My mother’s father, Alex would tell us that he came from Lebanon. Other times he told us his family had lived in Syria. When pressed to pick a country, he looked confused. He came to New York when he was eight, with an older brother and his mother. Within two years his entire tiny family in this country died. His ... Read More »
The Irish: O’Connell’s My Grandmother who lived with my family for about 10 years marred a Kinney, however her family and maiden name was O’Connell. Grandfather Kinney I never met as he died the day I was born. I was given the name of Charles as it was his name also. The O’Connell family immigration to the United States goes ... Read More »
The Germans: Spilger Family (Grandfather is 2nd from right and Grandmother is 5th from left) The German family is more current as my grandmother, Matilda Spilger, emigrated from Stuttgart, Germany sometime in the 1880’s. She was married but I never met my grandfather Spilger as he died before I was born. He was born in Hessen Darmstadt, Germany. I do ... Read More »
My parents were Anatolian Greeks who left Turkey for a better life in America in 1920.They went to Detroit,Mi. where other relatives went for jobs. My father started his first business,a push cart,selling food to factory workers in front of Ford motor while my mother did the laundry for the boarders sharing their home. They worked very hard. After many ... Read More »
“Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” The plaque at the base of the statue of liberty reminds us what this country stands for. As an eight-year-old crossing the border, I ... Read More »
My grandfather, Usher Dushnitzer, came to the U.S. in 1928 or 1929 at around age 26. He grew up in a small town called Luknick in what is now Lithuania in a very Orthodox Jewish environment. His father was a well known Rabbi who ran a religious seminary called a Yeshiva. During the Bolshevik Revolution that lasted from 1917 – ... Read More »
Cindy is from Guatemala and talks about the sacrifices her parents made to bring her to the U.S. Read More »
William talks about the challenge of learning English and not needing to when everyone around you speaks Spanish. He came from El Salvador and hopes to become a police officer. Read More »
Claude talks about the excitement of living in the Silicon Valley as a high tech engineer. Read More »
Angel talks about selling tamales door to door and what it takes to feel like you are “home.” Read More »