Sensational Symbols
Jewish Star Necklace
USA
Father
This necklace is very old and made of gold. My dad had it ever since he came to America and it is very special to him. He never takes it off.
This shows how much he cares for his religion.
Tefillin
?
Mother
My tefillin was given to my mom who has two sisters. My Grandpa gave it to my mom. It has a dark blue cover with a white crown on it. It has a heart and plant at the bottom. In the middle is a Hebrew word. It has been used and maybe it will be used by me or my brother one day for days to come.
These tefillin are very important to my family because they are a special object passed down and might be passed down to my brother or me one day.
Torah Mantle
Turners Falls, MA
Father
This is a blue Torah mantle from the early 1900’s. In the 1950’s Great Papa Sam’s synagogue closed because they did not have enough members. B’nai Abraham merged with Temple Israel in Greenfield, Massachusetts. The Torah scrolls went to the new synagogue and they gave my great grandfather the mantles. My Great Papa Sam was very generous and always helped other members who needed money so they wanted to thank him. My great grandfather, my Papa, and my great uncle all got to hold and carry the Torah that this mantle covered so it is very special to my family and me.
It was used as a Torah cover to protect the scroll at my great grandfather, Samuel Blassberg’s, synagogue. The synagogue was named B’nai Abraham and it was in Turners Falls, Massachusetts.
Tallis Bag
USA
Father
This is one of my grandma's earlier pieces and one of the few she did not put her initials on. She has a gallery wall of framed needlepoints now and pillows and
even a large rug she needlepointed
and they all have her initials on them in
a corner. I think this one she just
wanted to have my grandfather’s
initials, JS, to show since it was for him to use his whole life with his tallis.
My grandma hand-made this
needlepoint tallis bag 33 years ago for
my father on the occasion of his Bar
Mitzvah.