Hello, America #3

Quote #1, Elli: I can’t believe it. No business license?

Significance: This shows the challenges that Elli faces in America. She doesn’t know a lot of things that would benefit her and help rise in the world. She could miss opportunities that would make her life better because she doesn’t know all she could do or have.

Personal connection: My personal connection is that I have been in this situation before. When I don’t know something that would help me I end up having to go through a lot more than I had to. I don’t know all of my options and I don’t benefit from it.

Question: Have you been in this situation before? What was it?

Quote #2, Elli: Sally and Evelyn have become my close friends.

Significance: This shows that Elli is being treated well by people n America. Her, Sally, and Evelyn grow close and they show her what tuna and a milkshake are. They know that she’s not from America and they enjoy showing her new things.

Personal connection: This has happened to me in my old school where I was the only new kid in the 5th grade class. Even though I was new everyone was nice and I made really good friends on my first day. They showed me around and ate lunch with me and welcomed me into their group.

Question: Does Elli really love Alex?

Hello, America #2

Quote #1 Elli, narration: Our first Passover Seder in America- it is a happy event after all.

Significance: The significance is that Elli and her family are bringing their own religion to America. Elli was worried that things wouldn't be the same in America but the Passover Seder turns out alright in the end. In the beginning she was wondering if it was a good thing that they started their journey on the sabbath and ended on it and now she knows that it was "a good omen", as she puts it.

Personal connection: I connect to this because I would feel exactly the same as Elli does. I would be happy that I could do the same thing I did back in my own country in a new one. It would make me feel like my old life hadn't been forgotten even though I'd traveled somewhere totally different.

Question: Do you think religion is very important to Elli personally or is it more of a family tradition that makes her feel at home?

Quote #2 Uncle Martin: "Being a newcomer is a learning experience."

Significance: This answers "the hardships they had to endure" question. Elli and her mother didn't know you couldn't just leave your grocery cart full of bought items outside a store or else someone will steal it. Elli says that to her it was as if her trust was broken in America. She had thought that in America everything would be perfect and that there wouldn't be thieves and bad things. She and her mother have to learn a lot about the new life they will start.

Personal connection: I feel like how she does sometimes. When I trust that people are good enough to not do something bad, but then they do. Like Elli I'm disappointed that people can't be good enough inside to realize that it's wrong. An example would be like something similar to what happened with Elli, when my phone got stolen at school I thought that someone would be good enough to turn it in, but they didn't and I was disappointed.

Question: What other kinds of mistakes will Elli make?

Hello, America #1

Quote #1 pg. 22, Elli: My God. In America, time has stood still. Staggering amounts of food, consumed with apparent unconcerns. Such a glut of food and drink... taken for granted!

The signifigance is how their life was like in their home country. Elli's saying that over there there wasn't enough food to go around, but over in America there's so much food and life is so different. To Elli it seems like no one is going hungry and there is no trouble to cause pain. Elli realizes that alot of people in America have never experienced war and she knows they take a lot of things for granted.

I can connect to the story because whenever I go somewhere completely new everything always seems weird to me. Everything is different and I'm not used to the way life is like Elli feels.

Question: Is America still like this compared to other countries?3

Quote #2 pg. 28, Bubi: "We are here, safe and sound, and Shabbes is not even over yet."

The signifigance is how Elli and her family keep their culture in America. Elli and her brother, Bubi, had to walk around the city because their religion didn't allow them to drive and do alot of other things on their Sabbath. Just like how Elli had to ask the captain of their ship for them to board early because they couldn't board a ship on their Sabbath. Her family isn't going to stop practicing their religion in America, they're going to remember their old culture and keep doing it.

Character judgement, Elli: Elli seems very hardworking and cares alot about her family. It showed when she went to go talk to the captain of the ship by herself so that her and her mother could board early. I thought this was very brave and caring of her to do.

Question: What is Shabbes?

Museum Reflection

Haven to Home

The purpose of this exhibit was showing the life of Jews and how they came to America to start a new life. They came here to escape the discrimination and poverty they faced in Europe. Most of them settled in New York's lower East Side and Boston's North End. Over time they all spread out because of different jobs and what lifestyle they wanted to have. Some went to the country while others stayed in the city. In the 1820's the Synagogues is America started adpating. This was because new people were coming over from europe, a younger generation was changing the old ways.

As they came over to America, the problems in Europe got worse. Adolf Hitler had begun the Holocaust, and the Jews in America wanted to help the Jews that were being slaughtered in Europe. In 1924 America had set an immigration limit, and during the time of the Holocaust only around 100,000 Jews escaped Europe to come to America. I thought this was really sad but I know that America couldn't house every Jew in the world.

I learned some interesting things from the exhibit and from all the pictures. I learned that when the Jews first came Congress didn't want them to participate in law. To stop this they made it so that they had to swear on the Bible, so Jews couldn't participate because they worship the Torah. Eventually the Jewish people were accepted. They were encouraged to learn English, apply for citizenships, and participate in elections.

Some Jews didn't let go of their pasts and they continued to celebrate all the holidays. They often lived in communities and celebrating brought them all together. They celebrated their new life in America. I saw a picture of a Menorah that had the Staue of Liberty for each of the candle holders. I thought this showed how much the Jews appreciated America and the life they had. Women became more active and the Jewish women participated alot in the civil rights movement.

Even though Jews had settled in America some people were still against them. Henry Ford was thought to be a part of the KKK. There was a picture of him on one of the walls with a KKK member's arm around Ford's shoulder. People were still against Jews, but I think more people didn't have a problem with them than people who were against.



Children of Immigrants

The photo I picked is titled "The Furio's Family Restauraunt." The picture shows four people standing in front of a restauraunt. There is an older couple with their arms around eachother. On either side there are two men half turned to the couple. The woman is wearing a dress and the man standing with her is wearing a plain shirt. Both men on either side are wearing white undershirts and denim pants or shorts. Behind them is a sign that says "Furio's Family Restauraunt, PIZZA." Then it has a number to call. The photograph is dated 1998.

I chose it because my favorite food is pizza, and all the Italian immigrants that immigrated to America have effected my life. They brought part of their culture here to share and I'm happy they did. I like how it has the family together because it shows that they are all trying to have a better life and they are all working together.

My quote that I chose is this: "The greatest thing I hoped for in my life is to become a succesful person and to have a family and friends to support me, not to be looked at by the color of my skin but also who I am inside." -Samira Durakovic, Yugoslavia. I chose it because alot of people say they don't want to be judged by the color of their skin, but Durakovic also says what she wants to happen instead. She says that she wants friends and family to support her and for people to see whats underneath her skin. This seems to be what alot of non-white people have to say and I think that if they're all saying it then it must be important.

Immigration Reflection

An immigrant is someone who goes to another country from an entirely different one. An immigrant would come to another country because there life in their old one wasn't good. Usually because they and/or their family live in poverty and they weren't happy with their life. Sometimes only one member of the family will go to work and live in another country and send money back to family members. Another reason would be that their old country didn't treat its people well. Countries with communism or slavery would make people want to come to the U.S where it's better.
Our country is a lot better than other countries. Our country gives us freedom. People would come here to have the freedom of religion to practice their beliefs and to speak their mind. Our country offers more opportunities for money and job than most of the other countries.
The U.S has been affected in a lot of ways. There are so many people here from other countries who have come to visit or live here. There are a lot of different languages all around the U.S, especially ner the border of Mexico and Cailifornia.
We have a lot of variety food here too. chinese, mexican, italian and many others. My life has been changed because my grandparents are immigrants, if they hadn't come over from Bolivia my life would have been a very different story, I might not even have been born.