Museum Field Trip

From Haven to Home:

In 1654 23 Jewish adults and children arrived in the Dutch colony of Amsterdam when they landed in New Amsterdam the Dutch governor of the colony wanted to expel them. The Jews fought in the revolutionary war. Francis Salvador was the first to give his life.  In 1787, the states adopted a new constitution and George Washington became the first president.  America’s 2000 Jews looked to Washington for their rights. 

The Jews sided with the white people in the Civil War.  When the Civil War came around 9000 Jews fought with the Union and 3000 Jews fought with the Confederacy.  In the 1880s more Yiddish speaking Jews came to America.  In 1924, the American Congress closed the golden door for Jews.  The first Jew went into the Congress in 1841.

There were many Jews in American Arts.  Rebecca Gratz founded the first Jewish religious school.  The biggest Jewish gangster was Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegal, who founded Las Vegas. 

Purpose:

I think that this exhibit is very interesting especially because this is what my ancestors faced because I am Jewish and so I can relate to this. I also thought it was cool that I could read a lot of the things on the wall that were in Hebrew. I think the purpose of this museum was to show that there were a lot of hardships from coming to America but there were also a lot of good things about coming to America. I liked this museum because it really did a good job showing how the Jewish people blended in with the American lifestyle while also keeping their traditions, and how they became parts of the different branches of arts in America. I also didn’t know that all those people were Jewish that were in the arts. I also learned that Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegal was the man who founded Las Vegas and that he was a Jew. I also didn’t know that Jews were a part of Gangsters in America.

Children of Immigrants:

Quote: “When I left my country Vietnam I didn’t know that I would probably never come back again. I was just 10 years old. I knew my life would begin from this moment”

-Ngoe Nguyen, Vietnam

From Between Cultures

I chose this quote because it was worded really well and I like how she said “I knew her life would begin from this moment”. I thought that that was a very strong message of all the hope and faith that they had in the new world. The sentence that spoke to me was when she said “When I left my country Vietnam I didn’t know that I would probably never come back again”. Because it seems like she is sad that she left but also happy she gets to start over. I also thought it seemed like was saying that when she left she thought she would come back but know she knows she isn’t.

Picture:

-Chinatown New York, 2000

I see little kids looking at the camera as if they were confused or mad. While they are riding a toy hoarse and elephant. They look really serious. They don’t look like they are having fun. I chose this because you would think that they are having fun because they are on a ride. So I thought it was interesting because I wonder what they were thinking about that made them so serious or sad.