Documents & Photographs
These artifacts are all documents and photographs. They tell stories of our past. Each and every one is special. They represent an amazing record of where we all came from. These are the stories of our journey to America.
Photos of Great-Grandad at Reichstag
Berlin, Germany
Eric A.
I got these photos from my great-grandfather. These pictures were taken at the end of World War II. Grandpa was a captain in the air force intelligence in the Russian army. He was capturing the images of Nazi fortifications from an airplane. In the picture on the left he is kneeling on the right; in the picture on the right he is second from the right.
My grandpa is one of the Jewish officers who started from the beginning of the war in a small town named Bobruisk, Russia, and ended the war with a victory in Berlin, Germany. Many Jews fought in the Russian army and their victory brought an end to the Holocaust.
1930 Census
Census from Ellis Island
Nancy C.
My grandma was given this census by her friend Dennis R. It is significant to my family because it shows how my great-great-great-grandma and her family had to lie about their age in order to immigrate to America so that her sons (my great uncles) wouldn't be forced into the army and get involved in the war with the Cossacks.
This artifact is important because it shows the lies that Jews had to make in order to protect and keep their sons with them and away from the war and the Cossacks. To save their lives, which at the same time preserved Jewish heritage, my family and so many others came to America.
Certificate of Citizenship
United States of America
Grandma Barbara G.
This artifact is important to our family for two reasons. The first reason is that it is the only photograph that we have of my Great-Great-Grandmother, Feige B. The second reason is that it helps tell the story of how that part of my family came to America from Poland. It shows that Feige was already married to my Great-Great-Grandfather when she came here from Poland. He came to the USA first and then she came after. They had five children and one of them was my Great-Grandfather, Herman B.
My artifact is important to Jewish heritage because it lets us think about what life was like for Jews in Poland at that time. My Great-Great-Grandmother came to the USA in 1930. This was a time in between the first and second World Wars. The depression hit Poland in the late 1920's and it became hard to make a living for all the people. Unfortunately for the Jews, discrimination like economic boycotts when people wouldn't buy things from Jewish shop owners and attacks on Jewish university students made it a very bad time for many Jews. My family on this side was very lucky that they moved to America as they were safe from the Holocaust when WW II started.
Family Photo
Austria or Hungary
My Mother
The photo belonged to my mother's great-grandmother. It has been in our family for many years. My mother's great-grandmother Molly brought it with her from Vienna. We believe the picture was taken in Austria or in Poland (before the family came to Austria). The photo is important to my family because it was one of the few things the family brought with them to America. It has been passed down for four generations. It shows my great-great-grandmother and four of her five children, including my mother's grandmother.
My great-great-grandparents left Vienna with their five young children to come to America. They could bring very little. The photo was a memory of their time in Europe and was one of the only photos of the family. So many photos and Jewish artifacts were lost that to have this photo from a time when there was a lot of fear and Jews were being treated unfairly is special.
Driver's License - Nazi Germany 1938
Germany
My Mother
This German driver's license belonged to my mother's father, Philip. My grandfather fled Germany for the United States in 1938. This driver's license is important to my mother because to her it is a symbol of the survival of the Jewish people and our family.
At the bottom of the driver's license, there is an official stamp showing the Iron Eagle with a swastika which was the symbol of the Third Reich. The Third Reich no longer exists but the Jewish people continue to survive and thrive.
Photos of My Ancestors
Riga, Latvia
My Grandfather
These are photographs of my great-great grandfather Samuel F. who came to America in the 1860's. Sam was a 13th generation descendant of rabbis, but the family had no money to send him to rabbinical school in Riga, Latvia. So he came to America (new Haven, CT) and became a peddler. He eventually moved to Springfield, MA where he started a novelties business.
The photographs show how religious the family was which is evident from the hats, beards, and side-locks. These photos are important because they show how important religion and religious education was to the Jews of Latvia and how the family kept the rabbinical tradition and education.
Picture of Great Grandpa and Grandma
America
Grandma and Grandpa
This photo is extremely significant to our family. My Great-Grandfather Murray traveled from Austria to the United States by sea when he was 12 years old. He had 3 brothers and 1 sister. When they arrived to Ellis Island they didn't have much. They lived in a Jewish ghetto on the Lower East Side in New York City. That's where he met and married Grandma Mae. Her family traveled there from Russia. It's a beautiful photo of them together, one that we cherish very much. Grandpa Murray became a furrier and later established a gasoline business. Grandma Mae was beautiful inside & out. She lived 96 years and my parents remember many stories of Russia and the ghetto that they lived in. She loved to share wonderful memories with her grandchildren. Together they had two boys, my grandfather Richard and Uncle George. I was told she made the best noodle pudding ever and loved the dance! I wish I had the chance to meet these two amazing people who are my ancestors.
This artifact has significance to Jewish heritage because it tells the story of two young Jewish immigrants who traveled to America for a better Jewish life. They grew up in a Jewish ghetto where the lifestyle was all about living, sharing and raising Jewish children. Keeping Judaism alive rich in tradition and custom was a top priority. I wish I had the opportunity to celebrate Friday night dinners and holidays with them in the ghetto. The stories I'm told make everything sound so fun and special. I'm proud to have them in my mind!
Photograph of Rebecca and Moses B.
Ukraine
Malcolm B.
This artifact is important to my family heritage because it shows my great-uncle Jacob who everyone believed was born in America. Later on it was found out that he was born in the Ukraine and his family moved from the Ukraine to America. If they hadn't moved to America, my great-grandfather wouldn’t have met my great-grandmother and I wouldn’t have been born.
This photograph is significant to Jewish heritage because it is part of the story about someone who is Jewish and his family coming to America so they could make a better life for themselves. The decision of my uncle and his family to come to America resulted in future generations being born here - including me.