Mesorah
Shochet Knife
Hungary
Rebecca K brought in this knife and these documents for the 2017 Moriah School Heritage Fair. The story of the knife starts with Rebecca K’s maternal great grandfather, Martin Pahmer. He was both a rabbi and a shochet. He owned a knife that is assumed to have been used for shechting (slaughtering) birds. In the year 1938, Martin Pahmer
immigrated to America from Hungary, and he brought the knife with him. The knife is still in the K and Pahmer
families today; however, it is not used. It is one of the few objects that they still have from Martin Pahmer.
The K
and Pahmer families cherish this object.
Cantor/Mohel hat
Italy
Ryan F. brought this cantor and mohel hat for the 2017 Moriah School Heritage Fair. Hersz Fishel was born in a Jewish
home in Lodz, Poland. At one stage of his life, he lived in five countries including Poland, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, and he finally settled in Milan, Italy. In Milan he purchased this cantoral hat and was given a lifetime contract to work as a
cantor in Tempio Israelitico congregation. He worked there
for 15 years, and needed to move his family because of the Italian fascist government. With the help of a relative, he and his family immigrated to America, and they settled in Baltimore, Maryland.
The F. and Kinek families cherish this object.
Talis
Poland
Palmer S brought this Tallis for the
2017 Moriah School Heritage Fair.
Palmer's Zayde comes from a long line of important Rebbeim. His father was Rabbi Yaakov Menachem Mendel. He was the Rabbi of the town of Wenwrow, where Palmer’s Zadye grew up. His grandfather was the Sokolower Rebbe from the town of Sokolov. Palmer’s Zadye learned in his grandfather's Yeshiva in Sokolov. Instead of his father giving him
smicha, his grandfather did. In 1936
Palmer’s Zayde was 19 year old. He left
Poland before the war to Glasgow, Scotland with his brother Rabbi Shlomo Morgenstern to become a shochet. Then he moved to England. In 1939, during Yom Kippur, the Nazis invaded Palmer S Zayde's fathers town, Wengrow the people were brought outside of the shul wearing their tallisim and kittles. The Nazis mocked, beat up, ridiculed and tortured Palmer’s great-great grandfather. The Nazis took horse manure and put it in his shtreimel, and they put it on his head. One of the congregants of the shul, who witnessed this atrocious scene later he went on to tell the newspaper. He said
during the beating “ It hurts me to see the look on your face more than the physical beating The Nazis let him live. A Polish police officer
saw this, and he was angry that they let him live. The Polish officer stabbed him multiple times in the back. Fortunately, Palmer’s Zayde loved his grandfather and he had no clue that this happened. He felt lucky that a newspaper had reported it otherwise he wouldn't have believed it. So in his memory he saved this tallis.
The S family cherishes this object.
Kippah
Israel
Kayla-Lily M brought this kippah for the 2017 Moriah School Heritage Fair. Kayla-Lily M's object is a kippah
from Israel which belonged to her paternal grandfather Marcus M. This object was found when Kayla-Lily’s grandfather died. At that time,Kayla-Lily’s grandmother, Dolly, decided to
give away some clothes to his sons and grandsons. Kayla-Lily’s grandmother gave Kayla-Lily’s dad a pair of swim shorts. When the M family was at Lake Garda at the end of 2015, they went to the beach. There, Kayla-Lily’s
dad, Avi, was wearing the shorts. When he was about to go in the ocean, Avi put his hands in his pocket, and he found the kippah and 50 shekels. From that, Kayla-Lily knew that the
last time her grandfather wore them was in Israel. This is significant because Kayla-Lily knows that her grandfather
always kept a kippah with him even when he was going swimming, and he also loved Israel.
The M family cherishes this object.
Atara
United States
Michael G brought this atara for the 2017 Moriah School Heritage Fair. Michael G’s paternal great-great grandfather, Philip Bomzer, purchased his atara from a store in New York
when he got married to his wife Etel. He wore it on his tallis when he davened. The Bomzer family kept the atara because it was from a great man. Philip Bomzer lost his job many times
because he refused to work on Shabbos. Philip Bomzer gave his atara to Herbie Bomzer Michael’s great-great uncle who used it on his tallis. Herbie Bomzer gave it to Michael’s distant cousin,
Moishe Bomzer. Moishe Bomzer did not use the atara on his tallis, but kept it in his home to represent the Bomzer heritage and strong belief in Hashem.
The G family cherishes this object.
Siddur
Russia
Natanel B brought this siddur for the 2017 Moriah School Heritage Fair. Natanel B’s object is from his
maternal great-great grandfather. It is a siddur from 1902, and it is from Russia. He got it as a Bar Mitzvah gift. This object is significant to the B family because it was one of the only possessions the B family has of his.
The B family doesn’t use this object today because it is very valuable. At the time, it was really a special present, and it is still in almost perfect condition. It is special because he died many years ago, and the family still has it today.
The B and Letzter families cherish this object.
Tzedakah Box
Germany
Alexa S brought this tzedakah box for the 2017 Moriah School Heritage Fair. Alexa S object is originally from
Germany. Alexa S grandmother first received this object from her great grandfather’s work-partner.Their
business was to get antiques from Germany and bring them back to America. This tzedakah box was given to
Alexa's grandmother as a baby gift. This tzedakah box is important to the S and Rosen families because it was given to Alexa’s grandmother by a Holocaust
survivor who was very close to her great grandparents. This tzedakah box is still used today to collect money for charity.
The Rosen and S families cherish
this object.
Seder Plate
Israel
Ella G brought this Seder Plate for the 2017 Moriah School Heritage Fair. This seder plate was sent to Ella’s great grandfather, Louis Schin, by his brother Zalman Schwindelman. (Interestingly enough, the brothers had different last names because Ella’s
grandfather’s name was changed to Schin when he came to Ellis Island in August of 1951.) The seder plate was made in Israel atthe kibbutz where Ella’s Great Uncle Zalman lived. It was the first
Jewish object Ella’s great grandparents owned after losing all of their belongings in the Holocaust. Sadly, they had lost many family members as well. Great Uncle Zalman sent this gift to Ella’s great grandparents in March of 1952, so that they could
celebrate their first Passover in the United States. It is interesting
to see the large shape of the State of Israel pictured in the middle of the seder plate. Clearly, it is meant to be the center of Judaism.
The G family cherishes this object.
Tallis Bag
Israel
Rebecca H brought this tallis bag for the 2017 Moriah School Heritage Fair. Rebecca H’s object is originally
from Jerusalem, Israel. This object was purchased in the year of 1975. This tallis bag belonged to Rebecca H’s
paternal grandfather, Allen H. He purchased it for his 40th birthday in 1973. The tallis bag was bought in a
Judaica store in Jerusalem. This object is very meaningful and significant to the H family. The reason why the H family have kept it is because it is holy to them. Rebecca’s object is not used today as it is old and fragile. Rebecca thinks that her object is so special, and each time Rebecca sees it she thinks of her family.
The H family cherishes this object.
The Living Museum is a project of the Education Department of the Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust.
The Living Museum is made possible through the generous support of The Covenant Foundation. The statements made and the views
expressed, however, are solely the responsibility of the grantee.