Monday, February 16, 2009

Field Trip Reflection

Part I: From Haven to Home

The purpose of the From Haven to Home exhibit was to examine 350 Years of Jewish Life in America. The exhibition examines the Jewish experience in the United States through the prisms of "Haven" and "Home." "Haven” expresses the ideals of freedom that have come to represent the promise of America. This section also explores the formative experiences of Jewish immigrants as they struggled to become American. "Home" section focuses on the opportunities and challenges essential in a free society and the uniquely American Jewish religious movements, institutions, and associations created in response. In the From Haven to Home exhibit I learn a lot of things. For example, I learned that the Underground Railroad was meant for Jews. I also learned that the Touro Synagogue opened in 1763. The Jeshat Israel Synagogue renamed Touro Synagogue in the nineteenth century. The Touro Synagogue is the nation’s oldest standing synagogue and national monument. Also, I learn that in the 1930 American Jews idolized Hank Greenberg, the first Jewish baseball superstar. I learned that in early America, Jews lived in “Synagogue Communities” one congregation in each community that provided for each Jewish Community member’s spiritual and ritual requirements and provided charity in the time of need. I learned that much of American Jewish culture derives from the Yiddish play wrights, actors, poets, and writers who came to America between 1887 and 1924. I found interesting that Judah Benjamin became a secretary of state for the Confederacy. He was the first Jew in a presidential cabinet. I also found interesting that American Jewry divided over the issue of slavery. Those in the North generally opposed it. In the South Jews sided with their fellow white citizens. When the Civil War came in 1861 approximately 9,000 Jews fought for the Union and 3,000 for the Confederacy. Another thing that I found sad and interesting was that about 6 million Jews died at Nazi hands in the Holocaust. I learned a lot in the From Haven to Home exhibit.

Part II: Children of Immigrants

1. Photograph: The photograph that stroke me was the Walt Disney Magnet School Chicago 1998. This picture had a lot of kids that had different races and that where from different places, cultures and had different ages. I chose this photograph because it was stroke me seeing all those kids together even though they were different in many ways.

2. Quote: The quote that I chose was “America has anything we need: technology, goods. At least one person from every nation lives here. People immigrate to America because they know it’s a land of freedom and a better life. I see America as a land of opportunities.” I chose this quote because it strokes me how Tamara Farnick talked about America and what she thought about America. I think what she says about America is really true because I also think America is a land of opportunities and I do think there is at least one person from every nation that lives here. Something that really interests me from this quote was when Tamara said that America is a land of freedom because in the first amendment it talks about freedom and I think we probably have more freedom than other countries.

3. Personal Essay: The personal essay that interest me and that I could relate to was the Living in this New World personal essay by Giovanna Diaz. At the beginning of Giovanna’s personal essay she says that when she came to America for her parents it meant coming to the land of opportunity I can relate to that because when I came to America for my parents it also meant coming to the land of opportunity. Also Giovanna says that her parents have always worked very hard for her family and I can relate to that because my parents have also always worked very hard for our family. Something that interested me was when Giovanna said in her personal essay “Our skins, countries and language differences makes us a great country. We live in a country where people have many hopes in the future and are all learning to live together, accepting the differences of skin, countries and language.” I was interested by these sentences because she says that our differences makes us a great country and that every day we learn to put our differences aside. I think an immigrant’s life is hard because in Giovanna’s personal essay she says the many difficulties her family and her had when they first came to America.

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