From the Pale to the Promised Land

The family saga of how the Antins moved from the prison of the Pale of Settlement to a new life in Boston and Chelsea.

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A Prisoner in the Pale

A Prisoner in the Pale The Divided World For a small girl in Polotzk the world split into the familiar town and a strange forbidden land called Russia. The cattle and the Dvina were home, but the Czar's edicts made every Jew a prisoner. The Lesson of the Pale Mary Antin learned that she was confined to the Pale of Settlement because she was Jewish. The knowledge seeped in slowly, like weather, until she accepted ill-treatment as a fact of life. The Seed of Longing The helplessness of the Pale planted a hunger for elsewhere. Even before the word America reached her, she dreamed beyond the fences of the Czar.

Father's Departure for the West

Father's Departure for the West The Last Chance Pinchus had failed at every business in Polotzk, and the family was sinking. The expulsion of Jews from Moscow sent fresh fugitives into the town and closed every remaining door. The Exodus Begins With borrowed money and a charitable society's help, Pinchus left for America. His family remained behind, uncertain whether they would ever see him again. A Promise in the Letter His pre-sailing letter carried an elation that Mary Antin felt without understanding it. America became not a place but a promise.

The Exodus Journey

The Exodus Journey The Last Night and Farewell Half of Polotzk escorted the family to the station, mixing blessings with laments. Mary Antin felt she was in the middle of the great world at last. Quarantine and Steerage At the German frontier the travellers were examined, disinfected, labelled, and detained in quarantine. The family feared that they would never reach the promised shore. At Sea The ocean awed Mary Antin, filling her with solemn joy. Suffering and hope mingled until the ship approached Boston in May.

First Steps in Boston

First Steps in Boston The Alley That Was a Palace Union Place looked like two rows of brick palaces to the immigrant child. The May blue sky and open windows promised a friendly world. Instructions from Father Pinchus corrected the newcomers and told them not to be greenhorns. The first American meal, the rocking chair, and the public baths were all lessons in a new civilization. Everything Free The streets were lit all night, music was free, and education was free. The family began to shed their old names and old clothes.

Claiming the Promised Land

Claiming the Promised Land The School Door Opens A neighbor child offered to conduct Mary Antin to school. No application, no questions, no fees: the doors of Boston's public schools stood open. The Father's Consecration Pinchus led his children to school as if performing a sacred rite. He had become a citizen and now gave his children to America. The New World Received At the teacher's desk, Mary Antin whispered her name and felt herself enter the nation. The Promised Land was no longer a dream but a classroom.

early childhood in Polotzk

when Mary Antin was about ten

six weeks in spring from Polotzk to Boston

May morning of arrival in Boston

September in Chelsea, after the move from Crescent Beach