Text My last name Astarhan is spelled differently between me my brothers and my father Even the Hebrew spelling differs among different parts of the family The experience of immigration is thus forever engraved onto our identification cards and our passpo

My last name, Astarhan, is spelled differently between me, my brothers, and my father. Even the Hebrew spelling differs among different parts of the family. The experience of immigration is thus forever engraved onto our identification cards and our passports. We are a mini diaspora, carrying a sign of displacement in our pockets.   But in all its different spellings, the family name is the name of a place.