Throughout the years my grandmother would say to me “One day this will be yours...” as she twisted the golden Torah between her thumb and index fingers. This necklace, a gold Torah Scroll on a long braided chain was very meaningful for her.  On these occasions, I would think to myself “Why me?”  On the very day, my grandmother passed that necklace was handed to me, “This is yours.” Once again, “Why me?” “ You are the ‘Jewish’ grandchild.”  My family, like many in the story of immigration to America, is filled with assimilation and the memory of old traditions.  I come from a Jewish family, however, of three grandchildren on my mother’s side I am the only one raised in the faith. To my family, this necklace symbolizes the faith that my great-grandparents had passed down to their children and the role that assimilation has played in the generations that followed.  Being given this necklace represents to me the importance of continuing Judaism and remembering my family history while intertwining myself with the continually changing world in which I live. 

– Marla T.

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