Echoes of Memory

Some Reminiscences About Weddings in Israel

Israel was born in 1948 and besides roads and houses for immigrants, a new industry sprang up.

Ebbets Field

Baseball is a part of my earliest memories. It was the path for a “refugee” to feel accepted as just another kid. I was an obsessive child—and skilled with numbers—so following baseball felt natural. I devoured team standings and batting averages.

My Brother Was an Only Child

A Wonderful Ancient Memory

A friend was driving in Slovakia recently and noticed the Tatry Mountains in the distance. She remembered that I had talked about being there, and so she sent me a picture. The picture immediately reminded me of great old times.

Lessons Lost

In 1948, my father, sister, and I were sponsored by my family living in New York City and obtained visas to immigrate to the United States.

Arriving in America

We were now together in New York and had escaped from Germany, but our problems were not over.

My First Few Days in the States

The first person to come to the United States from my family was my elder sister Jacqueline, who was hired by the United Nations as a secretary. It was in 1953. I was not even 15, and it made me dream of America, which I had discovered through movies, like How to Marry a Millionaire, with the beautiful skyline of New York City and Marylin Monroe.

The Choices We Make, Part I

There have been many moments in my adult life when I have had to make a decision. Sometimes, I had to choose one option from a list of many. Sometimes, I had only two bad options. And, rarely, I had two good ones.

First Week in America

As we got closer to America, the sea became smooth and life returned to normal. The SS Nieuw Amsterdam finally entered New York Harbor on the evening of November 8, 1948.

My Journey to America

Once, when I was a very young girl in Poland, I got lost walking with my aunt in the forest. “Are we in America?” I asked her. America was the farthest place on earth for a child my age.