My object is a Moser crystal vase, rimmed with 18 karat gold. It was made in Czechoslovakia. The vase was bought by my great grandfather when he was in his thirties and later passed on to my grandmother. The vase was a decorative piece of my great grandfather’s apartment in Vienna Austria during the 1930s. My great-grandfather and his family were Jewish and had to flee during the Nazi Occupation to Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia during the 1950s  had a communist government under the rule of Josip Broz Tito. Tito imprisoned my great grandfather along with other men for being a capitalist. He stayed in prison for three grueling years until he was released and they left to settle in Israel for a couple years. They finally arrived at their ultimate destination, America after leaving Israel. Nine months later my great grandfather sadly passed away from the effects of his hardships throughout his hiding during World War II and his imprisonment in Yugoslavia. The vase at the time cost a lot of money which shows the prosperity my family once had before WWII. Now in America, it represents to my grandmother my family’s roots, who they once were, and how they appreciated beautiful artworks. Today, the vase represents to me and my family a reminder of how fragile the future of our existence was during the war but with fortitude, respect, and determination any object can survive even over thousands of miles.

– Tyler Lupovici

Relationship:  Grandchild of im/migrant Grandchild of im/migrant