As a young Jewish girl, I can remember the first gift I received that meant I was special. The trinket was inside a delicately wrapped jewelry box closed with a purple bow. It was a small, golden mezuzah with the star of David on it. HAS Mezuzah iIt is traditionally placed on the doorposts of Jewish homes, but the prayer inside carries the most precious of all Jewish prayers. As a child, I felt protected and special compared to my other friends who didn’t have such a lavish gift at such a young age. This Judaica gift will stay with me for years to come. I never gave up. It was a bright gold amulet that in moments of great fear I clung to with all my might, closed my eyes and prayed for protection. Despite the fact that most people associate Judiaca with luxury jewelry stores, the items desired by Jews are either overpriced or overpriced. smachot, or festive occasions, inside each and every Judaica gift lies a personal story that symbolizes Jewish culture. Take the Stern family, for example.

It must have been cold in Nazi Germany during World War II when the *Stern family was evacuated from their home in *Budapest, Hungary. Meyer was a child when he was taken with his family to Auschwitz. His sister and his mother were killed as soon as they arrived at Auschwitz. To survive, Meyer constantly made himself look healthy, even though he had a bad case of jaundice. He used a rope tied around his neck and pulled on it during roll call. In this way, Meyer could show that he was fit and capable while the blood rushed to his face. During Meyer’s years in Auschwitz, he worked in the area better known as “Canada” or Bekleidungskammer. This was the section where Jews were ordered to hand over their jewelry and valuables. Some of the items were Judaica. Some items included gold menorahs or even a Star of David pendant set with quality diamonds. In general, the quality of the jewelry was high. Unfortunately, the quality of life, for the Nazis, was valued below the jewels themselves. Meyer was likely one of several Jews in the war tome who somehow smuggled in the jewelry, including during a death march. The act of “stealing” the jewels stolen from the Nazis meant death itself, if anyone was caught. However, Meyer felt that despite not knowing who the jewels belonged to, it was his duty to return them to Jewish hands. Today, Jewish and Judaica jewelry can be seen in the Yad Vashem museum in Jerusalem, Israel.

The Holocaust is just one example of Judaica telling a personal and, in this case, tragic but triumphant story. There are also stories of Kiddush cups passed down nearly ten generations from the Arab countries where the Jews lived, such as Yemen, and then to the United States.

Finally, Jewish and Judaica jewelry tell stories of generations and hold great meaning for the first lucky individual to receive a gift with a meaning that connects them to their heritage, their religion and their culture.