Tefillin
Tallis Bag
Germany
Benjamin B\'s paternal great-grandfather, Jacob B, received this tallis bag for his Bar-Mitzvah. He lived in a small farming village in southern Germany. Jacob B\'s family was poor, but his mother wanted him to have a bag for his tallis. She bought a purple one for him and had his initials embroidered on the back. Benjamin’s paternal great-grandfather, great-grandmother, and grandfather escaped Nazi Germany in 1938 and came to America. Jacob brought the tallis bag with him. When Jacob died, the tallis bag was passed down to Benjamin\'s paternal grandfather, Walter (Binyamin). When Walter died, the bag was passed down to his son Jay, Benjamin B\'s father, who was named after his grandfather, Jacob. One day the tallis bag will be passed down to Benjamin B.
The bag reminds the family how far they\'ve come since their origin in Germany, and it will continue to do so for years to come.
Tefillin
Poland
Jordan K\'s paternal great-grandfather, Yehuda K, received his tefillin at his Bar Mitzvah in 1921. He wore the tefillin his entire life until it was too hard for him to put on. He passed it down to his son, Albert K, who then passed it down to Jonathan K. The tefillin are kept in the family\'s home. Since the tefillin were worn often, they are delicate.
The tefillin are about 90 years old, and soon the tefillin will be passed down to Jordan K.
Tefilin
Russia
When Jacobs L\'s maternal great–great-grandfather Mordechai B was running away from the pogroms in Russia before World War I, he managed to take his tefilin. They were given to him at his Bar–Mitzvah. These tefilin belonged to Jacob\'s great–great-grandfather Mordechai, who received them from his father. Mordechai lived in Russia, and when the pogroms invaded the town and burned their houses, he managed to save his tefilin. When they ran to the U.S., these tefilin were the one and only thing he brought over to America. Then, when he passed away, the tefilin was passed down to Jacob’s great-grandfather, Frank B. When he passed away, they were eventually passed down to Jacob’s grandfather, Martin B, who wears them now. The families own this heirloom that has been passed down from generation to generation.
One day Jacob would like to wear these tefilin to honor his great-grandfathers. These timeless tefilin help Jacob and his family remember their relatives.
Tefilin
Poland
Yaakov M\'s maternal great-grandmother, Elka R, gave Yaakov M\'s great-grandfather, Yaakov R, a set of tefilin for his bar mitzvah. Yaakov Risikoff was born in a small town in Bialystok, Poland, and he went to yeshiva there. Some years later Risikoff received his tefilin from his parents as a gift. He traveled to America through Ellis Island with his family.
Yaakov R\'s memory will always be cherished in the family because of the tefilin he has passed on.