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smclawler 's review for:
Letters from Rifka
by Karen Hesse
Author Karen Hesse's great aunt serves as the model for main character Rifka, a 12 year old Ukrainian Jew, whose family is fleeing the persecution of 1919 Russia, and emigrating to the United States. The journey is filled with danger, but the family finally escapes to Poland, were they all contract typhus. When they reach their port of departure in Belgium, Rifka is denied passage due to ringworm. she is left behind and in the care of an aid society that will help her recover and then send her on her way. After getting to the States, she is quarantined at Ellis Island. There are heartbreaking scenes along the way, and since the world never lacks for persecution and discrimination, this book continues to have relevance today.