009 Jewish Family Traditions, Shabbat Dinners & A Grandfather’s Legacy | Gary Lapin on The Grandpa Channel

Show Notes: From Tailor Shops to Shofars — A Grandfather’s Legacy of Faith, Family & Friday Nights with Gary Lapin

What do tailor shops, Friday night Shabbat dinners, and shofar-blowing have in common? They all live at the heart of Gary Lapin’s story — a longtime neighbor, father of three sons, grandfather of seven, and someone who carries forward the deep traditions of Jewish family life.

In this heartfelt conversation on The Grandpa Channel, host Steve “Rivers” Harris sits down with Gary to explore the legacy of immigrant grandparents, the sacred rituals that shaped him, and the small but powerful ways love gets passed down across generations.

Gary grew up in Denver, Colorado, the youngest of three boys. His grandfather “Jake the Tailor” — an immigrant from Poland — was a WWI veteran, storyteller, and well-known community figure who sewed custom suits for Denver’s wealthier families. Friday nights meant something special: gathering around the table for traditional Sabbath dinners of challah, chicken, and homemade chopped liver. Those meals were more than food — they were rituals of belonging, consistency, and faith.

Alongside those traditions came quiet resilience. Gary recalls that his grandparents weren’t huggy or verbally affectionate. They didn’t say “I love you,” but they lived it through presence and provision. That style shifted with each generation. Gary himself has embraced the opposite — warm hugs, bedtime prayers, and goodnight kisses with his grandchildren. He sees affection as a natural outflow of love, and proof that fatherhood and grandfathering evolve over time.

This episode touches on:

• Immigrant grit & legacy: from Russia and Poland to the furniture shops and tailor shops of Denver

• Shabbat rituals: why Friday night dinners were sacred ground

• Kosher kitchens & faith practices: how traditions shape daily life (and yes, even cheeseburger workarounds)

• The evolution of affection: how three generations of fathers expressed love differently

• Travel as a love language: why Gary believes summer trips and one-on-one time with grandkids matter more than toys

• Shofar-blowing & Jewish holidays: keeping traditions alive for the next generation

• Holocaust remembrance & immigrant silence: why many grandparents avoided “the old country” stories, and why telling them now matters

Gary’s reflections remind us that the most powerful heirlooms aren’t material things — they’re stories, rituals, and the time we choose to spend with the people we love.

Whether you grew up with Shabbat candles or Sunday suppers, you’ll find yourself nodding along to Gary’s memories of faith, food, and family. His legacy is one of presence: showing up for dinners, board games, bedtime prayers, and life’s everyday moments.