Field Trip Reflection

From Haven to Home-

The purpose of the exhibit was to learn about Jewish history, the hardships they went through, and how they helped shape American history. The most surprising fact I learned today about Jewish history is that Jews invented the Barbie Doll. I had no clue who made the dolls; I only had known what they were. A few important Jews are Dr. Seuss, Ernstine Louise Rose, Jerry Seinfield, Bess Myerson, and Albert Einstein. Dr

. Seuss is the world-famous author of the books The Cat in the Hat, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Horton Hears a Who. Dr. Seuss is also known as Theodor Geisel. Ernstine Louise Rose was a woman who rebelled against traditional arranged marriage. In order to be considered married, a couple required a marriage contract. Jerry Seinfield is a famous actor; Bess Myerson was nominated Miss USA in 1945. Albert Einstein was the man who discovered Energy=Mass*Speed of Light2 (E=MC2) Albert Einstein was famous for his amazing understanding of universal forces. Jews were also very active in the Civil Rights Movement (they boycotted with MLK Jr.), because they wanted a better life for everyone, not just themselves.
Instead of having a bible, Jews have a torah.In the 1800s in presidential elections, candidates had to swear on a Christian bible which outlawed Jews. But in 1825 the "Jew Bill" was passed which meant that instead of declaring themselves in belief, they had to take an oath to serve the US. Jews have a calendar called the Omer calendar that marks the seven weeks between Passover and Shavu'ot.


Jews went through a lot of hardships that people are unaware of. Since Jews are on kosher diets, they have to buy kosher meat. But the Jews were paying twice as much for kosher as the Americans were paying for their meat. So 20,000 Jewish women broke into kosher butchers' shops and burned them to the ground. Jew

s also went through religious persecution, grinding poverty, and violent attacks which were called pogroms. When the Ku Klux Klan showed up, they only made life harder for the Jews because the Ku Klux Klan were a "secret" organization that hated Jews, Catholics, and African-Americans. And in the 1930s, Adolf Hitler popped up and turned the Germans against the Jews by saying they were the reason for the economic woes and their loss in World War II. When that began, concentration camps started to be built so that Germans could freely torture and kill Jews. That's just part of the stuff Jews went through. The Jewish community has helped build America, and in the process has taken life-changing risks.