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They made it
Rifka's cousin Tovahs Father saved Rifka's family from being killed.They are rolling west through Ukraine on a freight train bound for Poland instead of being held in a filthy prison in Berdichev. The family ran into a lot of trouble when traveling. -
Period: to
Letters to Rifka
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No More Trouble until the Polish Borders
At the Polish border they made Rifka's family take off their clothes and had be examined. -
Sickness occurs in the Family
Rifka began to get very ill and it started with her legs and her head started aching shortly after they crossed the Polish border. She started having really bad dreams. -
Feeling Better
Rifka felt much better after a while and the famly had to move again somewhere else.The family is in the verge of starvation and are always hungry. -
Rifka Meets a Stranger
When Rifkas family is on the train to go to Warsaw to pick up money to go on the steamship, Rifka meets a teenager with a baby on the train. The girl tells Rika how she is going to meet her sister in Poland and asks Rifka if she would do her hair for her. Rifka unknots the ladies hair and when doing so she see spots on the ladies scalp. -
Rifka gets Ringworm
When the family gets to Warsaw, they get money and go to the place were they are going to take the steamship. While Rifka and her mom get examined the Doctor founds out that Rifka has ringworm and he can't allow Rifke to go on to the steamship. Her father even tried bribing the person to let her on the steamship, but that didn't even work. -
Rifka Gets Bad News
The family meets with a person from HIAS that could help the situation that they are in. The lady that helps them says they should leave Rifka behind and go to America. She will be cured in Antwerp and she willstay with a family. When she finally cured she will come to America and be with her family again. -
Rifka Leaves Her Family
Rifka had to say good-bye to her family and it hurt her very much to do so, but she did. She finally got to Antwerp and the family she was staying with was a wife and husband. Their names were Gaston and Marie.Rifka's father wrote letters to her about America and what it was like. On her thirteenth birthday she did nothing and she did not tell Gaston or Marie that it was her birthday. Rifka began to be bald when she got her treaments from Sister Katrina. -
Rifka Adventures Antwerp
Rifka took a different way home one day and she saw all different type of stores. She tried bananas, ice cream, chocolate, and saw a hat she really liked. Then she started to become lost and she wanted to ask for help, but she didn't. She tought no one would help her because, she was Jewish and that she was bald. Then she finally asked for help from the milkman and he helped her get back home and he was very kind to her too. -
Life in Antwerp
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Rifka gets good news
Sister Katrine tells Rifka good news that she can go to America very soon. Rifkas hair has still not grown back and Sister thinks that it may never will. -
Making a New Friend
Rifka gets on the small ship that will bring her to America and she makes a new friend on ship. His name is Pieter and he works on the ship. He treats Rifka like royalty and is very kind to her. They are always talking to each other one day Pieter kisses Rifka on the lips and then runs away right after kissing her. -
A bad storm brings a sad event
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On her way to Ellis Island
Finally, a tug boat came and started to pull the stemship. Rifka realized that she was on her way to Ellis Island and their she would be reunited with her family again. Her father wrote letters to her telling her what Ellis Island was like. One person shouted on the steamship and Rifka went running to the top deck. She realized that the person was shouting about seeing the Statue of Liberty. -
Rifka is'nt Allowed in America
Rifka is being examined so she be let into America, but the doctors are not letting her into America. They want to make sure that the ringworm is completely gone and make sure that her will grow back. If te doctors find out that her hair will not grow back then cantallow her to go to America. They say this because no one will marry Rifka if she is bald in America and then itsa social responsibility. That means the American government will have to support her for the rest of her life. -
Rifka Meets a Russian Boy
Rifka kept on getting from one wards to another and finally she settled at one ward. Their she met a little Russian boy. Even though she hates Russians becase they hurt her hometown she helped the boy get food. She started to talk to he boy in Russia and found out that his name was Ilya. He started to follow her around and Rifka started to be called the little mother.She started to like Ilya as time went on.They also called her that because she took care of a baby with ringorm. -
Rifka Finally see's one of Her family Members
Saul skipped school to go see Rifka in the ward. Rifka was over joyed to see him. Saul brought a banana to Rifka and she ate it. Saul was suprised how she knew how to do that. He also was suprised when he found out how good she was at speaking english when she introduced him to her doctor. Saul met Ilya and he really didnt like him.Saul told Rifka about their family and that Isaac got married and had a baby.Rifka
realized how much she missed her family and how she has been so lonely. -
Rifkas Mom Comes to see Her
Rifkas mom came to see her and she told her mom all the things that happened to her in Antwerp. Ilya stayed away from Rifka when her mother visited. Rifka showed her mom the baby that has the same disease as her. Her mother feels Rifkas bald head and tries to come up with a solution but does'nt. She tells Rifka that father would know best. -
Ilya wastes paper
When Rifka and Ilya explore the building, Il ya wonders off without Rifla. Rifka freaks out and when she finds him she yells at him and tells him that his going to get them in trouble. H was unrolling the toilet paper and wasting it. In Russia, it's against the aw to waste paper. hen Rifka tells Nurse Bowen of what has happened she just laughs at Rifka. She tells her that in America it is not against the law to waste paper. -
The Baby with Ringworm (typhus)
Rifka found the little baby dead one morning and Rifka felt very bad for poor little baby. Mr. Fargate told Rifka that he will decide her case tomorrow. Rifka thinks that it would have been better if she just stayed in Berdichev and stayed with her friends. She is scared for tomorrow and she has started to feel her head itch again, but she is scared to pull her hat off and see the ringworm come back. -
The Day of the Case
When Ilya had his case read out his uncle was their and he told Ilya that he wanted to come to America with him. Then Rifka made him read some poems ffrom her Pushkin book and he did. Mr. Fragment was amazed and he allowed him go to America. Then Rifka's case was up and she was more worried then ever. Her head ahd been itching all morning and she hoped they wouldnt look at her scalp. Then she read one of her poems to them. Then Mr. Fragment wanted to look at her head and they saw some hair.