Sacred Seforim
Siddur/Picture
Hamburg, Germany
This siddur belonged to Sam's maternal great-great grandfather Rabbi Moshe Avraham P. Sam’s great-great grandfather was born June 17, 1878. He was a respected rabbi and judge in Altona & Hamburg, Germany. He davened from this siddur everyday. Moshe received his training at the Pressburg Yeshiva, the largest and most influential Yeshiva in Central Europe in the 19th century, where he received Torat Harosh. For most of his life Moshe was a rabbi. He lived in Hamburg, Germany until 1941 when he was deported to Lodz, with his wife Friedrike (who was his second wife - not Sam’s great great grandmother), and his daughter Melita. He had two addresses in Lodz. Alexanderhof Strasse 44 flat 12, and Alexanderhof Strasse 46. There, he was put into another ghetto. He was murdered by the Nazis that year. Rav Moshe knew that he was not going to be leaving Germany, and sent this sefer kadosh to his son, John P, Sam’s great grandfather. It travelled on a lift to America in 1939, before Moshe was deported to Lodz. About 20 years ago, due to it’s age, the siddur fell into very poor condition. The siddur was passed down to Sam’s grandmother, Beatrice. Beatrice restored the book 15 years ago. Sam was named after his great-great grandfather the Dayan,Rav Moshe, and this is one of several religious books that they have left from Germany. This oversized siddur has all the prayers for daily prayers and all the holidays.
On the face page, Sam’s maternal grandfather, Harry Berger, recorded the births of his son and daughter in pen.
Machzor
Poland
This treasured machzor once belonged to Joelle S.’s maternal great-great grandfather, Wolf B. It was passed down to Joelle’s Zeidy, Bernard S., in 1939. He loved to try and read it because it was written in Polish and German. About a week before the Holocaust, Bernard and his family escaped on a boat to America. He could only take a few things with him to remember his home in Austria, so he took this machzor with him.
Today, it belongs to Joelle’s mother, Ivy S.
Yom Kippur Machzor
Poland
This Yom Kippur machzor belonged to Tamar L's paternal great-great grandmother, Miriam M. She davened in this machzor every Yom Kippur in Poland. It was then sent to her daughter in America, Shaina, in the 1930s. She passed it down to her daughter, Miriam L, who is Tamar's grandmother. The yellow stains on many of the pages are from the tears shed by Tamar’s great-great grandmother as she davened for her family and all the people who were suffering all over Europe at that time.
The L family cherishes this special book.
Machzor
Berlin, Germany
This is Coby K’s paternal great grandmother’s Machzor which was published in 1906 and hidden in a cellar in Berlin throughout the Holocaust. Coby K’s great grandmother, Leonore, inherited this Machzor from her mother. The Machzor is only to be used for the first day of Rosh Hashanah and is printed in Hebrew with a German translation. There is even a prayer for the Emperor of Germany because the Emperor was very good to the Jews at that time. For example, on Rosh Hashanah he would go to Berlin’s largest synagogue to wish the Jews a Happy New Year. Soon after Germany lost World War I, the Emperor and his queen stepped down. The Nazis (National Socialist Party) took over Germany and started murdering Jews. When Leonore found out about this, she grabbed a few of her belongings including the Machzor and hid them in an apartment building cellar in Berlin. During the Holocaust, she hid at a farm in the countryside of Berlin together with her husband (Herman) and their son (Coby’s grandfather, Frederick K). After the Holocaust she went to retrieve her items in the cellar and they have been passed down in the K family for generations.
This Machzor has sentimental value in the K family and will be treasured forever.
Machzor
Lower East Side of Manhatten
Have you ever davened for someone without that person knowing? Well, that is what Penina K’s maternal great grandfather did. Moshe Yosef bought his Rosh Hashana Machzor in the Lower East Side of Manhattan at S’s Hebrew Book Store on 63 Norfolk Street. Prior to 1926, this store was very famous. Moshe wrote down all the names of his children. His reasons were so he could daven for them and regular records did not include Hebrew names. It is amazing that Penina is able to see all her cousin’s grandparents.
This Machzor will be cherished by Penina’s family for many generations.
Yom Kippur Machzor
Vienna
This special Yom Kippur Machzor was printed in Vienna in 1930, and it first belonged to Shira B's paternal great grandfather. This Machzor was then passed down to Shira’s paternal great uncle, Elias B,for his Bar Mitzvah in 1933. After his Bar Mitzvah, this book was then inscribed for Elias. It quotes: “This book belongs to Elias B.” When Shira’s great uncle passed away in the early 1990’s, this book was handed down to Shira’s grandfather, Moise B, and was eventually passed down to Shira’s father, Gabriel B.
This Maczor still remains and the B family cherishes it very much.
Siddur
Germany
Sammy V's maternal grandfather, Rabbi Barry S, was a Chaplain in the U.S. army in Landshtul West Germany. He visited a shul in Mainz, Germany from the 12th century. It was still a flourishing shul with approximately 100 members at the time. He saw the shamas and when the shamas had heard he was a rabbi he gave him a siddur. This is an old siddur, printed in Amsterdam in 1679, and it has some personal handwriting.
This is a cherished item in the V family.
Sefer
Israel
Lindsay’s heritage fair item is a book called Degel Machane Yehuda. Lindsay’s maternal great-great grandfather, Chaim, and Lindsay’s maternal great-great-great grandfather named Eliezer owned the book. The book was written in Yerushalayim. Inside the book is over 100 stories about the Yehuda Tzvi B (The Strebner Rabbi). He was born in a town called Strebner. Yehuda was a very holy man and helped a lot of people. People believed he brought dead people back to life from his holiness. Degel Machane Yehuda has a lot D’vrei Torah that were passed down to Chaim and Eliezer. The book also has a lot of interesting stories on Yehuda and his childhood. In one of the stories it talks about how the B family is related to David Hamelech.
This book connects the B family and teaches many important lessons.
Gemara
Vilna, Russia
Josh L’s paternal great grandfather, Harold L, owned a set of Gemaras that he passed down to his son Michael L. He passed this set to Josh’s father, Seth L. These Gemaras were originally printed in Vilna, Russia 1908 by the Romm family. They were one of the last sets of Gemaras printed in Russia. Harold L bought this set when he was at the World Fair in Queens in 1939. Since his father was born in Russia, he went to the Russian section and found this set along with a Torah. Harold wanted this set of Gemaras and the Torah to be in Jewish hands. He purchased both of them.
Josh L’s family has kept these Gemaras for a long time and will continue to pass them on from generation to generation.