LONG READS → PROFILES Issue 607 · April 20, 2016

The Key and the Gate — An Encounter with Rebbetzin Chaya Ita Lau

"If you want to understand who I am, and what gave me the strength to do the things I’ve done, I have to tell you about my parents and my childhood home.”

The Key and the Gate  —  An Encounter with Rebbetzin Chaya Ita Lau

 “If you want to understand who I am, and what gave me the strength to do the things I’ve done, I have to tell you about my parents and my childhood home.”

I feel the history as soon as I step into the Lau home in Tel Aviv. The living area is spacious, a delicate iris blooms on the porch, but it’s the past that envelope me. From the pictures on the walls — numerous portraits of distinguished ancestors — to the mirror-backed mahogany display case filled with tiny silver miniatures collected from all over the world.

I stare into the glass doors; among the silverware is an old iron key. “What’s that?” I ask.

She waves a hand. “Ah, it’s nothing.”

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