Set of tefillin acquired by a Soviet Jewish soldier

Set of tefillin acquired by a Soviet Jewish soldier 

Set of tefillin acquired by a Soviet Jewish soldier 

a: Height: 4.000 inches (10.16 cm) | Width: 5.375 inches (13.653 cm) | Depth: 3.375 inches (8.573 cm) b: Height: 3.250 inches (8.255 cm) | Width: 4.000 inches (10.16 cm) | Depth: 2.625 inches (6.668 cm) 

Pair of tefillin purchased by Shimon Meszel, a Jewish soldier in the Soviet Army, for five rubles in Kharkov, Russia, in 1943. Tefillin are small boxes containing prayers attached to leather straps and worn on the arm and the head by Orthodox Jewish males during morning prayers. Shimon eventually emigrated to Israel.