Amerike

   My favorite way to travel to Manhattan is vis the Staten Island Ferry. Never mind that it is free; that is just an added bonus. No, what I love about the ferry is that you can see where you are going. The impressive skyline gets bigger and bigger as you approach it, and there, greeting me as she greeted my ancestors, is Lady Liberty.

   Papa used to tell me about his arrival on Ellis Island. He was jealous because his father picked up his younger brother, instead of him. Everything else was muted in his personal history... except the thwarted father-son reunion and the location. "I saw the Statue, though, and knew we wouldn't be separated again."

   Of course, it wasn't that way for everyone. Ellis Island is also known as the Island of Tears. And no matter how much Emma Lazarus meant for her to "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddle masses yearning to breathe free..." it is clear that we can't and don't and sometimes sadly won't be the haven may ancestors needed.

   I look at the Statue and I know she is an icon and a reminder of who we want to be as a nation. I am grateful for that! But it takes work to live up to any ideals, especially such high ones as being the beacon of hope for the free world.  The work is scary, costly, and often not in the best interests of politicians.  Look at all the refugees turned away in WWII. We look back now we sorrow and regret...but what about those who need our liberty today? Do we live up to the ideals of our national welcoming committee? What can we do better as individuals and as a country?

   Today, my journey to Manhattan helped answer this question a little bit. A former student and friend of over a decade, Raquel, is performing in a Yiddish musical production called Amerike. Raquel played La Rose in a musical I wrote about the Little Prince back when she was in fifth grade; she went forward and got her masters  in opera and has a great career ahead of her. But to watch this Italian American ingenue sing in Yiddish and cry out the messages of Bread and Roses touched my heart. Through theater, we tell stories. Through music, we make connections across cultures-- we traverse the see without need for gatekeepers like they had sending people back at Ellis Island. You cannot return a song once it has been sung. And through teaching, we connect people with ideas and ideals and the world is never quite the same.

   Raquel is the age I was when I taught her. She is singing her heart out and dancing with passion. She goes through oh so many costume changes but the message of the show remains: life is tough and we are resilient. Our society isn't perfect-- no society is--- but we have community and music to propel us forward. Raquel sings this hope to her audiences-- along with an animated and talented cast-- and she transcends languages and cultures. Amerike may be a work of Yiddish theater, but it is a testament to humanity.

    So too, the Statue of Liberty may be an icon of America-- but it needs to be a reminder to all of us that ideals aren't easy to live up to. It is a constant effort to be who we aim to be. But it is not an effort we can let go of. We must transcend our own human fears and complacency to know that America is a land for the betterment of humanity. We must live true to that ideal. Thank you, Raquel and the cast of Amerike, for that reminder.