From the Home
The Golden Knife
Europe
Shai R’s maternal great-great grandfather Yisrael Ostrowsky was a very unique person. He was a shochet in Europe. He would use this knife to slaughter chickens to make sure the town had kosher meat. This knife is kept in a safe place. Shai’s family is proud to have a shochet in their family. Yisrael was also a cantor.
He was an invaluable member of the Jewish community.
A Red and Black Plate
USA
In the late 1800’s Zeke C’s paternal great grandparents came to the United States with nothing. Henny and Jacob C worked hard in order to create a good lifestyle in the United States. When they saved money, they bought this red and white ceramic plate to symbolize their new beginning. It is important to Zeke because the dishes have been used for four generations. Zeke C’s great grandmother also used it as her daily meat set.
This object will stay in Zeke C's family for many years.
The Journey of the Suitcase
Belgium
Atarah K’s paternal great aunt, Gina received this suitcase from her parents, Morris and Tayna Rotenberg. Gina received it before she went into hiding in Belgium in October of 1939. Gina went into hiding in 1939 with Atarah K’s grandmother Sonia. This suitcase contained clothing, jewelry, and other valuables. Gina’s parents put soap in the suitcase and burned holes in the soap. They put money in the holes, in order to hide it from the Nazis. Gina lived with a priest who pretended Gina and a few other Jews were his children. Gina kept the suitcase with her at all times until she was caught and deported to Auschwitz. While she was in Auschwitz the priest kept the suitcase with hope that Gina would survive and return for it. Fortunately she returned after the war was over and Gina reunited with her sister Sonia. Then they got the suitcase from the priest and moved to Israel. Unfortunately, the materials in the suitcase were gone.
The suitcase is significant to the family because it is one of the very few items that belonged to their great grandparents who were murdered by the Nazis.
A Long-Lasting Mug
Czechoslovakia
The object that Saul G is presenting for the Heritage Fair is this metal mug that his paternal grandfather, Shmuel and Shmuel’s family had since approximately 1935. The mug has a floral pattern and is very rusty because of how old it is. This mug is originally from Czechoslovakia. Saul’s grandparents received it when his grandfather’s parents passed away. The story that is linked with the mug is how Saul’s grandfather and his family were saved from the Nazis by hiding. The mug is not used today and is kept in Saul’s grandparents’ house. This object is significant to Saul’s family because it shows that Hashem was good to his grandfather and his family and saved them from the Nazis.
Saul decided to display and write about the mug because it is an important artifact in his family.
Pesach Forever
Romania
Did you know that in the late 1800s Pauline Goldman acquired this custom made wood and tin ladle? Soon after, Pauline and her family migrated from Romania to the United States. For five generations it has been used to serve soup during Pesach. This item is cherished in Aidan C’s family. The owner of this item was Aidan’s great-great-great grandmother. Although their family is not exactly sure how Pauline Goldman obtained it, they do not plan on ever stopping to use it on Pesach.
This ladle is a treasured piece of every Pesach Seder in the C household.
Treasured Teacups
Germany
After World War II, Adiel F’s maternal great grandmother, Celia and Leib Marocco bought these expensive teacups as a celebration of the birth of their child, Adi’s grandfather she wanted something special to use during the Passover Seder. Celia Marocco was a survivor of the Holocaust and was also a partisan in the war. Following the war, Celia returned to her three remaining sisters and got married to Adiel’s great-grandfather Leib Marocco. Celia cared for the teacups, and she wouldn’t allow anyone else to wash them. After she died in 1981 they were given to Adi’s mother, Tal, and she will one day pass them to her children.
Adiel F and his family care for the teacups a lot because it reminds them about his great grandmother’s life in the war.
The Special Teacup
Budapest, Hungary
Eliana F's paternal great grandmother, Golda Martin, loved to cook with her family. She received this antique teacup as a wedding gift. After the Holocaust, Golda and her family moved to Israel. They soon opened up a cafeteria in the Interior Ministry. This teacup once was used to serve tea and coffee to important people in the ministry such as Golda Meir and Moshe Dayan. It has belonged to Eliana F's family for one hundred years. It is no longer used and it is kept in Eliana’s grandmother’s China cabinet in her house. It is treasured by the family because it is a symbol of their heritage and their support of Zionism.
It is treasured by the family because it is a symbol of their heritage and their support of Zionism.
Antique Chair
New York
Zechariah H’s paternal great-great-grandmother, Helen Fuller, who his family called GG, loved to go to antique stores. GG bought this wooden chair with unique paint markings about 75 years ago. She used it to sit at her desk where she wrote all of her letters for many years. It was then passed down to Zechariah’s great-uncle, Steven H. He kept it in his house for several years, and when he moved, Zechariah’s family received the chair. The family cherishes this chair because it reminds them of their beloved family matriarch.
The family cherishes this chair because it reminds them of their beloved family matriarch.
The Samovar That’s Seen It All
Kiev, Russia
When Yonatan S’s great-great grandmother was traveling from Russia to Ellis Island, New York, she used a brass samovar to boil tea. Sarah Averbach loved to cook and make tea. After she arrived at America, she held on to the teapot to remember her life in Kiev. When she passed away, she gave it to her son as an heirloom and eventually it was given to Yonatan’s mother, Eileen. Yonatan’s family doesn’t use the samovar today.
However, Yonatan’s family keeps it to cherish the memory of Sarah Averbach.