[Read the story - Reclaiming roots: Young Russian Americans find – and preserve – their identity - in English] Профессор…

Sifri’s dreams of a future in Palestine were dashed one day in 1948 when his mother burst through the door of his first grade classroom.

Thirty years after leaving Cambodia, Leon Lim still treasures the map that his uncle traced to direct him to safety. Simple blue ink scribbled onto a small piece of notebook parchment led him away from his home city of Siem Reap to seek sanctuary in a Thai refugee camp.

Lithuanian-Americans have seen a transformation in cultural organizations from an urgent necessity in an international crisis to a tool that can be used to honor one’s heritage and give back. Beyond the bond of opposing occupation, Lithuanian American organizations have continued to grow and flourish through folk culture, sport, and religious groups.

Itedal Shalabi, 42, felt like the black sheep of her family. As her three sisters followed in their mother’s footsteps…

Eager to connect with his roots, Fricchione decided to join the 5,000 Italian Americans who apply each year for dual citizenship in the land of their forebears. Together, they are helping to redefine what it means to be an Italian in America.

The fire was also an attack on Tsetlin’s place – her family’s place. It was the first synagogue where her brother worked, the synagogue that guided her family in their first few years as immigrants, the synagogue of her childhood.