We took a ferry to Ellis Island and had a little fun on the water.
On Ellis Island, we learned why it was called the island of hopes and fears. We learned about the many tests immigrants were required to pass to gain entry into the promised land and saw the dorms where they were quartered, 18 to a room, during quarantine.
After another ferry ride, we were privileged to sing the national anthem at the feet of the Statue of Liberty, this time with newfound appreciation for the immigrants memorialized on her pedestal, "your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free."
Next, the ferry took us to Battery Park, on the tip of Manhattan Island. From there, it was a short walk to the World Trade Center and the National September 11 Memorial and Museum.
This was a solemn, sobering experience for all, including those who remember the day and those who, too young to remember, nevertheless felt the raw emotion of the exhibits and memorials. We saw steel beams twisted beyond recognition, airplane parts fallen from the sky, and many fitting memorials to the day's 2,977 dead, including the words of Virgil, writ large on an underground wall:
"No day shall erase you from the memory of time."
At dinner time, our bus drivers took us to Long Island, where we were treated to Kosher pizza by the students of the Solomon Schechter School, whose online AP music theory class is taught by our own Mr. Swenson. Dinner was followed by one of the most memorable Family Home Evenings on record. We shared music from our tradition, they taught us a song from theirs, and Mrs. Hobson shared her thoughts on seeking the voice of God.
From Psalm 133: Hine ma tov, u'ma nayim, shevet ach-im gam ya-chad. How good and joyous it is for brethren to dwell together!
