Family Menorah

This family heirloom was handcrafted as a wedding gift for my Great-Grandparents Sheska Boehle and Yonatan Evers in 1909 in Amsterdam. My grandmother, Meryl and her mother, Sheska were the only 2 relatives that escaped the German invasion and incarceration of the Jews of Amsterdam. They had been sponsored by St. Libory Catholic Church in Nebraska. They fled believing the others would follow, they never did. The family’s home was just around the corner from the Frank family.

There were only 2 items that they smuggled to America. This Menorah and a Seder plate which was damaged in the escape. Up until 2005 we believed that no other family members survived beyond Meryl and Sheska. My daughter stumbled upon a PBS interview of Bloeme Evers talking about her experiences during the Holocaust. My daughter recognized the family names. Upon further research we discovered that Bloeme was indeed married to Hans Evers my grandmother’s brother. Soon after, the family was reunited in letters!

Contributed by: Jeanne Besaw
Created by: Unknown professional maker
Origin: Amsterdam, Netherlands