Treasured Items
Knife
Mielec, Poland
Yisroel From
Daniel B. brought this challah knife for the 2019 Moriah School Heritage Fair. Daniel B.’s challah knife once belonged to his paternal great-great grandfather, Yisroel From. This knife was brought from Mielic, Poland to New York. Daniel B.’s great-great grandfather used to cut challah at the Shabbos table with this knife. This knife is a special heirloom.
The B. family cherishes this object.
Window
United States
Eli P. brought this stained glass window to the 2019 Moriah School Heritage Fair. Eli’s paternal great grandfather lived in Rhode Island in 1936 and was walking past a old Shul being torn down. He saw the shattered building in pieces and realized a shimmering object in the middle. The object was a stained glass window. Eli’s great grandfather retrieved it, and gave it to Eli's grandfather. The window is now kept in Eli’s grandfather's house and is put in their Sukkah every year to remember Eli’s great grandfather.
The P. family cherishes this object.
Hammer
New York
Avidan E. brought this hammer for the 2019 Moriah School Heritage Fair. Avidan's paternal grandfather’s hammer is from New York. It has been in Avidan’s family for a long time, and it was passed down to Avidan’s father. Avidan’s grandfather was in the Irgun and Haganah in Israel. He lived in Israel when it was still called Palestine. As a boy he was a farmer, and when he came to America, he did a lot of construction.
The E. family cherishes this object.
Book of Notes
Czechoslovakia
Rachel J brought this book for the 2019 Moriah School Heritage Fair. Rachel’s maternal great-great grandfather’s book of notes is from Czechoslovakia in the time of 1930. The J. family has a copy of it, and now belongs to one of Rachel’s great-great grandfather’s students named Mr. Feld. Mr. Feld has the original copy in England, where he lives.
The J. and Klien families cherish this object.
Glass Pitcher
United States
Shane P. brought this pitcher for the 2019 Moriah School Heritage Fair. The glass pitcher is from March 15, 1942. The glass pitcher was a wedding gift for Dr. Harold and Lillian Melman. Shane’s great grandmother passed it down to Shane’s mother, Melissa Melman P., as a gift when Shane and his family moved into their new house.
Shane’s family now keeps it on display as Shane’s family cherishes the object.
Cowbell
Canada
Gabriella Z. brought this cowbell for the 2019 Moriah School Heritage Fair. It belonged to Gabriella’s great grandmother, Jean Z, who lived in Nova Scotia, Canada. She found the cowbell in a field in Conrod Settlement, Nova Scotia, Canada, while picking blueberries. Gabriella’s great grandparents bought a piece of land in Conrod Settlement, Nova Scotia, Canada, and in 1947, they built a cottage from wood. They built the cottage by a lake and near a field. There was a blueberry bush near the field where her great grandparents used to pick blueberries and near that was a field where cows grazed . One day Gabriella’s great grandmother was picking blueberries and spotted the cowbell in the field. The cows wore bells so the farmer could hear when they moved so he could know where they were at all times. When she owned that particular bell, she decided to start collecting bells, and from then her collection grew to over 100 bells. It was significant to Gabriella’s family because it was the first in her over 100-bell collection. She had dinner bells, sheep bells, school bells, and bells from China, but this was her only cowbell.
The Z. family cherishes this object.
Russian Dolls
Russia
Ava G. brought these Matryoshka/Russian dolls for the 2019 Moriah School Heritage Fair. These dolls are from Russia. Ava’s grandmother, Judith Gurfein, bought them in 1965. She loved these dolls because her father, Ava’s great grandfather, was from Russia. He was born and raised there until he was fourteen when his father, Ava’s great-great grandfather, thought that Russia wasn’t a safe place to raise a family. At that time he and his family fled. They left their home in the middle of the night, and they ran on their journey to America. Ava’s great grandfather eventually had a family of his own. Then, Ava’s grandmother was born and raised, in Brooklyn, NY. In 1963, Russia finally let Americans visit. Ava’s grandmother purchased these objects in 1965 and decided to pass them down to Ava.
Ava G.'s family cherishes these objects.
Box of silver coins
United States
Ezra M. brought these silver coins for the 2019 Moriah School Heritage Fair. Ezra’s great grandfather, Arnold S., lived in America. His grandfather received the coin collection from his great grandfather after he died. When he found out Ezra sometimes collected coins, he gave them to him as a Chanukah gift. Ezra kept them in a safe place and only took them out to do research on their values. He does not plan on selling them. Ezra’s great grandfather served as a dentist in the United States army because all other jobs required working on the weekends, and he was Shomer Shabbat. Once he came out of the army, he lived a peaceful life. He enjoyed collecting other things as well like stamps, for example.
The M. and S. families cherish these objects.
Paymaster
United States
Brielle M. brought this Paymaster for the 2019 Moriah School Heritage Fair. Brielle’s great grandfather, Izzy Langert, originally owned this Paymaster in Brooklyn, New York in the 1960’s. He purchased this object, and it was used to write secure paychecks for his business. His business was making metal items. The objects that he made were used in World War Two. He owned the factory building in Brooklyn and was very successful. This object was passed down to Brielle M.
The M 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.