Betty Baker

Faygala, Yiddish Refugee Betty Baker

Faygala, age 17, lived in Russia in 1904 in troubled times when the Cossack soldiers periodically ransacked her Jewish village; and the Czar's officers periodically raided to seize men for the army. To avoid all this, many fled to America. Faygala's family was planning to join her father in the "golden country" as soon as he sent enough money for ship and train passages and for Ellis Island fees and proof of support requirements. But suddenly due to personal danger, Faygala was forced to make the daunting journey alone with people she barely knew. Departing was extremely painful for her, especially leaving a certain young man behind. The thought of never seeing him again tore at her heart. Along the way she faced many difficulties causing her to fear she would never reach her dear father. This 94 page novelette is written by Faygala's late daughter-in-law from the account as Faygala told it over the years. It draws the reader into her poverty stricken, Orthodox Jewish life in Russia; introduces her Yiddish vocabulary; and instills the amazement she felt upon seeing all the wonders of "modern" America.