This is a photograph of my great grandmother Dora Stein Cooper at 16 years old (the year she immigrated to America). She left Janov Lubelski, Poland to Midtown, Manhattan with her younger sister Ana in 1932. Even though she was only 16, she was a married woman. Her mother (my great great grandmother-Elka Stein) wanted her to be safe with a husband. The marriage was not legally documented in Poland which gave Dora a better chance to get on the boat to America as a minor. My great grandmother landed in America safely in 1932, but unfortunately it took her husband 4 more years to get to America to start their life together. Before my great grandfather (Isadore) left Poland, he went to the City Hall with his Ketubah to legalize his marriage to my great grandmother. Isadore finally left Poland in 1936. Luckily, he left when he did because life in Europe was getting bad for the Jewish people. I'm   so grateful that my family left before the  Holocaust started because if not, my family would not be here today.

– Jordyn Levy

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