My grandparents decided to leave Russia in their late 20s. They left because they didn’t want to live under the dictatorship. There was some antisemitism going on. They wanted a better future for themselves and their son, Val. Their passports that they used had a section for religion and it was mandatory to put down. Since there was a lot of Anti-semitism they were scared to put their religion down. It mattered for jobs and could have restricted them from many opportunities. It was a long process to get their papers to go to the U.S. They needed parent permission. Finally they got it. Then their parents drove them to the train station at the border. In the car my grandma remembered she had her wedding ring and that she probably wasn’t allowed to bring it on. So she slipped into the small pocket in her jeans. Then my grandpa, their two friends and their 2 kids didn’t have to get checked, but when it came to my grandma the security guard yelled at her and told her to empty her pockets. Everyone else around her didn’t know what pocket the ring was in. But my grandma emptied out the big ones and they thought she lost the ring. If she didn’t put the ring in that pocket they would have been arrested and may have not been able to come to the United States.

– Vivian

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