Letters from Rifka

Doctors in Antwerp certify that Rifka’s ringworm has cleared up, but she still has no hair. She worries, thinking to herself, “My hair was the only nice thing about me” (72). She has begun learning English and continues to have help from HIAS. She gets a ticket for a small ship instead of a large one, so that she will not have to make the transatlantic voyage in the crowded steerage accommodations. She feels very optimistic and looks forward to when “we will all be together again,” including Tovah (74).

Rifka writes to Tovah of how nice the ship is. She has a pleasant room but spends most of her time on the deck and in the ship’s lounge. She befriends a sailor named Pieter. The weather has been good, but Pieter tells her that sometimes “[T]here are storms so fierce I think the ship will break apart” (76). Pieter dotes on Rifka, who writes to Tovah that he “treats me like a little czarina” (76). They talk about family, and Pieter tells Rifka, “You are a treasure to your mama and papa. And to your brothers” because she is their only girl (77).