The large steamship, the S. S. Washington, slowed down a bit; the waves seemed to calm down as they beat against the ship’s sides. All at once Captain Farnsworth’s deep melodious voice was heard over the loudspeaker and above the howl of the foghorn: “All hands aboard. Ladies and gentlemen, we are nearing the shores of the United States of America. To your left you will soon see the Statue of Liberty, located on Liberty Island. It is one-hundred-fifty-two feet in height and faces the ocean in the New York Harbor. For centuries men have fought to be free. The Statue is the symbol of this freedom, a freedom for which you have yearned, a freedom which you too will enjoy in America. The Statue was created in France and brought to our shores. The inscription on the base of The Lady, as she is sometimes called, is a reminder for what this beautiful country stands and which is inscribed with a poem by a Jewish woman, Emma Lazarus: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Droozy and her family rushed up the narrow ladder-like stairs to be on the top deck for this, one of the greatest moments of their lives. The ship inched closer and closer to what appeared to be a large figure in the distance. They could not yet discern what it was they were seeing. As they came closer to this enormous structure they saw what appeared to be a person, almost moving with the swaying of the boat on the waves. From a distance it seemed that the statue had a wreath around its head and was holding a torch in its outstretched right hand, its arm reaching up to the sky.

A shudder ran through Droozy’s spine, a shudder of joy, a thrill! At last she was free, away from the Nazi tyrants, from the cruel children who had pulled her braids, stolen her red sugar rabbit, had called her dirty Jew; away from Herr Kübler, who had made her share her school bench with a tubercular child who coughed blood; away from listening to the wicked voice of Adolf Hitler shouting vicious lies about the Jewish people through loudspeakers; away from the park benches which had painted on them: “Jews prohibited”; away from fear that was with Droozy wherever she went.

Soon the big ship reached the shore of New York. In the distance the large skyscrapers (enormously tall buildings) were seen. They looked almost as if they were dressed in fog. Small boats came and ropes were tied from them to the SS Washington to pull her all the way over against the land.

           Droozy stood dazed on deck searching with her eyes to find her beloved Papa, whom she had not seen in eighteen long months. She saw a mass of humanity, people straining their necks, looking up at the ship to find their relatives. Suddenly Droozy spotted her father. He was wearing his familiar hat and brown suit. He had gotten much thinner than she remembered and his face looked careworn. As soon as she could Droozy ran off the gangplank into Papa’s large arms.

Up
Introduction
Pork Dumplings
Please Don't Eat the Goldfish
Pretty Shoes
Blueberry Cake
Sukkot
The Garden
Maxel
The Red Rabbit
Passover
The Lost Bathing Tickets
What Shall I Do?  The Double Message
Pieces of Gold
Aromas of the Sabbath
The Birth of a Brother
Green Apples
Herr Kübler
The Broken Leg
Boarding School
The American Calendar
Suse Puppe
Shirley Temple Eyes
Kristallnacht Nov. 9, 10, 11
Aunt (Tante) Mathilde
Ice Skates
The Cologne Cathedral
The Escape
A Belgian Holiday
Gas Balloons and the S. S. Washington
Papa
The Statue
A Bad Dream
A Pencil Thief
The West Virginia Hills
Thanksgiving
Ice Cream, Grieben and Baked Spaghetti
The Gypsy’s Song
Venetian Blinds
The Deaf One
Dimmed Lights
Marryyayo
Friendship
Norma Mae
The Spelling Bee
Run, Thief, Run!
Chances
The Candy Store
The Birthday Party
Deep, Shallow Waters
Red Riding Hood
Small Mama
Droozy In Love
Eskimo Pies
Apple Picking Time
Working Days
Easter Baskets
Valedictorian
Farewell
Blind Joe
Lessons Learned From Parents
About the Author