My object is called a mezuzah. It comes from Lithuania (a small country in Northeastern Europe). It came to New York in 1890 when my great-great grandmother brought it here from her home in Lithuania. A mezuzah is a tiny sculpture, or box. Inside, there is a scroll of paper with a Jewish prayer written on it. The prayer inside is hand written in Hebrew (Jewish language) in really tiny letters. The writing is biblical and sets a prayer on the house to keep out danger and bad things. The mezuzah is hung on the right side of a Jewish houses doorway. They are pretty common and almost all Jews have one in their house. Mine is made out of metal but mezuzahs can also be made out of glass, wood, or ceramic as well. My object is important to my family because it is one of the few things that my ancestors brought over from Lithuania that still remains. I find it fascinating that it came in 1890 and is still in perfectly good shape! The mezuzah started with my great-great grandmother, and got passed down to my great grandmother, and then my grandmother and now my mom. Someday it may even get passed down to me, or my sister Alice.

– Sadie Friedman

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