What Shtello Legacy is for families in Mercer County
Shtello Legacy is a private video time capsule. A parent, grandparent, or adult child records a short video message, names who it is for, and chooses when it is delivered: a specific date like an 18th birthday or a wedding, or after they are gone, using a simple check-in. Until then it stays sealed. Nobody can watch it early, including us.
It is built in Highland Park, New Jersey, by Doron Reshen, for families like the ones across the state: people who want their voice, their stories, and their blessings to reach the next generation, even if they will not be there to give them in person.
How it works
Record at home on any phone
Open the recorder in a browser on a phone, tablet, or computer. There is nothing to install. The built-in guide suggests questions for who the message is for and the occasion, and the chosen question stays on screen while you talk. You can pause, rest, and continue later.
Or record in person, near Highland Park
Mercer County is close to Highland Park, so an in-person recording session is usually easy to arrange. Doron comes to the home, the community room, or wherever the person is most comfortable, sets up a phone or small camera, and helps with the questions.
Choose when it is delivered
Set a date, keep the message on hold until you release it, or tie it to the check-in: if you stop checking in and miss the reminders over the grace period, your messages are delivered to the people you named. Receiving is always free and needs no account.
Why families in Mercer County record now
Mercer County holds the state capital, Trenton, as well as Princeton, Lawrence, Hamilton, and Ewing. The county seat is Trenton. Like most of New Jersey, Mercer County has a mix of long-settled families, adult children who moved a town or two over, and a growing number of older residents in senior apartments, assisted living, and memory care residences.
The common thread is the same everywhere: the regret people describe is almost never about a big speech. It is about a voice they can no longer hear, a story nobody wrote down, a blessing that was meant but never said. A short recording, made on an ordinary afternoon in Mercer County, fixes that for good.
For families with a parent or grandparent in a senior community, Shtello Legacy also works with the community directly. Staff or family can help a resident record in a few minutes, and the message is delivered privately when the time comes. See the partner program for how that works.
Six prompts to start with in Mercer County
Local memory is some of the easiest to talk about and some of the first to disappear. Try one of these.
- 01What is a meal, holiday, or tradition from this house that you want to keep going?
- 02What is a small, ordinary routine from life in Mercer County that you would want someone to remember?
- 03What did Mercer County look like when you first moved here, and what has changed?
- 04What did your own parents or grandparents tell you about their first years in this country or this state?
- 05What do you want the next generation to know about where they come from?
- 06What is the one thing you would tell a grandchild who grows up far from Mercer County?
Start a message for someone in Mercer County
Record at home on any phone, or ask about an in-person session. Care communities can join the partner program at no cost.
Common questions
Do you come to Mercer County to record in person?+
Usually, yes. Mercer County is close to Highland Park, where Shtello Legacy is based. Use the contact page to tell us where the person is and what you have in mind, and we will arrange a time.
Does my parent need to be comfortable with technology?+
No. Recording happens in a browser with one button, and a family member or staff member can hold the phone and ask the questions. There is also an easy-view mode with larger text and bigger buttons for older eyes and hands.
Who can see the videos?+
Only the people the sender names, and only after delivery. Videos are encrypted and stored on US servers. Nobody else, including our team, can watch them. Recipients can save their own copy after delivery.
Is this available to senior communities in Mercer County?+
Yes. Shtello Legacy partners with retirement and assisted living communities, nursing and memory care residences, hospice teams, and senior centers across New Jersey. The partner program includes setup, training, and support, at no cost to the community.