Main Gallery
Due to the small class size, we will present all our artifacts in one gallery, entitled Main Gallery.
150 year old Machzor
Vilna, Lithuania
Grandfather, Len B.
This Machzor was printed in 1871 by The Widow and Romm Brothers in Vilnius, Lithuania. The prayerbook is titled in Hebrew: Collection of Holiday Prayers Part II. It was used for the Shalosh Regalim - the three Pilgrimage Holidays of Sukkot, Passover, and Shavuot.
This Machzor belonged to my Great, Great Grandfather, Lazar P. We believe this Sephardic version of the Machzor was brought to the United States by Lazar in 1909 when he came to America. We think Lazar received the Machzor at the time of his Bar Mitzvah. My Grandfather, Len B., has kept this Machzor safe for many years. He did not use it for prayer since it was beginning to fall apart. Someone even tried to hand sew the cloth cover back on! It is important to my family because it shows the long history of Jewish tradition in my family.
Tefilin
New York, NY
my father, Corey Z.
The Tefilin I have from my father, Corey Z. are around 1 3/4 inches cubes. They are made with leather and parchment. The date of creation is unknown, but they were purchased in a Jewish store in New York. It was a gift from my dad’s grandfather, or my great grandfather in preparation for Corey’s Bar Mitzvah in 1993. This is significant to the family, because the family is very serious about religion and davening. This is significant to Judaism, because Jews have been using Tefillin for a very long time.
Tefillin is a Jewish item. It’s a set of boxes with some scrolls inside them. Inside the boxes, the passages on the parchment are written by a scribe with special ink on parchment scrolls. The Rabbis have interpreted the passage in Deuteronomy that says, "You shall bind them (G-d's words) as a sign upon your hand and as a reminder above your eyes." So one is worn on the forehead and the other on the upper arm during prayer. Tefillin are usually put on every weekday morning, but not on the Sabbath or certain holidays.
Menorah
Israel
My mother
My living museum artifact is a Menorah. It is from my mother's side of the family. The person I interviewed to find more information about my artifact was my Grandfather or my mom’s dad. His name is Richard but the grandchildren call him Domin. My relationship to Domin is I am his maternal granddaughter. Domin was born in Queens, New York on May 10, 1948. My great grandfather or Domin’s father changed the spelling of our last name. The artifact was made in Israel but he didn't remember the year. It was originally my grandparents' Menorah. The significance of the artifact is its of all the childhood Hanukkahs that she celebrated with her family. It is made out of brass and other metals. It was used throughout the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, and is still being used to date. Not only did the family enjoy the celebration of Hanukkah but my Mom and Aunt loved to scrape out the wax year after year at the end of each Hanukkah celebration.
This menorah is made of brass or other metal. The nine candle holders are placed in a row across the bottom with the shamash (helper candle) in the middle. The shamash is a little higher than the other eight candle holders. Hanukkah lasts for 8 days and each day the shamash candle is used to light the other candles. We do not blow them out - they burn for about 30 minutes. Hanukkah is a holiday that celebrates the victory of the small Jewish Maccabee army over the bigger Assyrian army. It also celebrates the miracle of the clean oil that lasted for eight nights, even where there was only enough oil for one night. The back of the menorah is designed from Hebrew letters painted with colored enamel that say Nes Gadol Haya Po, which means A Great Miracle Happened Here. That's how we know the menorah is from Israel. If it was made anywhere else it would say the miracle happened THERE, not HERE!
Bar Mitzvah Kippah
Cedar Grove, New Jersey
Harriet B.
This kippah is approximately 9 cm in radius and a thickness of 5 mm. This kippah is made of wool that was hand crocheted. It was also made of cloth that was sewn on the inside to show who the kippah belonged to, who it was made by, and the date of the Bar Mitzvah. The last material that was used to make this kippah was alice black and midnite blue dye. The kippah was crocheted so that in the middle is the Star of David in the color alice blue.
The kippah was made by my great grandmother Faye for my father's bar mitzvah. The kippah was made while my great grandma was in the Cedar Grove Nursing home. The kippah was made specifically for my dad on his Bar Mitzvah. This kippah isn’t just a head covering. It reminds me how important the Bar Mitzvah day was for my dad. A kippah is a head covering worn by Jewish people to show respect for G-d. Some Jews always wear a kippah. Some Jews wear kippot usually while praying or being in a synagogue.
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.