When my great grandfather turned 13 and had his Bar Mitzvah, he received a tallit holder. A tallit holder is something that is used to hold a tallit, which is something you wear during your Bar or Bat Mitzvah. The tallit holder my great grandfather had is made from felt. My great grandfather passed it down to my grandparents who passed it down to my mom who passed it down to my older brothers, then me. In the Jewish tradition, a tallit symbolizes devotion to god and communal solidarity. This object is important to me since it was passed down from my maternal grandfather to my Mom, to my brothers, then to me. The family held on to it throughout many generations. It most likely survived World War II. The tallit holder has been held on to very carefully, it is in perfect shape still.
My grandfather received it from my great grandfather who had it made for his Bar Mitzvah. It was made during World War 2, which is also why it’s important to me. It was made during the war and eventually made its way to me. Since I am the youngest male in the family, I received the holder on my Bar Mitzvah. I put my hand made tallit in it. My oldest cousin received my Great Grandfather’s tallit that used to reside in the holder and my aunt and my mom passed the holder down to all the male siblings in the family. I am the last person to receive it. My great grandparents and grandparents have all passed on, so it’s very special to me so it can remind me of them.

– ADH

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