Jewelry and Clothing
By Rita S.
In this section, you will unmask the mysteries of our ancestors’ jewelry and clothing. Some of these articles of clothing and jewelry were worn every day, some were worn to Shul, some were worn to weddings, and some were worn on Shabbat. You can really see what a person’s style was like, and what people wore back in those days. Chances are, that person is your ancestor and you can really get to know a person through what they wore.
Also, clothing has evolved over time, so you can see what clothes were like back then, as compared to now. Some of these things are still worn today.
So if you want to see who your great-great grandmother was, and you have an artifact in this section, you can flip through this section to get to know her. So stop reading this, turn the page, and unmask who people were.
Wedding ring
England
Rochelle S.
When my great great grandfather married my great great grandmother in 1928, he gave her this ring.
When my great great grandfather gave this to my her he continued the chain of Judaism through my family tree.
Galabia-Shirt
Morocco - Marrakesh
Ygal. D
This artifact is very special to my family because my great great great grandpa wore this when Spain were throwing all the Jews out of their country. Many people gave up and became Catholic, but my great great great grandpa told everyone he was leaving. Many came with him when they were leaving to live in Morocco. They came across Marrakesh and started living their Jewish lives.
This artifact is very special to Jewish heritage because he would wear it on special holidays and on Shabbat. He would put it on while saying kiddush and while giving lessons to all the people in his shul.
Shawl
Aleppo, Syria
Rozy C.
This shawl was given to my great great grandmother by her mother for her first child's Brit Milah. She had just come to America, and she needed a head covering, so her mother sent her this shawl all the way from Aleppo.
This shawl was used to cover my great great grandmother's head during her son's Brit Milah. This is important because it shows how much my family, and the Jewish people as a whole, kept modesty as one of their top priorities.
Wedding ring
Tel Aviv, Israel
Elana D, my aunt
This ring has a lot of significance to my family. My grandfather gave it to my grandmother at their wedding in August 1950. The ring is inscribed with my grandfather‘s name and date on the inside. This ring was passed down to members of my family and many of them got married with this ring at their own weddings, including my parents. It currently belongs to my aunt Elana Didia because she was most recently married.
Family is the backbone of our community. Family starts with a wedding and a wedding ring. Our community also values traditions, and this ring became a part of our family tradition.
Pocket watch
Switzerland
Rob A.
The person who owned the watch is Samuel A. He was a successful businessman in the United States. He owned a company that manufactures elevators. He passed this watch down from generation to generation in my family so it is a treasure to us.
Samuel A. had donated a lot of his money to charity, and he helped a lot in his shul in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Necklace
Poland
Sabina L.
My great grandmother received this necklace as a gift from her mother and passed this necklace to on to my grandmother Sabina. This necklace has been passed on through 3 generations of mothers in my family.
My great great grandmother was Jewish & passed this necklace to my grandmother during World War II. My grandmother held on to this special heirloom because it was a gift from her mother who passed away after the war.
Blazer
New York, New York
My dad David T.
My great-grandfather grew up in Poland. When he was seventeen years old, he was taken from his home and put in a concentration camp by the Nazis. His parents were killed and he was separated from his sisters. In Poland he was trained as a tailor. He survived the Holocaust because he was chosen to make uniforms for all the important Nazis. If he didn't have this skill, there's a good chance he wouldn't have survived. When World War 2 ended, he met and married my great-grandmother in a displaced person's camp in Germany. They moved to America with no money, hoping to build a new life together. My great-grandfather walked the streets of Manhattan looking for a job as a tailor. He walked into one of the fanciest men's clothing shops and asked for a job. He was hired on the spot when they gave him the day to sew together an entire man's suit to prove himself. He became J. Press's top fitter and tailor, working there for 57 years until he retired at 80 years old. My artifact is a man's blazer that my great-grandfather made for himself in 1965. (The date the blazer was made, January 29th 1965, was sewn into the inside pocket by my great-grandfather.)
My great-grandfather's blazer is important to me as a Jew because it reminds me to never hide who I am, to be proud that part of my family were strong and lucky enough to survive the Holocaust, and to always remember that no matter what comes my way I can never give up and my belief in Hashem will help me succeed.
Bangles
Hawaii, USA
Great grandmother Sally J.a'h
My great grandmother was living in Honolulu Hawaii for the first ten years of her marriage. During this time Sally and Norman Jemal raised their first five children in Hawaii. My great grandmother was there to support her husband while he grew his business. My great grandfather gifted these bangles to my great grandmother and she gifted them to me. This gift will always remind me of my great grandmother and her early years in Hawaii.
Even though my Great Grandmother was raising her family far from home she stayed connected to her Jewish routes and her community.
Ring
Aleppo, Syria
Cookie C.
The ring was made in Aleppo, Syria around 1880. It was passed down from my great great grandma, who passed to down to my great grandma, who passed it down to Grandma Cookie (after whom I am named,) who will one day pass it down to me.
The ring was made in Syria and given to my grandmother on her wedding day. Our time in Syria is an important moment in Jewish History. Our family had been in Syria since the destruction of Beit Hamikdash, not just since the expulsion from Spain.
Bracelet
Peru
Esther B.
This bracelet is important to my family because it was belonged to my grandma's grandmother.
On Shabbat or the holidays my grandma wore this bracelet when she went to shul.
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