Immagration Scrapbook Ben S

Abraham KatzMy name is Abraham Katz, and I am 14 years old. I was born on December 2nd,1878, Wroclaw, Poland in a small cottage owned by my parents. My parents arenamed Anastasia and Anatol Katz. Dad works on building roads and mom hasa small dress business. We make the average amount of money. We areEastern-European Jews.By Ben Sash

In Poland, waiting to go to AmericaDear Diary,June 15th, 1888 Papa just purchased my tickets to go to America yesterday. I have to wait 8 months to go to America. I am sodesperate for many reasons. The commonwealth suspects that I am Jewish (which is correct), so I will be facingreligious persecution if I don’t leave in the next 8 months. In Poland, there is overcrowding so I am excited to get out. InPoland, we are fighting a war for independence, so I don’t want to be here with a war going on. There is a lack of foodand a poor economy, so it would be a relief to get out of here. I often worry that the Commonwealth will prosecute mebefore I get to leave here in 8 months, so I hope I can stall them long enough. I worry that I may catch a disease on theship and that I will never see my family again.

Still in Poland, waiting to go to AmericaOctober 11th, 1888, My familyDear Diary,Every hour, every minute, every second, is a little bit closer to our journey to America. I alwaysthink about it, the religious freedom, the amazing streets, the opportunities they speak of, and theyhave a Democratic Republic. That is why I really want to go to America. It’s been 4 months sincepapa purchased my tickets to go to America, and rumors that there are many Polish communitiesin Illinois. Although I can’t wait to go to America, I am a little nervous to go to America bymyself. I will have to leave mama, papa, my brother, Baltazar, and my grandparents behind. I amafraid I will never get to see them again, and that I may be lonely for the rest of my life. I plan tobring a necklace, with a picture of my family inside a socket, so I can feel close to them.Everyone in my family tells me that although we will miss each other, I am going to America forthe greater good. Also, I often worry if I will ever find love, and how I will make a living formyself. I wonder if there will be other immigrants from my town. Will it be worth going toAmerica in the long run? I will soon find out. So many worries, so little time, I am losing mymind, what do I do?

On the ShipIt was a really long journey, in a really crowded room below the boat. I am in 3rdclass, also known as steerage. The food and conditions are awful, and I hope itis worth going to America. There are mice, rats, and deadly diseases spreading.It was really uncomfortable. Imagine if you had to sleep in a room with 200strangers, with awful odors. Every night I have nightmares and rats crawl intomy bed. Going to America better be worth it.

Once I got to America...Dear Diary,September 22nd, 1898,I finally got to America, after years of waiting for my ferry, and a 3 week-long journey across the AtlanticOcean. I find myself on a line at a place called Ellis Island. After waiting, I am examined by doctors and haveto take a few tests. I passed everything, and after that, they told me that I am ready to leave Ellis Island andgood luck on my journey. I took a boat to Illinois because rumor states that many Polish immigrants settledthere. After I got there, I made friends with a female Polish immigrant named Agata. Both of us lost our entirefamilies, which is how we became friends. She let me move in with her. Our house only had a tiny kitchen, abathroom, and a few cots, which we had to share with 5 strangers. I was walking around town, and I wasapproached by a man in a white coat, who looked to be in his mid-forties. He offered me his job at hisfactory, so I took advantage of the opportunity. I am paid minimum wage and must work 15 hours a day.Most of my employees speak English so it is difficult to communicate with them. After I made some money, Iwrote a letter to my family, and explained that I have already found a job and moved in with Agata. It hasbeen three years living with Agata, and we plan to get married in a few weeks. I am happy that doors areopening up for me in America.

Pierogi meat Polish recipe ● 0.5 kg of beef ● 3 carrots ● 1 parsley ● 1 leek ● half of a celery ● 1 onion ● butter or oil for frying ● 1 roll ● parsley leaves ● two eggs ● salt & pepper ● pierogi dough ● crackling or fried onionTakes around 90 minutes

Polish Trivia 3) What is the approximate population of Poland? a) 38 million 1) On what sea is Poland’s coastline located? b) 39 million a) Vistula c) 40 million b) Warta d) 41 million c) Oder d) Baltic2) What is Poland’s longest river? a) Vistula b) Tatras c) Oder d) Waeta

Polish Trivia Answers1) D2) A3) B

Citationshttp://www.tastingpoland.com/food/pierogi_2.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Polandhttp://www.everyculture.com/No-Sa/Poland.htmlhttp://www.funtrivia.com/en/Geography/Poland-4058.html