Just One More Mile

We all got a clean bill of health. We were one of the lucky families who were permitted to leave for the United States. Three days later we were conducted through the gate to our ship, The Scythia, on October the ninth, 1923. It was the first time that I had seen a large ship. Gulls flew around the ship as it slowly churned. We viewed the ship from the stone quay. The deck had been thronged by hundreds upon hundreds of foreigners, from almost every land in the world. They came from Russia, Poland, Germany, and many others. You could tell by their native clothes the country that they had come from. After some time, we found our way onto the ship. As the boat left the quay we looked over the railing at the land we were leaving forever. When the shoreline finally disappeared from view we went below deck to find some room to set down our things and sleep. After being on the ship for almost two weeks I found myself counting the days when we'd get to the United States. "Papa, how much longer will it take until we get to America?" I asked. "Not very long, just a few more days." my father replied. Later that week I could see the far-away lights from the cities in America. They sparkled and blinked like winking stars. Every day the cities seemed to get bigger and bigger. After the sixteen day trip, the ship finally steamed into New York Harbor and docked. The first thing I saw was the Statue of Liberty and the American flag, which fluttered in the breeze from a high building. Everybody was excited and kept pointing out the wonderers of America to their children. But our happiness was short lived as we were transferred to a smaller steamer and taken to a redbrick building. We entered a massive hall, which was the entire width of the building. We were separated into dozens of lines, divided by metal railings, where we had to pass the first doctor. The men who’s breathing was heavy, and women who tried to hide a limp, were marked with chalk for later inspection. Whenever a case aroused suspicion and, the alien was set aside, isolated in another small room from the rest. My parents were very fearful as we passed the doctor, who looked us over carefully, but again we passed the medical inspection without any trouble. We were given food but we couldn't eat it because it wasn’t Kosher. We lived mostly on bread and tea. We slept on wooden bunks with roll calls in the morning and night as if we were criminals. Discomfort, hunger, humiliation were nothing to the biggest fear that was gripping us all, the chance that our family might be sent back. Many other people were isolated to be departed back to Europe. After three weeks within the high walls and barren windows, we were finally released to my brother Hershel from the prison called, Ellis Island.