As a child, I used to play with the stethoscope that once belonged to my great-grandmother Raya, who I am named for. She was born in Zhmerinka, Ukraine on May 1, 1922 to parents Meir and Sarah. Although education for Russian Jewish women was uncommon in the early 20th century, Sarah was able to go to university and become a dentist. Raya followed her mother’s example of pursuing higher education and began medical school in Vinnytsia. As a result of World War II, she ran away with her family to Kazan in 1941. Raya was able to finish her pediatric medical degree in Kazan, and she then returned to Zhmerkina after the war. My grandmother Larisa followed in her mother’s footsteps and also became a pediatrician. In 1968, Raya gave her stethoscope to my grandmother as a present for starting hospital rounds in medical school. On December 31, 1975, my grandmother immigrated to the United States with her husband, mother-in-law, father-in-law, and two-year-old son, my father. Although the USSR restricted what objects my family could take with them, my grandmother was able to bring the stethoscope with her to Seattle, so she could have a piece of Raya with her as she embarked on a new journey. My grandmother’s family’s story depicts a narrative of female empowerment that was uncommon to find at the time. As a result of my grandma saving her mother’s stethoscope, I can honor Raya’s legacy by passing on the stethoscope to future generations.

– Rachel Beinus

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