BUFFALO, N.Y. — It was a Facebook post that brought this unlikely story to our attention.
Tuesday, a New York City woman Michelle Mullen posted on social media in hopes of getting a book in the right hands.
Mullen explained to 2 On Your Side, "I was kind of collecting a bunch of books in a box to donate and the book itself is falling apart a little bit. It felt old and it was called 'The Jewish Caravan, Great Stories of 25 Centuries.'"
Mullen said when she opened the book, she found a handwritten note on one of the front pages.
The note read, "Presented to David Shire for Excellence In Scholarship during the first year of the Temple Beth Zion High School. Buffalo, New York. May 16th 1953."
Mullen said she has no ties to this area but still wanted to do what she could to get the book to the family it belongs to.
"I felt such a closeness to its meaning that I knew that something had to be done," said Mullen.
It's not that the book itself is rare. We found two editions at the Buffalo Public Library, but Michelle told 2 On Your Side its message resonated with her.
She explained, "This book told stories of Jewish perseverance and strength."
We reached out to Rabbi Jonathan Freirich at Temple Beth Zion for more information.
Freirich said, "I did some research and I could not find him in our records. Temple Beth Zion had a fire in 1961 that led to the destruction of a whole host of our stuff including the destruction of the main building on Delaware Avenue."
Still, he said he's delighted by Mullen's efforts.
"We are not so much a people of the 'the book' but a people of many, many, many books and this book, in particular, "The Jewish Caravan," is this lovely 1930s era collection of stories, that was clearly used in our religious synagogue high school," said Freirich.
He added, "It's lovely to see us connected through the ages and across time and place."
"I think that if I was to have an opportunity to have a relic from my own past generations given to me," Mullen said. "I would cherish it. I would keep it close to my heart."
For many of you, the name David Shire may sound familiar.
Wednesday night we heard from a distant family member who believes the book belongs to the songwriter and composer from Buffalo. She said his family belonged to Temple Beth Zion and David was a religious student there.
We'll keep you updated as this story unfolds.