Family Artifacts
All of our artifacts are from family members. They are not religious items, however they are very important to us. Some of the items are jewelry, some of the items have to do with cooking, and others are a variety of gifts given in the past. All of these artifacts are important to our families and each tells a part of the story of our past.
Family Plaque from Israel
Israel
Grandma Barbara
This plaque was passed down from my Great-Grandmother Ruth to my Grandmother Barbara.I t was bought in Israel in 1985. It has a large Jewish star, the word Israel in both English and Hebrew, a large gold crown, men in the Israeli army, Israeli farmers and rabbis. It also contains some Jewish prayers. One is the beginning of the Chanukah prayer and another is a common prayer we say in temple. This plaque is important to my family because it shows our roots in Judaism our love of the Jewish religion.
This plaque shows pride in the Jewish religion, important people from Israel and important prayers that Jewish people say in temple or home. It also symbolizes how hard Jewish people fought for their rights and success in religion, farming and the military. There is also a picture of the Torah Ark which is extremely important to Jews. The gold crown and other items show wealth that Jewish people achieved by working hard.
Mortar and Pestle
Russia
Malcolm B.
This artifact belonged to our ancestor, Yitzchock S. He was my grandmother's great-grandfather. He brought it with him when he moved to the USA from Europe. He thought it was worth a lot of money. It is important to our family because it links us to our past. It shows what life was like before modern technology.
This artifact was significant to Jewish Heritage. It was used to grind wheat into smaller pieces to make flour. This flour could have been used to make traditional Jewish foods like Challah for Shabbat dinner or matzo for Passover.
Torah Scroll Charm
England
Meridith C.
This charm was given to my mother by her great-grandmother. Her great-grandmother gave this to my mother's grandma to give to her for her Bat Mitzvah because my great-great-grandmother was not alive when my mother turned 13.
It is just important to my Jewish heritage because it was worn by my mom's great-grandma when she came to this country from England in the early 1920's. If you open the scroll, which has a Hanukiah on it as a closure, you can see the first 10 letters of the Hebrew Aleph-Bet which symbolize the 10 commandments.
Oil Painting
New York
Grandfather
My Great Grandma Yetta loved to paint. She had an art studio in her house.The painting is a way for me to know my Great-Grandma, and for my family to remember her.
She loved to paint pictures that represented our family's Jewish heritage. When we look at this painting, it not only reminds us of my Great-Grandma, but it also reminds us about who we are.
Mortar and Pestle
Origin unknown
My Grandma
My artifact was made around the 1900's. It was used to make medicines by grinding up medicine into a powder and measuring just the right amount for the patient. The pestle crushes the medicines in the mortar. This artifact was used by my great-grandfather and given to my grandmother who lent it to me. It reminds us of our relatives and it reminds my grandma of her father - my great-grandfather - who came here from Europe when he was very young and became a pharmacist in the Bronx. It is very important to my family.
This artifact is important to Jewish heritage because - like many other Jewish families - they must have left Europe for a better life in America. He certainly did work hard to support his family and the future generations who now live freely here. I think it represents the hard work, initiative and independence (he owned his own store) of immigrant families at that time and of the opportunity for great success they had when they came here.
Hand Embroidered Table Linens
Bayside, Queens
My Mother
My grandmother - my father's mother - gave us a tablecloth, napkins and placemats a few years ago and told us that they were her grandmother's. They were a handmade gift and are 50 years old. It was made special for my grandmother as an engagement gift by my great-great Bubbe.
Many women from that generation earned their living as seamstresses. The table linens were a gift in honor of the engagement. Bubbe Clara meant for her granddaughter to use them to set a beautiful table for Shabbat, Rosh Hashana and Passover. This past year, we hosted our first seder, and we used the tablecloth on our seder table. It meant a lot to my grandmother to see her grandmother's beautiful handiwork decorating our dining room table.
Fabric Shears
Newark, NJ
Bubby (Madelon B.)
My great-great grandfather, Israel O., came to the United States from Poland in the early 1900's. He got a job in the New York City garment district at the Hattie Carnegie Dress Factory where they made fancy ladies' clothing and dresses. He was a "cutter" and prepared stacks of fabric for the "sewers." This is the reason why the fabric shears are so big and heavy. This is the only possession that we have of my great-great grandparents' generation. Our entire family was employed in the garment district. Israel O. even had a job during the Great Depression because he owned his own tools, including these shears that he bought after saving up money over time.
The significance of this artifact to Jewish heritage is that the Garment District (where the shears were used) employed many immigrant Jews. Most immigrant Jews came to America without means to support their families. Many Jews found work in the Garment District, including my great-great grandfather.
Cameo Ring
St. Petersburg, Russia
My Mom
This cameo is important to my family because it has been passed on through a few generations. My great-great-grandma had just the cameo and she gave it to my grandma when she married my grandpa. When my mom got married my grandma made the cameo into a ring and she gave it to my mom.
My great-great-grandmother had it in Russia during the Soviet Union times when she couldn't be Jewish. The ring was passed through generations and soon it will belong to me in a country where we can live freely as Jews.
Wristwatch
United States
My Grandma
This Gucci wristwatch belonged to my great-grandpa Milton. He worked very hard his whole life. Although he didn't make a lot of money, he always made sure his family had a very happy life. He never really bought fancy things for himself but when he was finally able to afford a nice watch he bought this one. It was a symbol of his hard work and he wore it proudly. When he died, my great-grandma Sara wore it proudly in memory of him. My brother Ryan wore it this year at his Bar Mitzvah and I plan to wear it at mine too. Sadly, my great-grandma died this year but my grandma keeps this watch in a very special place.
This watch symbolizes how hard work is an important thing. Many Jewish people, as well as other immigrants, years ago had to struggle to provide for their families. I am proud of my great-grandpa and all of his great-grandchildren are going to wear this watch at their B'nai Mitzvah.
Mizpah
Brooklyn, NY
Dennis P.
This Mizpah is significant because it shows the bond between two people who are separated physically or by death. These two people were my great-grandparents and this Mizpah kept these two people together to signify their love. At my great-grandparents' 50th anniversary party in 1978, my great-grandfather Paul B. gave this Mizpah to my great-grandmother, Lottie B.
A Mizpah is two pieces of jewelry that represent eternity. A Mizpah is made to signify the bond between two people who are separated. In Hebrew the word mizpah means 'watchtower'.
My Great-Great Grandmother's Cookbook
Syracuse, NY
My Grandmother Tamra W.
This cookbook contains family recipes dating back to when my great-grandmother was a girl in the early 1900s. These dishes fed her family then and have been handed down over the years. They will be passed onto my mother and me, too.
This cookbook was created by my great-great grandmother, Sadie with help and contributions from her five daughters over the years. They were my great-great aunts: Rose, Anna-Lee, Henrietta, Elizabeth and my great-grandmother Jeanette. The cookbook contains the recipes that fed a family of nine during the early 1900s. From cookies to pickles, they made food that we buy in the store today. There are even recipes for the Jewish holidays, like Passover sponge cake.
Silver Mirror & Brush
Germany
Grandmother
This mirror & brush set is important to our family because it belonged to great-grandmother (Yetta N.). After surviving Dachau and living in post-war Poland, My great-grandmother was able to leave communist Poland in 1959. She wanted her family to be free in America. She had to work very hard as a cleaning lady to make money in New York. One woman she worked for gave her this silver brush and mirror set.
This artifact is significant to Jewish heritage because my great-grandparents left communist Poland so that their family would be able to be free to practice their Jewish religion. They left an established business, and security to come to America where they had to work very hard. The brush and mirror is just a symbol of her hard work and her effort to give her children a better, free life.
Jewelry Scale
Origin unknown
My Grandmother
My great-grandfather started his own jewelry business when he was first married. He would use this small portable scale to weigh diamonds and gold when he went to auctions to buy jewelry for his store. When my great-grandpa passed away, my great-grandmother took over the business. Now my grandma and great-aunt own and run the business. My great-grandpa is in the photo with the scale.
The scale has significance to Jewish heritage because, starting with my great-grandpa, it was used to make rings and wedding bands for generations of Jewish couples. It shows how hard my family has worked to hold onto a business that my great-grandpa started so many years ago.