GENERATIONS OF CANDLESTICKS

Who were the ancestors who lit the candles? Where did they travel from with their few prized possessions? Who were the brass relics handed down to, and why? The questions are many, but all too often, the answers are few.

Over the years, my husband and I did a lot of traveling with our children. On our trips, we often visited with relatives. The photograph above, taken at a cousin’s house in Chatham, Massachusetts, was followed by a story about the brass beauties. 

“A Labor of Love Leads To A Very Interesting Family Discovery,” appeared in CapeCodToday.com, on October 21, 2010. Our daughter is pictured touching her great-great-grandmother’s candlesticks, while our younger son looks on. 

Below, our three children sit in Richmond, California, with their cousin Elana, holding the candlesticks of their great-grandmother. Another brass heirloom, handed down from my aunt and uncle's keepsakes, is featured in my June 16, 2020, blog post, "Label What You’re Leaving."

More ancestor's candlesticks line a shelf on the baker's rack in our conservatory. Plus, each Shabbat, I light candles in the candelabra presented to us by my parents when we started our family. The third candle, to indicate one for each family member or a family with offspring, replaced the set of two silver candlesticks my mother gifted me at my bridal shower

Some homes have pieces that match the number of people in the family. My mother lit five candles each week across her menorah, they probably couldn’t afford a new one when I, the sixth in the family, came along I can just picture my mother saying, “it’s enough.”

Now is a good time to tell your family the stories of their ancestry, detailing any inheritances. That’s one of the reasons why I wrote Kitchen Talk. My work will inspire you as you learn how to follow my lead to create your family's story.

Gloria Beck lights the candles in the candlesticks of her grandmother, Yette Neidich Cohen, who lived in Gloria’s childhood home

Gloria’s daughter Elana Kessler is seen holding the candlesticks with our children, Moss, Judd and Rina - great-grandchildren of Yette Neidich Cohen

May 16, 1996 - Richmond, California

Assorted family candlesticks

Candelabra I use to light candles on the Sabbath

I wish I knew the history behind these brass beauties