a
o much of what we
know, or think we
know, about Ellis
Island is myth.
"Shane Feurgeson"
jokes to the contrary, the
gateway to America for 16
million immigrants is not
where foreign names were
changed and Americanized.
They were changed by steam-
' ship captains compiling pas-
senger lists before the voyage
to America.
Though there was great
fear among the new arrivals
of being sent back to Europe
for medical or political rea-
r sons, that happened in only
two percent of the cases.
And the average stay at
Ellis Island was measured in
hours (about five), not days.
To help instruct new gen-
erations of Americans about
the immigrant experience,
Ellis Island has undergone
an extensive renovation. Af-
ter six years and $156 mil-
lion, the Museum of Im-
migration opened on Sep-
tember 10.
The centerpiece of the res-
toration is the registration
2 room, known simply as The
Great Hall, an awesome, 60-
foot high room whose tiled
ceilings and chandeliers are
the originals from the 1900
building.
Today, the vast room
stands empty except for the
original benches and and an
inspector's bench. A visitor
can imagine the turbulence
and drama that took place
here.
During a recent preview
tour, a guide explained that
half of all living Americans
trace their U.S. roots to a
man, woman or child who
came through Ellis Island
between 1892 and 1954,
when it was closed. In terms
of numbers of immigrants,
the Jews were second only to
'the Italians.
The guide, Mark
Rekshynskyj, noted that not
every new immigrant was
.
• ,
processed at Ellis Island.
First and second class pas-
sengers were able to go di-
rectly to New York City.
Ellis Island was where the
third class passengers (or
steerage class, as they were
referred to, because they were
located next to the steering
mechanism of the ship, be-
low deck) arrived for medical
and legal examinations.
During their voyage from
Europe, they were crammed
Curious and apprehensive, immigrants waited anxiously to be processed
into America. This photo is of a Hungarian family arriving at Ellis Island
around 1910.
A 1916 Macedonian passport will be shown in the museum, which
will tell the story of the American immigration experience.
together for about six days
at sea with no privacy.
Upon reaching the island,
the immigrants were
"watched" by government
inspectors, who were looking
for medical problems. The
newcomers ascended stairs
to the registration room.
The walk was called "the six
second physical." Doctors
and nurses looked down and
noted immigrants for fur-
ther physical examination
who limped or seemed out of
breath.
In the registration room,
eyes and scalps were check-
ed. Doctors made notations
in chalk marks on the new-
corner's clothes. An E meant
eye disease; L meant lame;
an X was for mental defi-
ciency.
After the medical check-
ups, the immigrants sat on
benches that lined the large,
tile-covered room and
waited.
The next step was the le-
gal inspection, which Mr.
Rekshynskyj described as
"33 questions asked in ap-
proximately three minutes."
He said the questions rang-
ed from "What's your
name?" to "Are you a pros-
titute?" When one was ask-
ed, "Do you have a job?" the
guide said that the proper
answer was "No, but I have
a skill." If someone said that
he or she already had a job
waiting in the U.S., it might
mean that a job was being
taken away from an Ameri-
can.
Mr. Rekshynskyj said
that the immigrants were
questioned in English, but
interpreters were present,
some of whom spoke
Yiddish. If someone failed
the legal inspection, the next
step was a tribunal, where
three inspectors were pres-
ent and two out of the three
had to vote the immigrant
into the country. Finally, the
actual immigration process
began. Three thousand to
5,000 immigrants were pro-
cessed each day at Ellis
Island, he said.
When the procedure was
completed, the immigrants
walked down a staircase
with three aisles on the far
end of the room, each signi-
fying a different category
for the immigrants. One
aisle meant everything was
fine, and one could go to buy
railroad tickets and go on to
his or her final destination.
A second aisle denoted me-
dical problems and a third
meant legal problems. Of-
ten, family members were
separated at that point.
From these separations, Mr.
Rekshynskyj said, Ellis be-
came known as the "isle of
tears."
But the Jewish im-
migrants were never alone.
There were Jewish social
service agencies at Ellis
Island, which were willing to
help the immigrants. The
National Council of Jewish
Women was organized in the
1890s to provide a Jewish
presence on Ellis Island and
provide care for children
without parents and families
in trouble. The Hebrew Im-
migrant Aid Society (HIAS)
gave newcomers money to
help them reach their desti-
nations.
The new museum is dedi-
cated not only to Ellis
Island in particular but to
the immigrant experience in
general. It will include
thousands of artifacts,
photos and oral histories as
well as a library and two
theaters.
Three million visitors are
expected in the first year, a
tribute to the American
theme of starting a new life
in a new country. O
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 101