Documents Unmasked
Documents, Photographs and a Record Unmasked
By Rita S.
Old documents can be just about anything. They can be birth or death certificates, marriage licenses, photographs, naturalization records, letters, passports, or even a shopping list that someone’s great-great-great grandmother wrote on a random June day. Most people don’t even bother to look at documents or photos carefully, but they can tell you so much about someone in your family and your family history. These documents and photographs can tell us about the people who came before us and their stories.
If you turn this page, you will be turning to pages filled with the rich history of our ancestors. If you take even just five minutes to read about one of these documents, I guarantee you will learn so much about someone, and have a deeper appreciation for history, because you’ll learn that the people in history weren't just names and faces. They were people, our relatives.
What are you waiting for? Turn the page and get reading!
Picture of Great-Great Grandpa
Chalkidis, Greece
Grandma
This photo was given to me by my grandmother. It's important to us because it's a picture of our ancestor. My great-great grandfather, Shimon F, was born in Chalkidis, Greece. He was 1 out of 11 children. His brother, my great-great uncle Colonel Mordechai F, was a colonel in the Greek Army. He loved his soldiers like children, so he ended up taking a bullet to the stomach for one of them and left this world on December, 1940.
The Greek police thought Shimon was a German spy, because he always wore suits, so they sent him to jail. A friend of his came along and said, "He's no spy, he's a Jew!" The Greek police then immediately deported him to Auschwitz. Shimon F. left this world in 1941, in the cattle car on the its way to Auschwitz.
He was deported to Auschwitz and killed for being a Jew. This shows that, throughout history, we, as Jews, have been abused, killed, tortured, and mistreated, but we are STILL HERE. HaShem will never EVER allow us to be wiped out, no matter what.
Record of my great-great grandpa Reuben H. Levinson, receiving the Justice Louis D. Brandeis award.
United States of America
Robert A.
Reuben H Levenson came to the United States from Russia when he was around 3 or 4 years old. He was selling apples on the street and got a fourth grade education. Eventually, he donated and helped raise money for the Zionist Organization of America and was honored with the Justice Louis D Brandeis award in around 1969.
Grandpa Reuben made sure everyone in his family had a good secular and Jewish education. He made sure all of his kids got a college degree before they got married. He helped Israel and he helped raise money for Israel and the Zionist Organization of America. That is why he was awarded the Louis D Brandeis award.
Passports
Russia
Rosa and Herman E..
This artifact is important to my grandparents because at the time, Russia would not let many people leave. Having this passport was the only way for them to get in and out of Russia and move to America. This passport was rather difficult for them to get.
Without this artifact my grandparents would not have been able to leave Russia and go to America, where they had the freedom to practice their religion, unlike in Russia where certain religious practices were not allowed.
Ketubah- marriage document
Hungary
Anita W.
This ketuba was given to me by my grandmother. My great grandparents had their wedding right after WWII. It was not a fancy wedding and not much money was spent on it. In fact my great grandmother’s wedding dress was borrowed. Even though the wedding wasn’t as fancy as other weddings, it was still an important day for my great grandparents. The ketuba was something special that my great grandparents held on to, and that’s why we have it today. This artifact is important to my family because it’s a symbol of my great grandparents’ love and making it through the war.
My great grandparents' ketuba is a symbol of surviving the WWII. It was a time where the Jewish people were treated horribly and many were killed. A ketuba is a marriage document that is made by the Rabbi of the Shul. It is written in all Hebrew and it needs to be signed by both the husband and wife with their Hebrew names.
Magen David Ledgers
Brooklyn, NY
Grandfather Saul T
This artifact was made by Magen David, a synagogue on 67th Street in Brooklyn, New York, to keep track of all the money that people donated. This was very special because people were very poor at that time, so everyone could look back and see what they donated. They really learned how to donate because they donated when they barely had anything to give.
Sedaka is very important in the Jewish religion. The significance to Jewish heritage is that my Grandfather Ralph A’’H started off by donating ten cents, and as time went by he donated more and more, and he eventually reached a million dollars. So we learn from this that if he didn’t learn to donate that small bit of money then he may never would have donated one million dollars.
Article on Rabbi David Shamah
Brooklyn, NY
Robin S.
This newspaper was given to my grandfather Joey from his mother Becky who was Rabbi David Shamah’s wife.
This artifact was published to show the importance of the knowledge and kindness Rabbi David Shamah brought to the Syrian community of Brooklyn. He taught boys how to read Hebrew and the laws of the Torah since most were in public schools and not in yeshivas. The Rabbi didn’t take money for any of these lessons even though he was very poor.
Photograph
Egypt
Suzanne R.
This photograph is very important to the family. The person in the middle (Mordechai) is my great great grandfather, and Nouri and Rachel are my great grandparents. This picture is over 75 years old and one of the only pictures we have of the whole family. It is very special to us and we keep it in our living room to remember everyone.
The picture shows the pyramids in Egypt in the background. It reminds us that our brothers and sisters went through so many hardships while in slavery and how they conquered the evil Egyptians. My grandmother's whole family had to leave Egypt in a rush because they were Jewish. They left their houses, their businesses and their families to make sure they were safe and out of danger.
Wedding Album
Brooklyn, NY
Grandparents Hy & Ray S.
Hy and Ray S's wedding album is important to my family because we wouldn’t exist without it. If they hadn’t got married then my family and I would most probably be nonexistent. This album takes our family back to the time our grandparents got married .
This artifact that was made in 1945 shows photos of the Jewish wedding of my grandparents Ray and Hy S. This artifact was made to always remember the marriage of my grandparents in 20 years, 50, or even 100’s of years.
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