A hundred percent. As a kid, the stories I heard about America made it sound like a fairytale. The myths people spread about the country were insane—myths like immediately becoming rich as soon as you step into the country, being able to purchase whatever you please, whenever you please, and owning as many houses and cars as you'd like. Going to America was like dying and going to Heaven. I believed all of it too—until I finally arrived in the country.

When I think of antisemitic behavior, Nazi Germany is always the first thing to pop into my head. I never knew that the Russians similarly treated Jews, although not as extremely. Exerting leniency on your policy against emigration to drive a specific group of people out of your country is another form of hate. Given the conditions in Russia, I can understand why emigration to the West seemed so appealing. Anything would be better than their current treatment under antisemitic laws in Russia.

I'd emigrate too; not only were the jobs themselves at the time not well-paying, but also scarce—now, I'm possibly losing the ability to even compete for these professions in the first place. So, as a teenager, I already had an idea of what my future would look like, which was quite depressing. I would start looking elsewhere for a better life. Perhaps it wasn't as big of a deal as I'm making it now--since child labor was probably still prevalent, meaning these children, who were losing opportunities for a better education, were already working.