Do you have a special item or something close to you that you would never give up for anything? The day of my bar mitzvah three years ago was one of the best days of my life. That day, I received a very precious item that runs throughout my family history. As a 13 year old boy I never really understood the meaning of the necklace, but my family as I grew taught we the importance. My cousin, who is now 29 and has a family of her own passed down this necklace to me. In fact the tradition is that you pass the necklace down to the bar/bat mitzvah on the day that they were to become a man or woman. I am the oldest child in my family so I would receive this. I will pass it off when my baby cousin, who is 5 becomes a bat mitzvah and I hope that the tradition keeps continuing by way of example. The Star symbolizes that you are always with your family, even if you feel alone or upset, you should always looks at the star to motivate you and show you that you are always with your family. Some history of the necklace is that it was passed down from my grandma to my aunt Melissa who was the oldest of her children when she was a bat mitzvah. Then it was passed to my cousin Ilyssa when I was very young. Then I grew up and I received it and I will soon pass it down to my baby cousin. In conclusion, my Mother’s side of the family takes this tradition very seriously and I hope that my baby cousin and the future keep it that way.

– Aidan Sher

Relationship:  Grandchild of im/migrant Grandchild of im/migrant