
Rachel Kaufman-R., Tali's paternal grandmother, was born in 1927 in Poland. After World War II, she married Tali’s paternal grandfather, Berel R., in Samarkand, Russia. At the end of that year, they moved to a displaced persons camp called Foehrenwald, with their daughter, Gittel. Because they were refugees, they had no home. The JDC (Joint Distribution Committee) helped them by providing them with household basics; this pot being one of them.
In addition to this pot, the R. family received a seder plate (now at Aunt Gittel’s house in Israel), and tableware, which Tali’s father used as a child.
Cleaver
Germany
Gittel S., mother of Leo S., and great grandmother of Noah, had a cleaver that she received from her husband, Philip S. When Leo S. was about 3 years old living in Berlin, Germany in 1932, he remembers the cleaver that his mother used to use while she was preparing food for her family. He remembers that his mother never let him hold it because the blade was very sharp, and she was afraid that Leo would cut himself. Leo remembers his mother chopping the head off of the carp before she made gefilte fish for the Passover seders.
Leo’s family was lucky enough to escape from Nazi Germany. They fled to Cuba and then to the United States. Through all his travels, he always brought his mother’s cleaver with him. It was very sentimental to him after Gittel S.’s death.
When he closes his eyes, he can still smell the gefilte fish that his mother used to make during the holidays.
Pocket Watch
Ohio
After amazingly surviving the Holocaust, Leib Marocco, Tamir’s maternal great-grandfather, moved to the United States to find sanctuary at age thirty-two. He didn’t have a lot of money, so he opened up a family business in Cleveland Ohio. He made leg braces and special shoes for people with disabilities, and the business was very successful.
After a while, he was able to afford a ticket to Israel to visit his family. To reward himself, Leib bought an eighteen-carat gold pocket watch. He loved it, and he kept it in his pocket always. Leib also decided to pass it down from generation to generation, to the eldest in his family.
It went to his son William, to his granddaughter Tal, and finally to his great grandson, Tamir.
Rimonim
Morocco
Ariel's great-grandfather, Michael B. and his brother Yossef B. bought a Sefer Torah and these rimonim in 1950. These rimonim were handcrafted in Gourama, Morocco by a Jewish sculptor in 1935 and made out of silver. These rimonim were very special. Yossef and Michael were five and eight years old when they lost their father. Yossef worked hard to raise money to give his brother a decent Bar Mitzvah. Since a young age they worked together and had a very good friendship. In 1964, they both moved to Rich. Yossef was a rabbi of the synagogue where this Sefer Torah and rimonim were kept.
Today these rimonim remind the B. family of the friendship and closeness that these two brothers had and the Jewish values they have kept.
Army shirt, badge, and certificate
England
Chloe's paternal grandfather, David R., served in the British Army between February, 2 1956, and February 24, 1958, at a time when there was still conscription in Britain. Most men between the ages of 18 and 51 were called-up to serve in the army. This is the original shirt, badge, and certificate from his time in the military. David was in the army during the Suez Crisis of 1956 but was not sent away to fight.
Being Jewish in the British Army was not at all easy. The army did not, for example, provide kosher food and there was no shul on the base. After the first six weeks of basic training, David’s Platoon Sergeant called him aside and David wondered what he had done wrong. But his sergeant just wanted to tell him how much he respected him. On the first day David had asked where there was a synagogue nearby he could attend. There happened to be one at the RAF (Royal Air Force) Base not far away, where they had a Friday night minyan and a Kosher meal to follow.
Also, on a number of occasions in the “cookhouse,” the sergeant in charge would ask the other Jewish soldiers why they didn't respect their religion like R. did. David would only eat the vegetables and fish, trying to avoid all non-kosher foods. Clearly, from the “Testimonial” in the Certificate of Military Service, David was very highly thought of by his sergeant.
David still lives in London with his wife Valerie and often visits America to see his grandchildren.
Bereshit Book
Manhatten, New York
Jake's great-grandfather, Max Aronson, came to America from Romania. He was a business man in Pennsylvania. He opened a furniture store that was in business for fifty years. He then traveled to New York and bought this beautiful Bereshit book. Max Aronson treasured the book because he admired the pictures drawn by a famous artist, Saul Rasknin. The book is written in both English and Hebrew and tells the stories of Bnei Yisrael’s life. On each page there is an amazing picture that shows what was happening in the perek. The book was published in 1944, which means the book is sixty six years old.
This book is valuable to Jake because it makes him feel closer to his great-grandfather.
Certificate of Citizenship
New York
Max Schwartzberg, Ashley's maternal great-great-grandfather, came from Russia to Ellis Island, New York due to the danger the Jews faced in Russia. He came to the United States in 1898, when he was in his late 30s. He was married to a woman named Sarah. Max originally had 13 children, but by the time his whole family arrived in America, only four of his children, Mamie, Josef, Ida, and William remained. Tragically, his nine other children died due to illness. This citizenship certificate was signed on July 12, 1906, by the Eastern District of New York.
When Max became a citizen, his wife, Sarah, and his four children, Mamie, Josef, Ida, and William automatically became citizens as well.
Record Album
America
This album of records was originally owned by Shelby's maternal great-great grandfather, Louis Berkowitz, who passed it down to his son, Murray Berkowitz. These records were made circa 1920, and they require a gramophone in order to play them. Records are made on plastic discs, and the sounds and music are engraved on the record. The needle of the gramophone reproduces the actual sounds.
Shelby’s maternal great-grandfather, Murray Berkowitz was born on February 21, 1918 in the Bronx and was raised in the Brooklyn. As a young boy, Murray, would play the violin with his father, Louis Berkowitz, who also had a love for music. Murray saved musical records of his favorite songs and symphonies that were given to him by his father, Louis Berkowitz.
As an adult, Murray became a doctor. As a husband, father, and doctor, Murray still found time in his hectic schedule, to enjoy his records and play his violin. Murray would play his violin from memory along with the records. Some of Murray’s patients were also music lovers and gave him opera tickets. This enabled him to take his family to the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.
Shelby’s maternal grandparents, Leon and Marlene Bernstein recall the love of classical music that Murray had.
Shelby’s maternal grandmother, Marlene, recalls her father, Murray playing the violin and listening to his records many times. These records were found in his house in Brooklyn, where he lived and practiced medicine until he retired. Murray died on February 22, 2009, and his love for music lasted throughout his whole life.
Shelby is fortunate today, in displaying Murray’s favorite musical pieces and records that he saved.
Havdalah Box
Russia
This silver havdalah box is used by Elana’s family every Shabbat and has been in use for six generations. Tracing the life of this simple object is like telling the story of the Jewish people in Europe and America from the 1880’s to the present.
It was crafted by a Jewish silversmith at order of Moshe Baratz, Elana’s great-great-great grandfather who offered it as a wedding present to his daughter Brana in the Bret Sheva shtetl in Russia. The box was used every Shabbat and passed on to Sheina who took it with her when she escaped to Romania before the war.
During the Holocaust, the family took it in hiding. Eventually Sheina’s son Moshe inherited it and brought it when he ran away from Romania to the United States in 1974. Many years later it was passed on again to his daughter Dana, Elana’s mother.
It brings the sweet smell of bessamim, and the memories of the many Jews who used it in the S. household.
Siddur
Philadelphia
Jordana’s maternal grandfather, Gordon, passed down a very important Siddur. The Siddur was published in 1845 in Philadelphia. On the front cover three names are imprinted, Lewis A. Hart, Alan J. Hart, and Edward H. Hart. On the inside is a handwritten family tree. These people were descendants of Aaron Hart who fought in the Quebec War in 1759 and later became the first Jews to permanently live in Canada. He then settled in Three Rivers. His son Ezekiel was the first Jew elected to the Canadian legislature. He wasn’t allowed in because he wore his kippah and refused to swear in on the Bible, he insisted on using a chumash.
On the family tree is a man named Dr. David Hart. The original hockey (NHL) award for most valuable player, the Hart Trophy, was named after him and donated by him. Gordon is a direct descendant of these men.
This book will be cherished by the S. family for generations.
Tallit
United States
Murray L. Wolf is Jonathan S.’s maternal great-grandfather. Murray Wolf was born on December 28, 1906, to Morris and Anna Wolf in New York City. His bar mitzvah was in December of 1919. Murray was taught his bar mitzvah parsha by the local rabbi. His parents did not have much money. The simple bar mitzvah celebration consisted of some wine and herring at the shul.
This is the tallis Murray wore at his bar mitzvah, and accompanied with a picture of him wearing the tallis.
Afsa and Baby Cup
Iraq
The afsa and baby cup have been part of a family legacy for more than one hundred years. The tradition is a Jewish-Iraqi ritual from Ariel's maternal great-grandparents that has been past down from generation to generation. Both of the items are handmade by Ariel’s maternal great grandfather in Iraq. He was an artist in Bagdad, Iraq.
The cup is made out of silver and the afsa is made of gold, wood, and turquoise stones. The purpose of the afsa was to protect the baby from bad energies by placing it in the crib from the day the baby is born until the baby reaches forty days old. Later on when the baby was older, the first cup the baby would drink out of would be this silver cup. The name of Ariel’s great-great-grandfather was engraved on the bottom to remember the artist.
The afsa and baby cup will be in the B. family forever thanks to Ariel’s great-great grandfather Efraim Ben David.
Picture and Dogtags
Philadelphia
Gideon’s grandfather, Marek Appell was drafted into the American army at the age of 21, at the beginning of the Korean War. Marek Appell went through three months of basic training camp and then served as a dental assistant to the army base’s dentist. After nine months, Marek changed positions and became in charge of supplies.
Marek’s base was located in Indian Town Gap, Pennsylvania. When Marek was drafted into the army, he knew very little English as he had just come from Europe after the Holocaust.
One of the hardest things about serving in the army was finding kosher food. Marek decided that anything that didn’t have non-kosher ingredients was okay. At the army base there were Friday night services for Jews. The army had visitation times so Marek saw his family every now and then.
Marek was almost sent to Germany and Korea during the war, because they were looking for people who spoke many languages. Since Marek was from Europe and spoke a few languages, they wanted to ship him overseas. Luckily, Marek’s captain knew he was a Holocaust survivor and knew he did not want to go back to Europe. So the captain used his connections to pull a few strings, and Marek didn’t have to go overseas.
After the war, Marek went back to his family after having not been with them for two years. Right before the Korean War was over Marek’s dad, Max Appell started a small factory, Webster Soda Fountain that made stainless steel restaurant equipment.
When Marek finished the army, he joined his father in the business. This object is a dog tag belonging to Marek Appell.
Letters
Romania
How surprising it was to find a copy of a letter written long ago, and published amongst other letters to the Rabbi Aaron Roth. Rena’s family didn’t know until three years ago that the copy of the letter even existed. Efraim Fishel F. lived in Satu-Mare, Romania. The F. family realized what a great Talmud Chacham he was after reading this letter. He is described as one who would give direction according to how many mishnayot he could recite before he would turn left or right.
Rav Aaron Roth, his rabbi, lived in Israel and became the father of the Shomrei Emunim Chassidic movement. The Shomrei Emunim are distinguished by their gold colored bekeshes. Efraim described how he cared for the Beit Medrash and brought wood and kindled the fire on behalf of the students who were learning. He described how he tried to raise his three oldest sons from his wife Rinza to love Hashem and Torah.
Amongst the three sons mentioned is Yitzchak, the grandfather of Rena. Yitzchak, his brother Shlomo, his sister Rivcha, and their half sister Suri were the only four of Efraim’s fifteen children to survive the Shoah.
May his wish that his children keep the love of Torah and Hashem be fulfilled.
Besamim Box
Hungary
This bessamim belonged to Zachary’s maternal great-grandfather. Zachary’s great-great-grandfather was Joseph Zev Schreiber who was born in 1874 in Hungary. He used this bessamim every week. He gave it to his oldest son, Abraham Tzvi Schreiber, (whom Zachary is partially named after). Abraham Tzvi gave it to Zachary’s grandfather Elliot Schreiber, Zachary’s mother’s father.
Zachary’s grandfather remembers using it every Saturday night when he was a little boy growing up in his father’s home. Zachary’s grandfather, Elliot Schreiber, remembers playing with the flags that decorated it when he was little. He was warned not to, but as a child he did anyway. One week, Zachary’s grandfather accidentally broke off the top flag. It is still missing. Zachary’s grandfather, Elliot Schreiber inherited the bessamim when his father, Abraham Tzvi died.
Zachary hopes to own this antique spice box one day.
Tea Set
Brooklyn
Leah’s maternal great-grandmother and great-grandfather received this tea set as a wedding present. All the presents they received were stacked up in a big pile. This tea set was at the very top. As they were putting another present on the pile, the tea set fell! It tumbled until it reached the floor. Leah’s great grandparents thought it was broken into a thousand pieces. But they opened the box and were surprised to find a perfect new tea set waiting to be used.
Even thought it’s a beautiful set, what makes it even more special that it was almost lost forever.