There is a common saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” My great-grandma Francis’s old rusty necklace is a perfect example. As I clasp together the frail and brittle chain around my neck, I remind myself of so many memories. As I open the creaky hinges of the tarnished locket, I stare at the picture of Francis and me. My parents decided to give me the middle name of Faith because they loved Francis. Great-grandma Franny’s history of being a Holocaust survivor made her brave and courageous, hence my middle name, Faith. My great-grandma Francis’s name, her bravery, and her courage are all symbolized in my golden locket.
    

My great-grandma Francis was a Holocaust survivor. Franny was kept in an Auschwitz-Monowitz concentration camp established by the Nazi regime. This special concentration complex was established near the Polish city of Oswiecim, beginning in April 1941. In this exact camp, there were a total of 2,095 female prisoners, but hardly any women successfully escaped. My great-grandmother was one of the lucky few. She managed to scrape enough money together for a boat ride to America so she could start a new life. She married my great-grandfather Jedidiah when she moved to America through Ellis Island, New York. Then they had a son, Phillip, who married my dad’s mother Linda. After they got married, Linda and Phillip had my father, Michael Cohen. Then later my mom and dad, Lisa and Michael, had my brother and me! My great-grandma Francis was a strong human being who’s story of being a Holocaust survivor is truly honorable and has shaped my family for the better.
    

The bravery my great-grandmother Francis showed, lead my parents to dedicate my middle name to her. My middle name, Faith, not only represents the first letter of my great-grandmother’s name but also symbolized her courageous and bold personality. According to my grandfather, Phillip Cohen, Franny and I have similar personality traits. We are both very exuberant and we fight for what we want. Just like how Franny was a powerful Holocaust survivor, my family tells me that I am, also, a strong young woman. Along with using Francis’s name in consideration for my middle name, my parents also wanted to make sure my nickname sounded just like Franny. Jessi doesn’t sound perfectly like Franny but has a double letter (Franny and Jessi), two syllables, and a long “E” sound at the end. My mother and father wanted to make sure my great-grandma Francis’s legacy was remembered.
    

I never really knew my great-grandmother Francis, but I’ve only heard good things about her. All I have left of her are stories of her escape and travels to America as well as my golden locket. Great-grandma Franny only had one possession that she carried from her life before the concentration camps. Her locket, once shiny and new, had a picture of her and her family on the left half but left blank on the right half. On the right side of the locket my mother had added a picture of Francis holding me in the hospital when I was first born.  The locket has such sentimental value to me, but to most people my old locket just looks faded.

Now that my great-grandma Francis has passed away because of old age, the only memory I have of her is her old memory locket. I was named after Francis because she was an amazing role model as an empowering, courageous young woman. She inspires me to be brave and stay strong every single day of my life. The rest of the world may judge the looks of my golden locket because of its tarnished finish and fragile chain, but to me it is a look into the past. It is a look into my past, the past of my great-grandma Francis.