The coat of arms for Sambir, Ukraine - formerly Sambor, Galicia (part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, 1772-1918).

Why the arrow through the stag's neck? Ah, you see, this is a well-established symbol of, er, I have no idea.

My maternal grandfather Efraim Hirsch "Herman" Baum was born in Sambor on Dec. 9, 1902. His parents were Markus Baum, a merchant, and Pesie Baum (daughter of Chaim Eliai and Teizi Marienstraus).

Herman was Jewish. I doubt he ever hunted a stag. Eventually his family and hundreds of thousands of other Jews were driven out of Galicia by the pogroms. Herman went to Palestine and moved on to Detroit, where he used his bricklaying skills to build bagel ovens.

This Sambor coat of arms has virtually nothing to do with my family, but hey, Grandpa Herman, this stag's for you. If only I could hang a little bagel over one of those antlers... maybe poppyseed?