When I was asked to pick an object for an immigration essay related to my family, I went to my dad. I asked for something that represented our culture. He showed me my great great grandma’s Kiddush Cup. This cup is from Belarus, which used to be a part of Russia when Russia was called the Soviet Union. The Kiddush Cup is used for drinking wine or juice on Shabbat.  In our Jewish tradition, this is important since we recognize the shabbat day at the end of each week. My ancestors used this cup every Friday. This Kiddush Cup is made from Pewter, which is made up of tin, copper, and sometimes silver. 
I chose this object because this cup was passed down through many generations to my family now, and I think that it is important to me because it represents my culture and identity. My great great grandma brought the cup with her when she arrived in New York and then took it with her to Chicago.  She came to America because of anti-semitism and pogromes in Russia. Anti-semitism is discrimination against Jewish people, and pogromes is when people attack Jewish towns to hurt or scare them.  My family also immigrated because they wanted their children to have a better life.
A question to my ancestors is, “Did you also move to have a better life for the generations after you?” This Kiddush Cup is very important to me and my family because culture is important and this cup represents my culture and all the work my family went through to come to America.

– SL

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