Statue of Liberty: Hans Masie Arrives in 1938.
As we Celebrate July 4th – let us remember what the Statue of Liberty meant to people like my father, Hans Masie, who came came to America as a place where Freedom meant acceptance.
Here is the passenger of the list from 1938 of the ship that he was on to flee Nazi Germany. On the bottom of the page you can see my father’s nationality was changed from German to Hebrew on line 29:
As he sailed into New York Harbor, the passengers were afraid of what would happen in the minutes as the immigration officer looked at them. deciding if they were “ready” to come to America. July 4th should be a time to celebrate the spirit of the Statue of Liberty:
Are we that America, still?
Is America a place where we respect our diversity? Is America a place where all of us have the freedom to define our reproductive choices? Is America a place where we respect and teach the history of our people – including wars where soldiers died, as well as slaves who were shipped here? Is America a place that would live our freedom authentically and with a heart filled with acceptance.
Let us create tomorrow’s America as a place where freedom is experienced by all.
Yours in Learning (Shalom),
Elliott
Elliott Masie
MASIE Learning Foundation
MASIE Productions
emasie@masie.com
www.masie.com
PS: Registration is now open for our AI & Learning LAB in September in Saratoga Springs, NY. For Information: http://www.masie.com
It is unfortunate that in this great Nation we must continually fight for the rights of immigrants. This Nation was built on the work of immigrants -- whether they were brought here involuntarily, or by the need to flee persecution, or by the choice these United States offerred. Today, many of those immigrants provide us with the food that we eat, care for us when we are sick, and continue to do jobs that others reject. We educate many from other nations and then refuse to permit them to use their brains and talents to create the newest opportunities. When will we ever learn?
Nicely done, Elliott. A valuable reminder for all of us.