Immigrating to America
My Grandmother was offered a job in Denver, Colorado at a Jewish Day School. She took the job in order to pave the way for her children to have the opportunity of leaving South Africa. My Grandfather and my Aunt Janet joined her within a few months. My Mother, Andrea, remained in South Africa for another 10 years before she had the opportunity of leaving as it became very difficult to get employment in the States after 9/11. My Grandparents made this possible for her and for us. My mother's reasons for leaving South Africa were primarily to join family in America, we had no family left in South Africa after my Grandparents left. My brother and I grew up without Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles or cousins. My Mother had other reasons for leaving South Africa. At the time my Mother left Johannesburg was the crime and murder capital of the world and it was becoming increasingly dangerous to live there, jobs were scarce and my brother and I may not have been able to go to college in South Africa as the best colleges and the best faculties were reserved for blacks as part of a BEE (Black Economic Empowerment) programs. We left South Africa and arrived in a fast paced big city, have wonderful opportunities for our future.
Life in America
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My Grandmother had one dream, one goal and that was to provide a better future for her family. My Aunt Janet met and married an American and has two children who are American. My Mother was able to immigrate with me and my brother due to the road forged by my Grandparents. My Grandmother and Mother's reasons for immigrating were very similar to the reasons that people immigrated to America a century before, to escape crime and persecution but primarily to provide a better future and opportunities for the next generation. We no longer live in fear of our personal safety and my brother and I are going to college and our future is bright. Like all first generation immigrants things did not always go according to plan and there have been very difficult times My Grandparents and my Mother have been fortunate to have had the help and encouragement of the Jewish Community in Denver and growing up Jewish in Denver and being able to continue to go to a Jewish Day School and be part of the Jewish Community has made this journey much easier. The warmth, support and assistance shown to us by the Jewish Community as well as providing a sense of belonging, is as important to our family of first generation immigrants in the 21st Century as it was to the first Jewish immigrants who came to America 100 years ago. The promise that beckoned our family was the safety, security and good future and opportunities that America could provide. My brother and I consider ourselves to be American.