Between the Lines: Documents
By Gabriel B.
In this section you will see examples of beautiful and memorable documents that have been saved for many years. Looking back to the time of WWII there are a couple of amazing Victory Bulletins that the women of our community wrote and published. Now traveling to the Middle East; from Egypt there is a very interesting example of the way Egyptians wrote and sent letters as you can see on the rock with hieroglyphics inscribed in it. You will also see many certificates like a U.S Certificate Of Naturalization, Immigration Papers, Marriage Certificates, Visas , a Diploma, and a HS Autograph book. If you read these documents carefully and examine them between the lines you can learn a lot about their owners.
These papers and artifacts have been kept by our ancestors for many decades. Each and every artifact symbolizes something else about our family's past, and links us to our ancestors.
Certificate of Naturalization
New York, New York, USA
Grandfather Sam C
This certificate was received by my great-great-grandfather, Aslan C, from the U.S. Department of Labor on April 8th, 1929, when he was 61. He left his family in Syria in 1910 to come to the U.S. to start a new life.
This document enabled him to become a citizen of the United States and to get a job to bring his family over from Syria and support them. He brought over his ancestors' traditions and culture that I probably still use today.
Journals and Siddurs
Belgium, Germany
Grandma
These artifacts are important to my family because; they tell the stories of how my ancestors survived the Holocaust. These books have journal entries of their daily experiences before and after the war. For example, one of the journal entries talks about the Polish Rebellion's secret plan. Out of all the people in the Polish Rebellion, my great-grandpa was chosen to carry out this mission.
Some of these books are siddurs. These siddurs show how dedicated my ancestors to Judaism even during the Holocaust. They show that nothing stopped them from worshipping Hashem. These siddurs are a symbol of the dedication Jewish people have to worship Hashem, no matter the circumstance.
War Identification Card
Greenvile, South Carolina, & NY
My Grandma, Nina S
My artifact is about my great grandmother. It was her war identification cards. During World War II these cards were used in case there was an attack they would use it to "escape." There are 2 cards, one from before she was married and one from when she was married. The card from before she was married is from New York, and the one from when she was married is from Greenville, South Carolina. One of them is from May 4, 1943, and the other is from May 13, 1944.
This is significant to my Jewish heritage because it tells me details about my great grandma. Some details are how tall she was, her weight, her hair and eye color, who she was married to, where she lived,and her fingerprints. It also had the rules she had to follow because she worked as a nurse on the army base.
Visa
Egypt
Grandpa Bobby S.
My artifact is my great great grandma, Rachel S's visa. A visa was a passport that allowed you to leave Egypt. At that time it was very hard for Jews in Egypt. A visa allowed her to leave Egypt. It was very hard to get one.
The visa was very important to my great great grandma because it allowed her to leave the extremely hard life for Jews in Egypt. She was able to start a new life somewhere else. Having a visa in Egypt was very uncommon. My great great grandma was very lucky to get one.
Victory Bulletin
America
Great Grandpa Alan N, Aunt Audrey
The Victory Bulletin was written during WWII by the Syrian women of America. This is significant to my family because my grandpa and his family were born and raised in Syria. His friends and family were involved in WWII and the way that the Syrian women wrote the newspaper were about them, but it was very similar to what happened with my grandpa. My grandma's family was also originated in Syria so that is why this has a significance to my family.
The Victory Bulletin has a significance to my Jewish heritage because my grandpa was born and raised in Syria and during the war his friends and family would fight. This was about the Syrian women in America and he was a Syrian man who moved to America so this newspaper was significant to him and his heritage. My family follows many Syrian customs because he was born and originated in Syria.
Public School 247 Autograph Book
Brooklyn, NY, U.S.A
Esther S.
This artifact was made in Brooklyn, New York, 1941. My artifact is an autograph book from Public School 247, located on 7000 21st Avenue, and it belonged to my great grandmother, Esther. This was important to my great grandmother because it was a tradition back in the day to get your autograph book signed by all her friends and family.
This artifact is important to Jewish heritage because my great grandmother's classmates wrote about how she was a girl that showed good midot, and that it was so important to them. In the the Torah, showing midot makes you a good person.
Immigration Paper/Passport
Haiti
My grandpa, Zack A.
This document shows how my grandfather's mother immigrated to Haiti from Syria. My grandfather's mother's name was Raquel Tobal. She came to Haiti with 4 daughters and 1 son. Raquel was 3 years old at the time. This told us her religion as well as the year it was printed,1933. Her parents' names were Lialoee and Renne.
It´s important because it's a memory for my family. It tells us my great Grandmother's nationality is Syrian.
Uncle Edward’s Book of Letters
France
D. family
This book is a collection of letters that my great grandfather who was in Cairo, Egypt wrote back and forth to his brother who was in Germany. These letters are important to us because from these letters we learn about their lives as well as the life of the community.
This book of letters is now used to help us understand the life of the Jewish community in Cairo, Egypt in the 1920’s. It helped my great grandfather’s brother maintain his Jewish identity and his connection to his family and his community while he was away in another country.
Visa
Paris, France
Grandma Antoinette M.
My grandmother, Antoinette, and her family were happily living in Egypt. Beginning in 1957, things started to change and the Egyptians became tough on the Jews. My grandmother's father made the courageous decision to leave everything behind and leave Egypt with his wife and eleven children. In order to enter the United States, they needed to go to France and remain there until they were able to receive the visa and papers necessary. They left France on September 15, 1959 and arrived in New York September 25, 1959. They traveled by boat to New York. The visa is a reminder of their journey.
My Jewish heritage was saved because of the freedom my family was given when they were able to leave Egypt, and go to France, and then on to America where they were able to live freely as Jews. They left because of anti-semitism felt by the Jewish people.
Egyptian Rock With Hieroglyphics
Alexandria, Egypt
Edmond D.
This rock is inscribed with hieroglyphics, and is important to my family because my Great Grandpa's father gave it to him. It was passed down as a artifact and we can remember the way Egyptians sent messages. When my Great Grandpa Edmond was a child his father received that rock as a message.(My grandpa can't remember from whom). Since it was a very old way of sending and receiving messages his father kept it with him. When my great grandpa moved to America, it was one of the many things he brought with him.
This rock is important to my family, because my great grandpa's father gave it to him, and it was passed down as a memory of the way Egyptians sent messages.
Diploma
Egypt
Grandmother Antoinette M
My grandmother Antoinette H.M. grew up in Egypt. She attended a French private school run by the nuns. It was very common and special at that time to be able to go to a private school. My grandmother was lucky to go to a private school. It was run by the nuns, but they were respectful of all the Jewish students. Many of the Jewish girls in her community went there. This is the diploma she received when she graduated. She brought this artifact with her when she came to America.
My grandmother went to a non-Jewish school in Egypt. Her family had to leave because of rising anti-semitism, and eventually settled in the U.S. I am lucky to attend a Jewish school in my community. My grandmother did not have that opportunity. She and her family traveled very far making so many sacrifices, so that her family and mine could live freely as Jews.
Marriage Certficate
Tel Aviv
Shula D
This is the marriage certificate of my great grandparents. On the artifact it says the age of my grandmother and age of my grandfather when they got married. It says that my grandma was born in 1910 when we thought she was born in 1914. By doing this project we learned something new. They were both born in Syria and moved to Tel Aviv.
On the certificate it says they were both from the Sephardic community, and married in Tel Aviv in 1937. This shows our family's Jewish background.
Letter from Frames Tours
Liverpool , England
Nurit A.
My great grandfather gave this letter to my grandmom. It is a letter from 1947 notifying my great grandfather that there was space on a ship from England to Philadelphia.
One of the reasons that my ancestor wanted to come to the United States was for a better life with more religious freedom. He met my great grandmother in the United States.
Copper Plates
India
Grandpa Hersel Mehani
These copper plates are a replica of copper plates given to Joseph Rambam. The words are from the Charter of the Jews of Cochin, India. The government of India made this to commemorate the first Jewish synagogue in India. The Indian government has preserved the site from the 1500's until the present.
My grandfather traveled to India, as a banker. He was taken to the town of Cochin on a tour. Being a Jew, he was very surprised to see the survival of a shul dating back 12 centuries.
Visa
USSR, probably Minsk
Grandmother Esther Z.
It was the visa that allowed my father's family to leave the USSR.
We were not allowed to practice our traditions or religion when we were in the USSR.
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