With some money you've saved working for Mr. Goudsmit, you get to
New York. When you arrive in the city, a representative from HIAS meets
you and gives you a letter from a cousin in St. Louis. Your cousin owns a
men's clothing store and is willing to have you work there and live with
his family. The HIAS agent gives you some American money and puts you
on the train. As you look out the train window, you think to yourself: This
is a beautiful country, and so large. In Europe we would have crossed four
countries, but here we are still in America!
Your cousin and his family meet you at the station in St. Louis. At
first they seem very nice, but when you overhear the children laughing at
your strange ways. No 'rachmonis' here, no mercy
you say in a whisper.
That proves to be true. At the store, you work like a slave, dragging
merchandise up and down, sweeping the floor, washing, scrubbing, doing
every chore. When two weeks have passed, you ask for your salary.
What? You want money, too? Isn't it enough that my wife and I give you
shelter and food? Would you rather be back in Poland?
Through the grapevine, you hear that a German-Jewish refugee has the same kind of business in a little town in Illinois, just across the Mississippi river from St. Louis. He needs a helper and is willing to pay. You decide to take the job with him.