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lvin Ribiat says when he talks of "the boat" that brought his
mother to America, he is referring to the Bob-Lo boat.
Her immigration, as well as that of his father, comprise his
winning entry in the Jewish News contest search for the most
interesting or unusual stories of your family's journey to America."
The Southfield resident says, "I knew my parents had an interesting
story," not so much because of the hows of their immigrations, but
because of where they had to go to enter the United States.
His story, titled "Illegal Aliens," which he says he composed in 20
minutes, is actually Ribiat's own history. Immigrating at a time when
Jewish entrance to the United States was prohibited, he tells of his par-
ents' illegal travels, with his father smuggled to Texas from Mexico and his mother crossing
the Detroit River into America via the locally famous Bob-Lo boat.
Coinciding with Jewish Ensemble Theatre's presentation of The Immigrant, Ribiat's win-

* Families with immigrant roots dust off
memories for Jewish News-sponsored
contest.

10/22
1999

