1914 - 1938: WWI and the Great Depression
These were difficult times for our families. Ritual items, such as prayer books or t'fillin , or an everyday item such as a bell might be the only items to be passed down, but they help us remember those who owned them.
dog tags
U.S.
Grandfather
These dog tags belonged to my Great Grandfather on my Dads side of the family.
No Significance as my dads side of the family is not jewish.
Daily Prayer Book
Vienna, Austria
Rachel W.
This book was originally my great grandmothers prayer book, and it was used every day, three times a day for years, and it is now one of the few things my family has from her.
This prayer book signifies the Judaism throughout the ages of my family. It represents the form of daily prayer according to the customs of the German and Polish Jews
Great Great Uncle's Tefillin
USA
My Grandfather - Phillip B.
This pair of Tefillin was given to my Grandfather by my Great, Great Uncle Harry. My Grandfather inherited these from his Uncle who died in July of 2003. His Uncle received these at his Bar Mitzvah in June of 1929. My Great, Great Uncle Harry used these Tefillin when he prayed every weekday morning when he attended the morning Minyan . The weekday morning Minyan is the service where there must be at least 10 people gathered to be able to say all the prayers and take out the Torah. My Great, Great Uncle Harry was an Orthodox Jew. In the Orthodox tradition, only men can be counted to meet the 10 person requirement. At his weekday morning Minyan, only the men were allowed to wrap themselves in Tefillin.
Tefillin are worn as a set. There is one box that the man would wear on his forehead with the box facing outward. The other one is placed high on the man’s left arm with the box pointing to his chest. The boxes contain the Shema prayer inside them that reminds Jews that there is only one G-d. This put the Shema prayer near the man’s brain and close to his heart. The Shema has a line in it the tells us that the Jewish people are commanded to remember the Shema. The line says, we “Shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes.” This is the reason why Jews are supposed to wear Tefillin.
Bell
unknown
Grandma
This artifact was my grandma's mother's. My great grandmother used this bell when she went to baseball games and rang it as loud as it could be rung. It is important to my grandmother because it was her mother's. I am told that my great grandmother's father owned a pawn shop and this is where my great grandmother received it from.
My great grandmother and grandfather on my mom's side are the ones who continued the Jewish faith in my family. The bell is not truly a significant artifact from my Jewish heritage, but the person who owned it is.