My great grandmother immigrated from Poland to Israel after the Holocaust. In Israel, she lived with my grandfather and my great uncle for many years until they immigrated to America. In Israel, my great grandmother lived in a small village with her family and cooked a lot of her own foods. This milk kettle, pictured below, came with my family from Israel to the United States when they immigrated. My great grandmother used it often in Israel and then continued to use it in New York. The kettle was hung on a hook in the fireplace and was used to warm up milk for the babies. Since my great grandmother raised two young children in Israel she used this milk kettle often. As her children got older, she used the kettle for different things. She also used to use it to make yogurt. According to my grandfather, her yogurt was superior to any store-bought yogurt to this day. In Jewish tradition, there is an emphasis on women acting as good housewives. A good housewife is someone who can cook and make homemade foods and beverages, among other things. My great grandmother embraced her role as a housewife and had amazing recipes.  Additionally, Judaism has many opportunities to cook elaborate dishes. Jewish women cook special dishes especially for the high holidays. To this day, my family uses her recipe book and bakes her fantastic cakes for the holidays. 

– Aviva Gonter

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