Prayer
This gallery is important in our museum because prayers are a big influence on Jewish life. This gallery is made up of three siddurim and a miniature Torah. The siddurim contain important prayers, while the Torah contains the Five Books of Moses. Jews say prayers at home and in the synagogue, usually three times a day. When we pray, Jews feel closer to G-d and connected to other Jews.
Miniature Siddur
Israel
Father
My artifact is a Miniature Siddur. It belonged to my great grandfather. He gave it to my grandfather who gave it to my dad and he will give it to me. It is important to me because it ran through my family and will be mine. It is almost going to break when you try to read it because it is so little and made of cardboard covers and delicate paper. I think it is really cool because it has the same songs as the big siddur we use today. I found Lecha Dodi in it, but you can barely read it.
We pass down prayers through the siddur. That’s why my artifact is important to Jewish heritage.
Siddur
New York City
Ruth R.
This siddur was given to my grandmother from the rabbi who copyrighted it. It was given to her as a Hebrew school prize at the oldest synagogue in North America. This synagogue, Shearith Israel, is a Sephardic congregation in New York City.
You can use this siddur to pray with, which is important in Judaism. Prayer is a way to connect to the community and to G-d. You can praise and thank G-d, which us good to do because G-d has done many things for you.
Miniature Torah
New York
Harriet S.
This artifact is significant to my family because my mother received this miniature Torah at her Bat Mitzvah as a gift. I would like to use this Torah to prepare for my Bat Mitzvah and learn more about Judaism and Jewish traditions.
This artifact is significant to my Jewish heritage because my mother received it at her Bat Mitzvah, which is an important Jewish ceremony. A Bat/Bar Mitzvah is a very important occasion in a Jewish young adult\'s life. You read from the Torah, give a Dvar Torah, read the Haftarah, and lead multiple services. It happens on Shabbat morning (Saturday). After someone completes his or her Bat/Bar Mitzvah, they are considered a Jewish adult.
The Torah is used for prayers on Shabbat. It contains the Five Books of Moses. It is a large piece of parchment between two wooden scrolls. The writing inside is Hebrew. The Torah is considered very holy to the Jewish people. It is contained in an ark, and may have a silver crown on top.
Siddur
Probably New York City
Martin D.
This artifact is important to my family because it was my grandfather\'s first siddur. This siddur was given to him during the Great Depression. This was a very difficult time for my family. My great-grandparents came from Eastern Europe, and even though they weren\'t religious, being a Jew was very important to my great-grandfather, so it became important to my grandfather.
Siddurim are important to Judaism because Jews have used them to record prayers for hundreds of years. They are also important because they have God\'s name in them and Jews use them to pray and get closer to God.