The Meaning of the Promised Land

How the messianic dream of the Pale became the concrete reality of American freedom.

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Next Year in America

Next Year in America Passover in Tears The story of the Exodus became a chapter of current history, but there was no deliverer in sight. Then some people said, "Next year in America." The New Promised Land America had become the promised land for the Jews of the Pale. The waters of the Atlantic were as miraculous as the rod of Moses. The Dream Shared Mary's father was carried away by the westward movement. The ancient hope was being reborn as a modern emigration.

The Promised Land Named Boston

The Promised Land Named Boston The Expected City In Polotzk, America was practically synonymous with Boston. The family landed in Boston and the horizon was pushed back. The First American Home Union Place, a short box of an alley, looked like a palace. Brick underfoot and May blue overhead were proofs of the promised land. The Freedom of Education The neighborhood child who offered to take them to school was the unforgettable proof. No application, no questions, no fees: the promise was kept.

A Land Where Work Was Honorable

A Land Where Work Was Honorable Trades and Titles Pinchus wrote that in America workmen and capitalists were equal, and cobbler and teacher were both "Mister." The children were taught trades as a preparation. The Basement Stores The family's stores were poor, but they carried the dignity of American citizenship. "Strictly Cash" and credit were part of the new economy. The Claim on Opportunity If America demanded work, it also gave room to work. The immigrant could own a piece of the street.

The Schoolroom as Sanctuary

The Schoolroom as Sanctuary The Miracle of the Common School Mary entered the public school with a hundredfold sense of its greatness. The school was the heart of American promise. The Green Pupils' Progress Within months she was declaiming patriotic verses in honor of Washington and Lincoln. The hundred-fold miracle was common in American schools. The Nation's Making The public school made foreigners into Americans. It was the story of the growth of a country.

The Open Palace of the Library

The Open Palace of the Library The Inscriptions Public Library, Built by the People, Free to All were carved over the entrance. Mary called it her palace because she was a citizen. The Democratic Treasure The children from the slums and the scholars from the university shared the same marble stairs. All these people and she had the treasure in common. The Fulfilled Promise In the promised land, even an immigrant child could inherit the whole of human knowledge. The Promised Land was a place where doors opened.

the Passover after the Moscow expulsion

the arrival in Boston

the Chelsea and South End years

Mary's first years in the Chelsea public school

during the Dover Street years