by Melissa Anne Marini
Why am I, a secular Jewish girl, the product of an interfaith marriage (Jewish mother, Catholic father), so concerned about a class ring from a defunct Brooklyn parochial school dating back to before I was born?
Well, allow me to share this anecdote about kindness that my dearly departed Jewish grandmother started in the late 1990s and that I hope to finish to honor her memory — and hopefully reunite a sentimental piece of jewelry with its original owner or their family.
In the Torah, the mitzvah of “hashavas aveidah” translates to returning lost items to those who owned them.
My mother’s mother, Sarah Cohen Campanella, lived on the Lower East Side in an apartment on Grand Street.
One day, she found a 1984 class ring from New Bedford-Stuyvesant Junior High School, which was a school in the Diocese of Brooklyn until it closed in 1986. We did not have the reach of social media then, so my grandmother held onto the ring, keeping it amongst her precious jewelry.
When my grandmother passed away my mother inherited many of her belongings. Last July, I finally convinced my mom to go through them. The ring was rediscovered, and so my journey began.
I scoured the internet and spoke with individuals from different ring makers and the New York State Education Department, City Education Department, and the New York State Archives. I also contacted the Brooklyn Public Library and gained valuable assistance from Kevina Tidwell, a librarian there.
Despite all these roads being dead ends, I persisted since kindness is paramount in Judaism and Catholicism.
After a few more bumps, I reached Joseph Coen, the head archivist of the Diocese of Brooklyn, who sent me to The Tablet.
I also spoke with Betsy Benedith, a former classmate of the owner of this ring. The ring has the initials “W.N.” interiorly engraved on it.
My hope is to return this precious memory, tied to much sentiment, that has been lost for decades. I also would love to come full circle for my grandmother. She never could try to return it. I can do that for her.
I want to make the mitzvah of tzedakah come true, which is the act of spreading kindness and righteousness, much like the Bible discusses in Hebrews 13:16: “And do not forget to do good…”
Anyone with helpful information can email me at mmarini90@optonline.net.
Melissa Marini is a former journalist in the entertainment sphere, now just trying to live with autoimmune diseases and do some good in the world.