On Monday, September 23 and 25, Yeshiva of Central Queens (YCQ) grade eight students visited Ellis Island and the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. After taking a ferry from Battery Park to Ellis Island, students learned how the immigrants entered America, gaining and understanding of their hardships, and how they coped with the difficult journey and settling in America. When asked what she got out of the trip, Talia Cohen said, “It was an amazing experience because Ellis Island was where people immigrated many years ago. While I was there, I felt like I was in their shoes.”
The students then went to visit the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. The students found it to be a very touching experience. When asked what her favorite part of the museum was, Jamie Roth responded, “My favorite part of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum was when we saw a fire truck that had been wrecked and burned when one of the towers collapsed. That really gave me a different view on what had happened on that day. I never really understood how many lives were affected by the events of that day.”
YCQ students had the chance to learn in detail about the struggle and hardships immigrants had to go through just to come to America, and how the events of 9/11 impacted Manhattan, the rest of the United States, and everyone around the world.
By Maya Betesh, Rebecca Lalo,
and Gabrielle Ruben (Grade 8)