The V'ahavta is a prayer that describes the mutual love between Adonai, the Jewish God, and his people. The V'ahavta tells the Jews to love their God with all of their heart and all of their spirit. As a sign of their devotion Jews must hang a mezuzah (a small piece of parchment with an inscription of the Sh'ma and V'ahavta within a decorative case) on their doorposts and touch the mezuzah upon entering and leaving through the door. This mezuzah belonged to my great-grandma Rose, after whom I was named after. She and her husband (avid Zionists) purchased it from an Israeli craftsman and it hung on the doorpost of her apartment in the Bronx until she passed away in 2004.  A first-generation American, her family migrated from Bessarabia in the 1890s. Grandma Rose was a tough lady. She raised 5 kids in a two-bedroom house in Riverdale. When my grandma was 10 years old, her father Chaim died of a heart attack. A young widow left alone with five kids, Rose did whatever it took to support her family. I've always wished that I had gotten to know my great-grandma better; I was only two when she passed. From my grandparents' stories, I know that she was a singer and piano player, ambidextrous, and a pretty awful cook. Her mezuzah has been hanging on our doorpost since before I can remember. Every time I walk through our door and see the mezuzah, I'm reminded of the incredible woman that I'm descended from, and paved the way for my family in this country. 

– Zeynep (Rose) Bromberg

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