Last year in December, my family and I traveled to Israel for my cousin’s Bar Mitzvah. I wanted something to remind me of the trip and event. I purchased this bracelet at a store on a market in Tel Aviv, Israel. The bracelet has not been passed down by generations or been worn by relatives, it has a different meaning. Israel was known to be a safe haven to Jews during the Holocaust. Even though none of my relatives immigrated to Israel throughout the time, they immigrated to the US, from locations that were being brutally targeted. My great-great-grandparents, Sonia and Israel came from Russia. My other set of great great grandparents were from Lithuania.  My great grandmother was born in Poland and came to the US when she was 2 or 3 years old. Thankfully, most of my relatives who came from eastern Europe and Russia immigrated in the 1890s and were evacuated before significant trouble and religious persecution began. Even though the bracelet hasn’t been physically passed down from my elder relatives, I feel very connected to them when I wear it because I bought it in Israel, a safe haven for Jewish people. When I wear it, it makes me feel as if my relatives are watching over me. It reminds me to be proud of my ethnicity and religion, even when people in the US and all over the world are being discriminated against for being Jewish. 

Relationship:  unknown unknown