My great-great-grandmother, Anna Kotin, was born in Belarus and immigrated with her family to the United States in 1910, bringing her rich Jewish culture with her. In Rochester, NY in 1916, my great-grandma, Dorothy Ruben, was born. A child of immigrant parents, she accumulated recipes passed down through her mother, recording these recipes in her little notebook. Utilizing these traditional Belarusian recipes, she constantly baked and cooked for her family as an act of love her daughters, Helen and Norma, as well as granddaughters Andrea, Kim, and Robin. My great-grandmother would spend countless hours each day in the kitchen just to make meals and baked goods, especially for the family favorite, apple strudel. Painstakingly peeling the apples by hand, meticulously folding the dough, she valued hard work and never rested, even into her 90’s. Carrying on family memories from Belarus, my great-grandmother helped to create childhood memories that my mom and I hold close to us. These recipes were beloved by my ancestors and are still enjoyed today. Seeing my great-grandma's cursive handwriting in her recipe book reminds me of her and her determined and hard-working personality. Even the scribbles on the fragile pages and the food stains covering the sprawling writing bring comfort to me and serve as a reminder that although my family isn’t perfect, our hard-working values remain with us.  

– AA

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