Printing Press
The Journey Album-photo album
Germany
Brian C.
David C\'s maternal great grandfather, Ernst V., made a photo album to remember his journey from Germany to Palestine. This photo album is significant to the C. family because if David’s great grandfather hadn\'t moved to Palestine, it is quite possible that he would have been killed in the Holocaust. If so, then David, his mother, and his grandmother, may never have been born. When Hitler first came to power, Ernst V. wanted to move to Palestine. However, his girlfriend Trudy G. didn\'t want to leave the luxury of Germany to move. She also did not believe that Hitler would be able to come to complete power. Ernst went ahead to Palestine, and then sent back a telegram asking Trudy if she would marry him, but also telling her that the engagement ring was in Palestine. She would have to come and get it. Fortunately, this convinced Trudy to move to Palestine. After they got married, they started a business in Ramat Gan and later had two daughters, Ruth and Renee. In 1952, they moved to Montreal,Canada to be closer to Trudy\'s siblings who had already moved to America.
This is why this photo album is so significant to the C. family
Citizenship Paper
New York
Aaron A\'s maternal great-great grandfather, Isador C, received this citizenship paper when he became a United States citizen in 1894. He was originally from Russia. His family left Russia and came to the United States because the Russian government started treating the Jews badly. Jews were being persecuted. He kept this citizenship paper his whole life because he was so proud to be able to immigrate to the United States and become a citizen. During his time it was not very easy to be able to become a United States citizen.
Nowadays, this citizenship document is kept in the apartment of Aaron\'s maternal grandmother Isabel B.
Certificates
Massachusetts
Esther\'s paternal great grandmother, Esther Gordon, received her nursing license after working and studying at Beth Israel Hospital in Massachusetts. She completed the training course to become a registered nurse, and she worked at Beth Israel for many years. On display are her membership certificates and certification pins from 1948 and 1949. While working at Beth Israel Hospital, one of her patients was Jacob G. While a patient there Jacob and Esther fell in love and later were married. She was a nurse for many years and this was an important part of her life.
These pins and license help remember what she accomplished in her life.
French-English Heirloom Dictonary
Paris, France
Henriette W’s French-English dictionary is originally from France. It was used by Henriette’s mother and her siblings, her grandmother and her siblings, her great grandmother and her siblings, and her great-great grandmother and her siblings, all of whom speak French, among other languages, fluently. Henriette’s great-great grandmother obtained it, and it has been passed down to the current generation. This dictionary is significant because it reminds Henriette’s mother and grandmother of their family and of the time that they used it. Henriette’s grandmother’s entire family used it when they decided to move to America.
This object is known as “French - English Heirloom Dictionary.”
Book
Switzerland
Daniel Z\'s paternal great-grandmother, Rosa Horrowitz, received this book while learning in a Talmud Torah in Switzerland. Her family lived in a small town called Chorgel in Poland. Her family wanted to move to America, and the only way they could go to America was by taking a train to Sweden, and from there they\'d take a boat to America. The only language they spoke was Yiddish. As a result, when they boarded the train, they thought it was going to Sweden, but it was really going to Switzerland. In Switzerland, Rosa\'s parents decided to send Rosa to a Talmud Torah and that\'s where she got this book.
Rosa\'s grandson now keeps this book in his house. It is a reminder of how Rosa started a new life.
Book
New York City
Rachel K’s maternal great-great-aunt Maxine K published a book called \"I Am Adam\" while fighting against an extremely difficult case of cancer. \"I Am Adam\" was originally published in New York City. It \'lived\' at libraries and book stores, but this particular copy was kept safe at Rachel K’s maternal great-grandmother’s house and later at her grandmother’s house. It is unknown whether Rachel K’s maternal great-grandmother purchased this copy or was given it by the publishers after her sister’s death. Maxine K was a talented writer and a very loved family member. At the end of writing this novel, Aunt Maxine was blind and on many medications for her illness. She finished writing the book before the publisher’s deadline, just days before she died. Unfortunately, she didn’t live to see it published. \"I Am Adam\" received many book reviews including one from the New York Times Book Review. This book is significant to the family for several reasons. While Aunt Maxine, the author, died so young, her life lived on through this book. Also, this book was written by an amazing relative of Rachel K – an independent woman who was determined to publish despite her years of cancer and hardship.
All of the family knows of Maxine’s courage, hard work and talent!
Stamp Book
Hafia, Israel
When David B\'s paternal grandfather moved from Palestine to America, he took with him a collecting book. David\'s paternal grandfather, Moshe was born in Poland in 1927. His father was a very smart man and realized that Adolf Hitler was going to try and kill all the Jews, so in 1932 he gathered his immediate family and went to Palestine. In Palestine, Moshe and his family lived a normal life of Jews living in Palestine. While in Palestine, he found out about a collecting book from an ad on his father’s cigar box. In this collecting book were words and on top of those words there is a place to put the picture. In the box there are roughly one hundred of these pictures.
This book reminds David and his family what it was like to live in Palestine (for David’s grandfather), and they will remember this for generations to come.
Letter
Paris, France
Jordan G’s paternal grandfather, Jackie G, lived in an orphanage near Paris in World War II. While there, he wrote a letter to his aunt Chana. He wrote this letter to his aunt to see if she knew if his father was alive.
The letter is significant because it helped reunite Jordan\'s grandfather with family members who also survived the war.
Newspaper Article
Europe
Hillel K\'s paternal great-great-grandfather was written about in the newspaper for helping the American Army in World War I. When Jack was young, his parents moved from Europe to America, making Jack the family\'s first generation in America. During World War I, Jack\'s job was to carry messages to France on a horse. For this job, he was honored with medals and was also written about in the newspaper. Additionally, a city in Florida was named Margate after Jack, whose last name was Marqusee. The word ‘gate’ was added because Margate was a gate to the Everglades. E, Jack\'s wife, kept this object because she thought that the newspaper was important to the family.
The newspaper shows that Jack was heroic during World War I.
Report Cards
Brooklyn, New York
Penina S\'s maternal grandmother, Penina, was given a report card in the year 1957. This report card came from Yeshiva of Crown Heights elementary school, in Brooklyn, New York. Penina (whom Penina S is named after) got this report card in the year 1957 from her third grade teacher, Mrs. Oxer. Penina S’s maternal grandmother died in the year 1989. Her children kept some of her childhood memories. Each of her children promised each other that when they had their first daughter, they would name her Penina after their mother. Penina S and her cousins, aunts, uncles, parents, and siblings kept some things from Penina S’s childhood.
However, Penina S’s parents,Shira and Joseph , kept a lot of Penina S\'s childhood belongings, including this special report card.
Citizenship Papers
Chicago
When Michal R\'s maternal great-grandmother, Dorothy, died, the family kept her citizenship papers in memory of her. Michal\'s great-grandmother came from Lithuania to the United States as a teenager and received her citizenship in Chicago. There, she completed her studies. Later, she started a career making women’s hats. The citizenship papers had a picture of her and her signature. Michal\'s great-grandmother didn’t own much so this is one of the only things she had kept.
The family will always keep the citizenship paper and will never forget Michal’s great-grandma Dorothy.
Letter
Poland
Olivia S\'s maternal great-great-grandfather, Rabbi Jacob Mendel Morgenstern, was a well-known rabbi in Poland in the early 1900s. He was a descendent of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Morgenstern, the Kotsker Rebbi, the great rabbi of Kotsk. Rabbi Jacob Mendel wrote a letter in 1926 to answer a conflict between two other people, Shlomo Freidman and Motel Laufer. Although there is only a part of this letter, Rabbi Jacob Mendel\'s Torah knowledge and intelligence is clear. The letter is written on cardboard because he did not have enough money to purchase paper.
The letter currently resides in Olivia\'s maternal grandfather\'s home.
Passport
Vienna, Austria
When Tovah W\'s maternal grandfather, Immanuel Vogel, was leaving Europe to come to America, he received this passport. In 1940 his family was living in Vienna, Austria, which was occupied by Germany, and they had no choice but to leave. The passport came from the German government, and on all passports the Germans forced the Jews to change their last name. In this case it was Fogel.
This passport is significant to Tovah\'s family as a reminder of where they came from.
ID Papers
Grodziska, Poland
Hannah W\'s paternal great-great-great-grandfather Avraham W was given this ID paper when he became an adult. When Avraham got this ID paper, he used it to show his identification in America. Avraham was originally from Grodziska, Poland and therefore the ID is written Polish. When Avraham died, Hannah’s great-great-grandfather, Menachem Mendel W, took these papers and kept them until he died. That is when Hannah’s great-grandfather, Seymour W, took the papers. When Seymour died, Hannah’s grandfather, David W, took the paper. About 5 years ago David died and his wife, Phoebe, now has these papers. Hannah W brought this ID paper because this is the only thing Hannah and her family has from Avraham.
Hannah and her family expect that this paper will be passed down from generation to generation.