Field Trip Reflection

Ambar Avila
February 12, 2009

Field Trip Reflection

Part 1 From Haven to Home:
I think that the purpose of this exhibit was to show/let people know the history that the Jews went through and their hardships living in America. I think it was also meant to show people how the Jews have helped create America how we live in it now days. While we were at the exhibit I learned a lot of things that I have never known/heard of before. In the year of 1654 is when the first Jews came to America. I also learned that a Jewish lady named Ruth Handler invented the very first Barbie doll, and I thought that that was really interesting. I also learned that in the years 1654-1766 the Jews fought for equality because others (Americans) feared that if they excepted the Jews, they’d have to except everyone else (everyone else’s race/culture). I also learned that George Washington assured them that the government would protect their religious rights, so that’s one reason why the First Amendment is in our Constitution. I also learned that when slavery was going on the Jews divided because some agreed and some disagreed. So approximately 9,000 Jews fought for the Union and approximately 3,000 Jews fought for the Confederacy. I also learned that 20,000 Jewish women boycotted and broke into the Kosher Butcher shops. Another interesting fact to me was that the Jews somewhat started Las Vegas.
Part 2 Children of Immigrants:
a) The photograph that stuck me/that I liked the most was at a Photo Immigration Rally in Chicago in 1998. I liked this picture because of the angle; it was shot at a worms eye view. And it had a little girl sitting on someone’s shoulders with an American flag in her hands and you can see the tall buildings in front of her.
b) The quote that I chose was “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 began from this moment.” Ngoe Nguyen, Vietnam. From Between Cultures. This quote was interesting to me because I thought that it was amazing because he/she was only 10 and its amazing how they automatically knew that their life was going to start from that moment. I also thought that it was really powerful for a 10 year old to think that.