From the Home
A Special Sewing Machine
New York
After surviving the Holocaust, Lauren A’s paternal great-grandfather, Moshe Eisen escaped to Israel from Europe in 1950. He was a tailor by trade. Unfortunately, due to Israel’s hot climate and poor economy, he was unable to make a living as a tailor. In 1957, he moved to New York in search of a better life. When he arrived, he bought this used sewing machine and began working in a factory. Later on, when his family arrived in America, Moshe Eisen had beautiful clothing waiting for them. Now, Lauren’s grandmother, Ruth, the daughter of Moshe Eisen, still uses this sewing machine today.
Due to this sewing machine, Moshe Eisen and his future generations were able to prosper in America.
Box
Antwerp, Beligium
When Emmanuelle S\'s paternal great-grandmother, Leah Rivka was living in Antwerp, Beligium in 1920, she decided to buy a vase at a fair. When she arrived, the only thing that was left was a cylinder-shaped box. But she bought it anyway, took it home, and put it in the dining-room table. Leah didn’t know what to use it for. One day Emmanuelle’s father, Alexandre Speaker came to visit her, and Leah always gave him chocolates. She wanted to keep these chocolates hidden in a very good place so that no one else could take them. So, she had an idea. She put the chocolates in the cylinder-shaped box she bought years ago. Leah Rivka gave chocolates to Alexandre every day, and that simple, plain box was so important to the both of them because that box was forgotten for so many years, and it ended up lighting up Leah’s heart with her grandson visiting his lonely-grandmother. Leah kept the box for the next 20 years until Alexandre got married, had children and moved to New York away from his grandparents. When Leah Rivka passed away in 2001, she passed on the chocolate box to Alexandre.
Whenever he looked at the box in his new house in Englewood, he always remembered all those sweet memories.
Poster
New York
Benjamin B\'s paternal great-grandmother, Gussie B, bought four recipes to decorate her new apartment in Brooklyn, New York during the year 1971. Benjamin\'s father, Todd B, used to come to his Bubbie\'s house many times and always loved to look at the recipes. When Todd was in college, his Bubbie died. He, along with his family, cleaned out her house. The only thing that he took were the recipes. When Benjamin\'s father took them off the wall, the frames the recipes were in broke into millions of little pieces. He could see that the edges had become brown because of the heat from the oven which the recipes hung over. Now they are all in one frame and you can see the brown edges. This is the only thing Benjamin B\'s dad has from his Bubbie.
Even though Gussie was not a great cook, she always knew what her grandchildren liked to eat!
Rugelach
Lower East Side, New York
Noah T\'s paternal great-great-great-uncle, Izzy G, brought a recipe for perfect rugelach from Russia to America with him in the year 1922. While Izzy was in America with his siblings, he was able to teach the recipe to his niece, Anna G. When Anna married Irving T, they opened Gertel’s Bakery on 53 Hester Street on the Lower East Side. In the year 1932, Gertel’s was family owned by Anna and Irving. They owned the bakery for 60 years before selling it to Delancy Desserts in 1992.
Anna and Irving\'s picture can still be found on their products today.
Salt Shaker
Lyon, France
Alyssa S\'s paternal grandparents, David and Frieda S, received a set of silver salt shakers for their wedding in Lyon, France. When they left France and immigrated to America, they brought the shakers with them. They used the salt shakers every week on Shabbos. One day they had company over for Shabbos lunch, and the guests had a three year old son. He was playing with one of the shakers the whole time. After the people went home, Alyssa’s grandparents couldn\'t find the shaker, so they believed that the little boy had taken it. Even after that they kept using the remaining salt shaker. They have both passed away, and now their son and his family have the salt shaker.
Alyssa\'s family now uses the salt shaker every week as a reminder of her grandparents and the fact that they managed to make it through the good times and the bad.
Carpet
Germany
Avital W’s paternal great-grandfather, Alfred W, escaped from Germany and came to America with only this rug. He got this rug from his grandfather before he passed away.This is important to Avital’s family because when Alfred escaped from Germany, he smuggled money in this rug.
This story shows how smart Avital’s great-grandfather was and why Avital’s family decided to keep this rug.