Our Grandmothers, and the Scrolls They Gave Us Our ancestors endured pogroms, famine, and exile—all while preserving two old Hebrew heirlooms. Tonight, to celebrate Purim, we’ll read from them.
Best friends Polina Fradkin, 30, and Amit Shemesh, 31, pose with their families’ Purim scrolls in Tel Aviv, Israel, on March 9, 2025. (Maya Levin for The Free Press)
This is the story of two identical heirlooms—one from Ukraine, and another from Iraq—that have ended up in the same apartment, right here in Jaffa, Tel Aviv. We’ve been best friends since we met on the beach in our early twenties, and when we moved in together three years ago, we decided we wanted our apartment to be a hub for celebrating Jewish holidays. That first winter, we were planning our first Purim party, when we simultaneously exclaimed: “You know, I have an antique family scroll!” It was like The Parent Trap, but for old Judaica...
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