For as long as I knew him, my grandfather Charles Zuckerman wore this ‘chai’ necklace to honor his Jewish heritage. In 1917, he, his seven siblings, and parents, Louis and Celia, immigrated to the United States from Kurenets, Russia, to escape rising antisemitism and economic hardship under German occupation. Kurenets, now in Belarus, was located right near Vilna shtetl, considered a center of Jewish spiritual and intellectual life and one of the many communities tragically lost to the devastation of the Holocaust. Upon entry into New York City, an uncle declared the family’s last name would be changed from Chayat (‘tailor’) to Zuckerman (a prominent Russian-Jewish surname). Louis sold scrap along the Great Wagon Road, growing then splitting into several successful businesses owned by his children, one being Charles Zuckerman & Son, Inc. (now Winchester Metals). Charles served as CEO from 1975-1989. In 1951, Charles proposed and led the building of Winchester’s first temple and Jewish community center, the Beth-El Congregation, which opened in 1954 and is active to this day. After serving in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, Charles was a beloved public servant—14 years on City Council, two terms as mayor, 38-gallon blood donor, six-figure fundraising walker for Big Brothers / Big Sisters, 67-year Lions Club member—promoting community service; civic engagement; bipartisanship; and care and respect for all. He truly loved, and was loved in turn by, everyone.

– Nate Zuckerman

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more