A mezuzah (מְזוּזָה) is a parchment scroll, on which the Shema is handwritten by an expert scribe. A mezuzah mounted on the right side of the doorpost of a Jewish home reminds us of G‑d and our heritage. It also invites G‑d's watchful care over the home. A kosher mezuzah on the doors of a home or office protects the inhabitants — whether they are inside or outside.

Being hidden Jews in especially Eastern Europe and the United States, my father’s families and some of my mother’s families did what they could to leave hints that we are Jewish.

During a ceremony, a young Jewish boy who has reached the age of three brings to the synagogue the mappah that his parents have made or have had made for him. The mappah (plural: mappot) is a long, decorative cloth used to wrap and secure the Torah scroll to protect it. It is made from the swaddling cloth on which the child sat during his circumcision. This tradition is still in use in Alsace, where artists (painters and/or embroiderers) create beautiful mappot on demand.

Illustrated ketubot are decorated Jewish marriage contracts combining legal text, calligraphy and ornamental art. Produced by skilled scribes and artists, they reflect regional styles and communal identity. Transmitted across generations, the craft integrates textual precision and visual symbolism within a living ritual tradition.

The custom of erecting a matzebah (Jewish tombstone) is a central element of Jewish burial practice and collective memory in Eastern Europe.