My family's kiddush cup is a celebration of my ancestors. It has travelled by land, sea and air just like us. It started its journey in 1878 when my great great great grandfather David moved from Iraq to India. He left Baghdad for Bombay for trading and making fez hats. Twenty-seven years later, he passed it on to his daughter Nancy. My great great grandmother Nancy and great great grandfather Moshe had 3 children: David, Diana and Freddy. The kiddush cup was passed down to Uncle Freddy in 1961. He used it every Friday night during Shabbat prayers. Uncle Freddy was well known for bringing home visitors from abroad that had come to visit the Knesseth Eliyahoo synagogue in Bombay. His hospitality became known to Israeli backpackers looking for a place to get a meal on Shabbat and enjoy good company. In 1991 my grandparents moved to England so uncle Freddy gifted them the kiddush cup as a reminder of their heritage. The cup lived there for two decades. My grandparents Saul & Elizabeth gave the cup to my parents when I was born in 2012 so the cup came to live with us in New York. Today, we use the cup on Shabbat with the whole family. Our kiddush cup has traveled all around the globe just like my family.
