My Family Culture represented by a ring, a mezuzah, and a family photograph

The three items I would choose are all clearly and closely linked to my families culture. The items are a mezuzah given to me by my mother, my grandmothers engagement ring which was brought here from Russia, when she immigrated, and lastly a picture of my family.

Each holds a deep personal meaning for me and my culture, and my family.

Let me explain a little bit about what a Mezuzah is. Mezuzah is Hebrew for doorpost. It is a piece of parchment with inscriptions of the Hebrew verse of the” Shema,” which are the first two words of a section of the Torah.  The Shema reads, “ Hear O’ Israel the LORD is our God, the LORD is one. For observant Jews the Shema is recited in the morning and evening during Jewish prayer services. The parchment is rolled into a small scroll and then placed within a small decorative box. This box is hung on the outside of the door of my home. It is slightly tilted towards the opening of the door. My mezuzah is 3 inches long, it has the Hebrew letters for SHEMA and it is silver. The mezuzah is placed on Jewish person’s home so that it fulfill the mitzvah the Biblical commandment to inscribe the words of the Shema on the doorposts of your house, and there is a ceremony and a prayer a Jewish person says when they fasten their mezuzah to their door. It in truth it is a blessing over the house.

So this would be a must if I had to move to a country, for wherever my family and myself live, the Mezuzah is on the doorpost and means the home is blessed.

In the late 1800s the Czar was persecuting the Jews in Russia and many immigrated to America. My paternal grandfather immigrated and only brought a few items with him.

My grandparents’ marriage was arranged before they left Russia. They both came separately and then were married here soon after they arrived.  After my grandmother passed away, my grandfather gave my father the ring and he in turn gave it to my mother when he proposed. When my mother passed away the ring was given to me. I wear it each day and it reminds me of my parents and my grandparents. It has great ties to my family and it has huge sentimental meaning to me.

My last item is a picture of my children with my parents. We are on the beach in Florida where my parents lived. My children were young, but the picture has and holds deep meaning of the importance of family, traditions and of the ties that bind us. Within five years of the photograph my parents both passed away.

I can’t even imagine how it would feel to be told that you could not keep items that you hold so sacred.

The insights I gained through this exercise are those in relationship to the value of family and how unique each families’ stories and culture are, and I again am reminded how grateful I am to feel and understand my families’ culture and the ties that keep us bound together.