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The Great Escape
With the help of Rifka and her Uncle Avrum, Rifka and her family were able to go on there journey to America. Rifka with her looks as a russian peasent, with her blonde hair and blue eyes distract guards as her family are in oxcar trains. When Rifka has done all that she has with distracting them, her uncle Avrum tells them he had a robbery at his shop and when the guards are gone, she runs onto the train. -
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Rifka's Journey
From September 2nd, 1919 to October 22nd, 1920. Rifka Nebrot and her family where fighting for the freedom of going to America like her older brothers already had. Going through Illness, separation, and loss, this is Rifka's Journey. -
Open Arms in Poland
Rifka and her family reach Poland a guard tells thenm to get off the train and go through an Examination process to go throughamnd they treat them very badly but she still presses on with her family entering Poland. -
Survivng the Illness in Poland
When Rifka reaches Motziv, Poland, she finds out that she has a disease called typhus. When the doctor diagnosed her, they thought that she would surely die. Her family cared for her until one by one her mama, papa, and her brother Nathan got sick and were taken to a hospital.The only one that didn't get sick was her other brother Saul and she stayed with him intstead of going with her parents. -
Bouncing Back in Poland
Rifka starts to feel better and recover s from her typhus. Meanwhile, her brother Saul is working to let them stay in an Inn so Rifka tries to save all the food she has for him. Rifka also goes and visits her family during that time she gets acustomed to the polish language. -
No Turning Back: Off To Warsaw--Ha!
All of Rifka's family are now getting ready to get to Warsaw after recovering from typhus. There on the train when Rifka saw a peasant girl nursing her baby. They start to talk and Rifka offers to fix her hair. They talk somemore and Rifka tells her that she is going to America. The peasant girl says that she would never leave Poland and that you can get everything you want there. Rifka then leaves and desperately wants to write about her feelings and vent. -
From Bad to Worst in Warsaw
When Rifka gets to Warsaw, her and her family get money and go to the steamship office. Once they're there they all get examined and Rifka finds out that she can't go on the steamship because she has Ringworm and they explain that she can get treatment that takes months. When they try to go to another steamship that will she buys oranges and then when she walks awyay the salesman says shes a theif and her family spend there food money to keep him from saying anything. -
Saying Goodbye: The Separation
Rifka's Parents go to the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) for help. They give her family money for food and tells them to go to America and have Rifka stay to get treatment for the Ringworm. They explain that she will stay with a family where the treatment is held, which is Belguim. They will have someone from her organization watch her care. Rifka wanted to go back to Russia but they tell her that she could put her family in danger. So she realizes Belguim is the only option -
Being An Orphan
Rifka says goodbye to her family and her parents give her there tallis and her mothers necklace. After the goodbyes Rifka takes a train to Antwerp, Germany. She meets the family she will stay with, Marie and Gaston. She gets settled there. When she turns thirteen, she makes a mitzvah and made her a Star of David. Rifka goes to treatment and has a friend a nun, Sister Katrina and realizes to the ringworm she has no hair. She mostly stays in her room other than that but learns Flemish. -
The Adventuring Through and Losing My Way
Rifka finally meets Antwerp and looks around the area.When she reaches a cafe, there was a giant man there and he smiles at her with teeth of pure gold. She ran away and got lost from running and she sees this milkman with his horse.She thought of her Uncle Zeb. She asked him to show her the way to king street. She told him about her uncle Zeb the whole way and held his hand during the way.When he brought her to her house she kissed his hand. Saying goodbye to her Uncle Zeb. -
Sweets, Treats, and Meets
Rifka realizes that Antwerp is a wonderful place. She is introduced and meets many people who she becomes friends with. She meets a girl that reminded her of her cousin Hannah, who us named Gizelle and realizes shes more solid and pratical. She has gotten very used to Yiddish and Flemish. Along with that, she also tries new things like chocolate, ice cream, and bananas. Rifka thinks about her family and weants to learn how to make ice cream so her family can make an encome. -
Godspeed to America!
Rifka can finally go to America because her ringworm is cured but her hair is still not growing. Rifka just reminds herself to relky on her wits and not her beauty. From the help of a lady from the HIAS, Rifka gets a ticket to sail on a steerage. In the middle of that she learns how to speak and learn english customs. With a special going away party and saying goodbyes to the friends she has made, Rifka is waiting for America. -
Off the Bowlines Towards America
Rifka is now on the ship in the Alantic Ocean somewhere. She thinks that the ship is very excellent. When on board, she can do many activities and she meets this young sailor named Pieter. They talk, joke around, and have a good time. They tell eachother about their family. He tells her that he thinks she is brave and then kisses her. In that moment she wished she could stay on the boat forever. When he leaves to his duties she tries to figure out how she feels when reading the Pushkin. -
An Almost Sinking Ship
Rifka is caught in a big storm with raging winds and huge waves. Rifka wakes up from her sleep and then goes on deck to see whats going on. When she sees the sailors panic, she starts to think orf all of the horrible things she saw and goes to the railing to steady herself and but she hits her head. Pieter saves her and takes her below deck to keep her safe. When the storm subsides, she looks for him but finds out hes dead. She goes to her room and cries for everything. She feels defenseless. -
Entering the In Nor Out Place
Rifka arrives at Ellis Island and thinks that she will see her family. She puts on all of her stuff her parents bought her and her hat she bought in Antwerp. She thinks that her mother won't mind her baldness. Rifka realizes that she must past a screening test to go home with her parents. She thinks back about how she was on the ship and thought she wouldnt make it. That in Russia, America meant adventure but its something much more. She sees the Statue of Liberty and thinks that life is good. -
Stuck in the InBetween
Rifka gets news that she couldn't believe, she has to stay detained on Ellis Island. The doctor examined her, put a white chalk mark on her shoulder and put her in the area where the detainees were. She tries to ask why she can't go and a lady from the HIAS helps her and tells her she can't go because of her ringworm. It was because though cured, her hair didn't grow back, because if she wanted to marry later she wouldn't found a husband and she will be cared for by the government. -
Learning the Ropes then Befriending the Enemy
It has been weeeks since Rifka has been on Ellis Island and she has gotten used to the systems there. She has gotten better with english and interpets for Polish and Russian patients. She also takes care of a polish baby who has typhus. in the dining hall, Rifka tells this boy to eat and finds out that he's a Russian peasent named Ilya. He wasn't eating because he wanted to go back home. Rifka realizes that though in Russia he was the enemy, now hes just a scared boy and she befriends him. -
Seeing A Familiar Face I Knew
Saul came to visit Rifka. When he first saw her he didn't reconize that it was her at first because she looked and seemed different. They catch up on things that have happened since they last saw eachother. Then Ilya comes over with the Pushkin and Saul tries to take it from him but Ilya refuses. When that happens, Rifka Star Of David breaks. He tells her that she should get rid of the Pushkin. She tells him its hers and he really realizes she changed. Then they talk about his life in America. -
Mama's Patient Visit
Rifka's mother comes to visit her. Her brother bought her a honey cake and she asked her about Antwerp and her hair. Then Rifka has to take care of her polish baby and other people in the ward. Her mother sat looked and helped while doing that Ilya kept his distance. Rifka explains that she doesn't think that her parents would be excepting of their friendship. She thinks that she is Jewish, Russian and so much more. She feels bad that Ilya has no one and that hes a smart boy who loves Pushkin. -
The Paper Issue
Rifka and Ilya were walking through the medical center they dodn't know to well then Ilya grabs Rifka over to the beeping of a machine. She sees these workman and listens to their conversaion and finally realizes that Ilya was missing. When she finds him he is in a bathroom unrolling toilet paper. She scolds him in Russian. A nurse comes over and tells her that is no big of a deal. She informs her that in Russia wasting paper is a crime. She then gets paper to write her poems and how she feels. -
Bye Bye Baby
When Rifka checks on the baby that she has taken care of since she got to Ellis Island, was dead. She remebered how she would try to give her strength and realizes that wasn't enough. The doctors then tells Rifak that they will decide about her and Ilya's case. She is scared and realizes that something in her has changed and she can't go back to Russia. Rifka head starts to itch again and thinks that she might have ringworm again. -
America at Last!
The day the doctirs re-evaluate Rifka and Ilya. Rifka's family and Ilya's Uncle are their. When they evaluate Ilya they think that he's a simpleton and Rifka demands him to read out of her Pushkin to show them that he's not. The doctors grant Ilya access. When its Rifka's time she tells them that it shouldn't matter on what she looks like and she has other things. Then Ilya reads her poems she wrote and they grant her access. When they take off her kerchief they see that her hair is back.
