Immigration
By Alec S.
Immigration is when you leave the country which you are from and move and settle in another one. In this gallery you will see some amazing artifacts from our ancestors who lived a long time ago. There are artifacts such as a passport and immigration documents. The gallery also contains an International Red Cross Passport which is very rare and a ticket for passage on a ship.
Some people left to start a new life in America because they were trying to escape persecution and others came to earn a living here. Conditions were difficult in the old country and America was a “land of opportunity.” When most people entered from another country they went through Ellis Island. At Ellis Island officials checked to see if the immigrants were healthy. They needed to make sure that people didn’t bring in diseases from foreign countries. If the person was safe and healthy and had a contact or sponsor in this country, he/she was officially allowed to come into the United States. Sometimes immigrants’ names were changed, especially if the original name was difficult to pronounce or to spell.
International Red Cross Passport
Italy
Max M.
Max M., the grandfather of Jesse D., used it. It’s a copy of the original one, and it has all the years and dates when he came to America. The International Red Cross gave it to him. He never had the original copy of it and he only used it once after the Holocaust to come to America and always talks about it. He received it after the Holocaust because he was considered stateless. Stateless means that he did not have a passport from any country and it’s extremely rare to have a stateless passport.
It has significance because Jesse's grandfather survived the Holocaust, and was able to come to America.
Ship Ticket
Syria
Joseph F.
The great grandparent of Rebecca C. is Joseph B. He came from Syria to America and this artifact is the ticket that he used to do that. He came to America because The Syrians kicked him and his family out of the country.
He came here on a boat and it was a difficult voyage because there was no food. He came from Syria to America in the early 1900’s.
This artifact is very important to Rebecca because she knows how he traveled and why he left Syria. It is very important to her family and her grandparents because it is very old and valuable.
Passport
Egypt
Ralph Sasson
The grandfather of Frieda C., Ralph S, used this artifact when he traveled places. It was used from 1934 to 1957 in many different places. The passport is very old and delicate. Now he does not use it because it was issued in Egypt. Frieda’s grandfather, Ralph, lived in Egypt, he traveled to places like Israel and Greece.
He used it to travel to the Jewish homeland, Israel.
Immigration
Ellis Island
Harry B
This certificate was issued to Harry B’s great grandmother Celia B. M., at Ellis Island. The artifact was given to her in 1999. Celia M. came to America from Syria in 1920. The artifact is paper, and covered in glass. The significance of this artifact is that it was the 100th year anniversary of Ellis Island. The artifact also shows proof that Celia M. came through Ellis Island from Syria. She came to America with groups of Jewish people because America was a free country, and people thought that they would be able to get rich fast. After they took the long boat ride to America, they were tested and asked several questions. After they passed the tests, they were officially allowed to stay in America. In 1999 Celia M. went to Ellis Island because of the 100th year anniversary, and she saw her name on the Wall of Names.
The significance of this artifact is that it was given to Celia on the 100th year anniversary of Ellis Island. The artifact also shows proof that Celia M. came through Ellis Island when she emmigrated from Syria. Celia M. came to America along with many other Jewish people.
Identification Papers
Egypt
Eli K
These identification papers belonged to Harry F’s grandfather, Eli K. They were issued in Egypt. He first traveled to Rome where he studied to be a doctor. After two years he used these papers get to America.
It is a brown sheet of paper written with a feather pen. These identification papers were passed down to Harry F.
These papers are important to my family because it brought our ancestor and his decendants (us) to America.