Namesake c. 1950

II

This is my great-grandmother, Sarah, for whom I'm named. In the Jewish tradition, children are named after the dead to honor them, never the living. (Hence you seldom or ever see a Jewish person with "junior" after their name).The exception to this is if someone died young. We don't name a baby after someone who perished prematurely or tragically. Sometimes the child is given the same name, or just using the first letter - in this case, "S" for Stacy and Sarah. But while scanning these photos I realized there's an extra reason for this tradition. I never met my great-grandmother, but because I'm named for her, I want to know more about her. Since both my parents and all my aunts and uncles are dead, I have only a few stories about her and this photograph which I scanned recently. I tried to patch up the wrinkles and damage to the photo and by so doing I had to enlarge a lot of small sections. I found myself trying to decode this photo. I know my great grandmother was born in Germany - I believe near Berlin - and that she spoke with a heavy German accent. I know she had at least 8 children, perhaps more died in childbirth. I don't know exactly when she was born, but since my grandmother, her daughter, was born in 1898, I'll subtract 20 years and say, 1868. I know she was much younger than her husband, Charles. She used to say "shut out the light." Really that's about it with the exception of the fact that a lot of people say I look like her. I don't see it. Whoever does? But I love that this photo, which I'm going to guess was taken in the 1950s, before I was born in 1957. Maybe the last 40s. But I'm taken by the candidness of this shot. Grandma Sarah seems as if she were caught unaware preparing - what? - latkes, kreplach or maybe just beef stew. I've tried and tried again to decipher the ingredients feeling as if they held some kind of key to the mystery of the woman for whom I was named. But then I looked at what she was wearing and I saw some clues there. She has an apron on, but underneath, is a dress. It appears kind of plain. But I noticed that my great-grandmother took the time to put on jewelry. Not just a little jewelry. There's a brooch at her neck. And two really stylish pins on her right shoulder. This makes me think that she took great pride in what she wore. And perhaps this was a holiday or special occasion.  And even on the special occasion she was in the kitchen cooking. I need to ponder that but it makes me think that she was more than just a woman in the kitchen. She had a sense of style. She's way more petite than I imagine any woman in my bloodline. And that surprises me too. And let's face it. That is a "don't "F" with me look if I've ever seen one. Maybe there is a connection.