My grandparents met in March of 1960. It all started in Haifa, Israel. When a young Polish-American man asked a young female Israeli soldier for directions. Luckily, they both spoke Yiddish. Six weeks later, Saul Sonenblick married Talia Rosenman. Six months later, she moved to the US to start her new life. They were both immigrants to the US but their journeys were at different times. Saul had emigrated from Poland to the US at age 18. The photos were taken at my grandparent’s wedding and the airport when she emigrated from Israel. Their wedding photo is one of the many objects that show me what kind of person my grandfather was and his impact on my life. Since my grandfather passed before my birth, I use these objects and stories about him to help me learn about him and my roots. Including my Jewish identity, values, and culture. In the US, he first worked at a factory sewing sleeves into jackets. He never went to high school, and barely knew English. Even with these and other hardships, he was able to build a family business working seven days a week. He built a life for himself, my grandmother, and children. Never meeting my grandfather, these objects are more precious to me. They hold the memories and wisdom that he has passed down. They aren’t just objects, they are my memories and my connection to my past. 

– Ian Sonenblick

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