Holy Words
Tefillah (Prayer) and Torah (Bible)
Machzor
USA
Donald Lawrence O
My grandfather, Milton O, and his friends created the Malverne Jewish Center in 1953. My grandfather gave the machzor to my dad when he died, and my dad has had it ever since.
This prayer book for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is significant to my family because it has been passed down through 2 generations, and will continue to be passed down to future generations.
Tanach
Philadelphia, PA
Family Heirloom
This Bible, the Holy Scriptures Bible published by the Jewish Publication Society, was given to my great-grandparents, Sarah and Barney Kaminsky, by my grandparents, Phillip and Sema I, and their siblings, Joy and Larry Kaminsky and Howard and Marilyn Kaminsky, for their 32nd wedding anniversary in 1963.
It is significant because it is the only artifact that I have that belonged to both my great-grandparents.
The Bible has the letters Tanach etched on the spine, standing for Torah, N\'vi\'im and Ketuvim, or The 5 books of Moses, the Prophets and the Writings which together make up the Tanach. It also has the 10 Commandments pictured on the front cover, and the devices of the 12 Tribes of Israel on the back cover.
Siddur
Brooklyn, NY
Carol O
My great-grandfather Louis Picker prayed with this prayerbook every day. We think that he may have been given this by his family when he became a Bar Mitzvah.
It is significant to our family because it was important to my great-grandfather.
Siddur
USA
Gabe S
This Prayer Book was given to me by my grandfather Danny Greenfield, who received it from his father, Israel Greenfield, on his Bar Mitzvah. This was in 1944, when anti-Semitism was very evident in the USA.
This Siddur is very special to me as it reminds me of my grandfather, becoming a Bar Mitzvah, even at a time that was hard for the Jews. Even though most wanted to give up, this artifact reminds us that the Jews kept on persevering, even in bad times like those. I hope to pass this on to my grandchildren one day, just as my grandfather has given it to me.
Siddur
Israel
Henry Perlman
This Prayerbook was bought in Israel during the 6 Day War. My great-grandparents (on my mom\'s side) were there. My great-grandfather was very proud of this and displayed it proudly in his home. It was something my mom wanted as a memory of him.
We use it every year at Chanukah to read the prayers for lighting the Chanukkiah.
Machsor
Prague, Czechoslovakia
Jaron B
Lieb and Malka Neuer had this in Lemberg, Poland in 1848. Then in 1914 it traveled with the family to Vienna. Leo and Laura Gershkovitch brought it with them to Montreal in 1929, when they moved to Canada. They were my great-grandparents and their daughters, my grandmother Ruth, and great-aunt Evelyn Gershkovitch gave it to me.
This Machsor in German and Hebrew, a prayerbook that is used for the High Holidays, is an important symbol of our family\'s roots in Eastern Europe, the path our family traveled to where we live today, and the longevity of our family\'s commitment to Judaism and our Jewish heritage.