This is a siddur – or prayer book – that was given to Jews who served in the U.S. military during World War II. It was given to my grandpa because he was drafted into the Navy. My grandpa was born and raised, and later drafted, in New York.
The siddur is small, so that soldiers and sailors could easily bring it to different places during wartime. The little insignia on the front says J.W.B, which stands for Jewish Welfare Board. My grandpa gave the siddur to my dad, and he gave it to me for this project. It means a lot to me because it tells a story about my grandpa.
Epaulets are ornaments that officers wear on their shoulders in the army. The epaulets are placed one on each shoulder. The badge on the epaulets tells the rank of the officer. The stars on these epaulets tell that my dad was ranked as a Lieutenant in the army. The red in the star says the motto of South Africa in Latin, and the middle has the coat of arms of South Africa. The motto in English means unity is strength. The cloth is gabardine. The star is made of metal.
I think this object is very interesting because it helped me learn about the South African army and what the different badges stand for.
The writing on the bracelet tells about Jewish settlers being evicted from the Jewish communities of Gush Katif located in Gaza. I found it in the street in Israel where I live. I often wear it.
I don’t like it that the Israeli government gave Gaza to the Arabs. Firstly, in the Torah it is written that this place is for us. Secondly, they evicted the settlers from nice houses and then did not give them adequate houses to live in. Also, the Israeli government did not allow the people of Israel to hold a referendum about whether or not to expel the Jewish Israeli communities of Gush Katif.
The Hebrew words on the bracelet say: A Jew doesn't expel another Jew. It is orange because this is the color chosen by people who support the Jewish communities of Gush Katif.