Living Voices brings life to history
escape from religious persecution to America
What happens to immigrants who are held back at Ellis Island?
Discover life at Ellis Island during its busiest years, and the fears and dreams of every immigrant, through one determined young girl’s journey to America.
In the early 1900s, Leah and her family escape persecution as Jews in Russia and sail to a new life in the new world. But when Leah alone is detained at Ellis Island, she confronts her biggest obstacle yet: what if she is sent back?
3rd grade through adult
Immigration | World History | US History | Literature | Theatre / Drama | Media / Television - Film | Ethnic Studies
Literacy in History/Social Studies | Speaking & Listening | Reading
Ellis Island, Robert H. Jackson Center, Holocaust Museum Houston, Bellevue School District
“The program was exceptional! The students were engaged the whole time. After what happened in DC, the program's emphasis on empathy and kindness was just what we all needed.”
-Marianne McMillin, Oscar Smith High School, VA
Report: Explore Middle School, Jersey City, NJ
Island of Hope study guide
Performance Setup Guide
Ellis Island (U.S. National Park Service)
Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation
From the Shtetl to the Tenement: The East European Jews and America
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