Household Items
by Marlene E., Joy M. and
Jacqueline A.
In this gallery you will find household necessities from the past. All these artifacts in this section are items that had ordinary functions. Each artifact has its own unique and fascinating history. Each artifact is important to the owners because each is associated with a special memory. The artifacts in this gallery include a blanket, a diary, a perfume bottle and kitchen items like Turkish coffee pots and a charoset maker,a helou dish. A helou dish is something that was used to hold sweets. We learned about our ancestors’ interests and activities from the artifacts that are listed.
When you think more about it all these artifacts are older than us, even older than our parents! These artifacts are very unique and special, but they all have something in common. All of the artifacts are more than two, or three generations old. They all are very important to all the families that have owned these artifacts. They all bring back memories to the owners.
Charoset Maker
Paris, France
Freda B.
This artifact was originally bought by my grandmother to grind the food for my uncles when they were infants. Now, she uses it every year for a Jewish holiday called Passover.
My grandmother, Freda, uses this artifact every year for Passover, or Pesach, an 8-day Jewish holiday. She uses it to make Charoset, a sweet, dark-colored paste made from only dates. She mashes up the dates, mixes it and then it turns into a delicious dip/paste that is used by everyone at the table during the Seder, a word for the gathering of family and friends as we keep the Jewish traditions on the first 2 nights of the holiday.
My Grandma's Diary
Bradley Beach, NJ
Linda H.
This diary was given to me by my grandmother.It tells of all the events that happened to my grandmother throughout high school and college. It contains stories about all her friends, boyfriends, and places she went. This artifact is important to my family because it tells about her life and adventures.
My grandmother's father, Irving H, founded Deal Shul. After many new immigrants came from many different countries one of their first priorities was to find a shul to go to. That's why Deal shul is important to Judaism, and to all those immigrants who needed a new shul.
Turkish Coffee Pot
Syria
Great Aunt Jeanie
This Turkish coffee pot is important to my family because all my great aunts and uncles learned how to make Turkish Coffee using it. It brings back memories of when my great grandma used to teach them this important skill. When my Great Aunt Jeanie showed me all her Judaic artifacts, I chose this one because of it's history and glory.
The importance of this coffee pot to Jewish life is the custom to serve Turkish Coffee in a house of shivah, as my family did many years ago. The coffee was made in a very special way, so learning this skill was important. Jewish customs are part of our heritage, so this coffee pot has special meaning for us.
Blanket
Egypt
Emile H.
This blanket belonged to my grandfather, Emile H. It was my grandpa's favorite spring blanket that was bought in their favorite store. Back when this blanket was first made, the heating wasn't so good, so even in the spring or summer, they would still need to use blankets.
My artifact has no Jewish significance, but it was used on many occasions in Egypt and in the U.S.
Binoculars
WW II
Grandma Susan Markman
My great grandpa, Sydney Fromberg served in the army during WW II in Germany. He didn't actually fight because his vision was not perfect. He used binoculars in the war.
The American army entered a war with the Germans, because they were killing a lot of people in the Holocaust.
Perfume Bottle
Alexandria, Egypt
Gloria S.
This perfume bottle was given by my great great grandmother, Rachel B. to my great grandmother, Gloria S. The perfume bottle is a thin glass tube and has a wooden tip (almost like a cork) and is used to open and close the perfume bottle. The perfume bottle still has a slight amount of its red and purple colored perfume inside it. The perfume doesn't smell its best but it also doesn't smell horribly.
This perfume was used for many special events such as on Jewish Holidays, and for any parties that came Rachel's way. This perfume bottle was Rachel's favorite and she enjoyed it so much that she passed it down to her daughter, Gloria, when the bottle was halfway full. My great grandmother, Gloria, explained to me that it's also her favorite perfume and that she almost used all of it during all of her parties and for shul on the holidays.
Helou Dish
Aleppo Syria
Evelyn Rahmey
This artifact was givin to my great grandmother by her mother-in-law Grace Rahmey. It was given to her by her mother Bolisa Ades.
This dish was used to serve "Helou Kusa Sha'riyya" which is Arabic for candied spaghetti squash.
This dish was served on Rosh Hashanah as one of the Berachot before the meal.
Turkish Coffee Cup
Egypt
Marlene Epstein
This artifact is a pot that is used to make Turkish coffee. It is important because when my grandma left Egypt it was one of the only things she brought and it is tradition to pass it down.
At every holiday meal and family gathering they used it to make Turkish coffee.
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