These candlesticks were a wedding gift from my grandfather's sister to my mother in 1991. They were purchased during a trip to Israel.
These candlesticks tie us to our ancestral heritage in Russia. They were brought across the sea by my great-great-grandmother, Reshe’, along with 3 other pairs. Each of the daughters (Fannie, Sarah, Sadie, and my great-grandmother Sylvia (Celia)) received a pair. My mother believes that Reshe’ mismatched these on purpose in order to encourage the family to know one another generations later. Of course this could just be a fantasy, but it has triggered a desire to find and connect with the lost branches of our family tree.
These candlesticks symbolize how it is special to light the Sabbath candles on Shabbat. Although any candlesticks would satisfy the mitzvot of lighting candles, these remind my mother and me of our family ties.
My grandfather Arnold used this New Jewish Hymnal for Religious School and Junior Congregation to learn all the songs in the children's service at Temple Emanu-El in Haverhill, Massachusetts. This hymnal was purchased by his grandfather to use at home and at the children's service.
This Jewish Hymnal shows how the congregation at my grandfather's synagogue involved the children in learning about the service. The words in transliteration are in the Ashkenazic dialect. In 1937 this synagogue changed from an Orthodox congregation to a Conservative one. Today, Temple Emanu-El is a Reform congregation.