Mesorah
Tefillin
Russia
In 1895 Noah P's great grandfather Morris P got tefillin for his bar mitzvah! These tefillin are 120 years old to be exact. He was born in Russia in 1872, and lived to be 95. While living in Russia he decided to move to America. He went through immigration at Ellis Island and brought the tefillin with him. Over time he found the right woman to marry. That woman was “Grandma P”. They got married and had three kids, and one of them is Noah’s grandfather, Max P. When he grew up he went to shul with his father and Morris P he put on his tefillin every day. He has passed on his tefillin to Max and then to Noah’s father, Jonathan.
One day Noah hopes it will be his.
Kiddush Cup
Germany
Saba
This kiddush cup belongs to the B family. It was passed down from Sarah Best’s paternal great-great grandfather. The family uses it on special holidays include Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Succot and Passover. This cup is very special. Sarah’s great-great grandfather received it as a bar mitzvah gift while living in Germany in 1850. When the family heard rumors about a dictator coming to power who may destroy the Jews, they immediately left to Argentina. This cup traveled with them there.
It is very special to the B family, and they treasure it.
Torah
Upper West Side, New York
Theodore A's aron kodesh and Torah now belong to Noah M’s brother, Ari. Theodore A. is Noah M’s maternal great grandfather. He was the rabbi of a shul, Ohab Zedek, on the Upper West Side, New York. The shul originally gave the Torah as a gift to one of the members of the shul in 1937. The Torah has very clear ink, but is very small. This feature makes it easy to transport. When the member died, it was written in his will to give to Teddy A. It was kept in his home until he died in 1984. His wife, Bernice A., said that whoever is named after Teddy A., would get the Torah. Noah M's brother was named Tuvia Aryeh after Teddy A., and the Torah now belongs to him. Even though the Torah really belongs to Ari, it is still used on many family occasions to daven. The Aron and Torah are both heirlooms to the M. Family.
The Aron and Torah are both heirlooms to the M.Family.
Haggadah
Hungary
This Pesach Haggadah was used by Nava M’s paternal great grandmother, Esther M and Esther’s family. She lived in the Trans-Carpathian region in a village called Velyatino. This Haggadah was published in Hungary sometime before World War II. When Esther returned from surviving Auschwitz, she was able to get the Haggadah back from her non-Jewish neighbors, who had been living in her house during the war. This was one of the few things she was able to get back after the war because everything was either stolen or destroyed. Esther passed this down to her son and Nava ’s grandfather, Ephraim M, who used it to learn the Hebrew alphabet when he was a young boy growing up in the Soviet Union. This Haggadah is special to Nava M’s family because it survived the war and was one of the only Jewish books Ephraim used to learn about his Jewish Heritage. The pictures in the Haggadah are very significant because they enabled Ephraim to see and imagine what Jewish people looked like.
Many of the pages have old wine stains from past Pesach seders, and some are from family members who perished during the Holocaust.
Golden Cup
Italy
David S’s maternal great grandfather, Hermann C, had this golden Kiddush cup made in Italy for the golden anniversary of his parents Solomon and Sarah C’s 50th wedding anniversary. This Kiddush cup is made out of solid gold, has grapes made of rubies in the center, and is engraved with the Jewish commandment, “Respect your father and your mother”. This cup is an heirloom in David’s family and is currently in ownership of David’s brother, Michael.
The S family will always treasure it.
Gragger
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Bailey H’s gragger is on loan to her from her maternal grandfather, Joseph W. It was given to him by Bailey's maternal great grandfather, Morris W, before Purim in 1953. Morris W came to America from Poland in 1928. Morris and Joseph W lived in Williamsburg, Brooklyn along with their family. Morris owned a hardware store called “W’s Hardware”. Bailey’s grandfather, great grandfather, and their family lived right above the hardware store in an apartment. Prior to Purim that year, Morris decided to make Joseph a Purim gragger in his hardware store instead of buying one for him. He made it out of wood and nails and painted it gray. After many years of use, some paint has chipped off. This gragger is very special to Bailey’s family because it is one of the few belongings that they have left of Morris.
Also, it is special to her family because Morris made the gragger by hand, rather than buying it.
Haggadah
Johannesburg,South Africa
This haggadah is Jemma L’s maternal grandfather’s. The haggadah was printed in Israel and was given to Jemma’s grandfather for his bar mitzvah in March of 1960.His bar mitzvah was on the 27th of February, 1960. This haggadah was given to Jemma’s grandfather by one of his good friends. This haggadah has been used for over 50 years and is still being used even this year.
This haggadah is very special to Jemma’s family.