THANK YOU in advance for your support! This is a photo of my maternal grandparents, Brucha and Emanuel (Monye) Patt, taken in 1939 in their country of origin, Poland. When the Nazis invaded, they began a long and dangerous escape, and arrived in NYC in late 1940, my mother, Rebecca Patt (arguably an "anchor baby"), was conceived during their escape and born in New York in May 1941. Their experiences as refugees of the European holocaust and as immigrants in the US are strong, formative elements at the core of who I am. And that is why I am participating again in the 30 Poems in November fundraiser for the Center for New Americans. This is personal for me, and in the current climate immigrants need our help more than ever. A few unconventional suggestions: to honor my grandparents, please give $40 (or $1940 if you can spare it!); to honor my mom, please give $41; to honor the Jewish tradition, please make a donation in a multiple of 18 (it's good luck). This year I will be splitting my writing time between poetry and my translation from Yiddish of my great-grandfather's last book, about less fortunate members of his family who were killed in the Bialystok ghetto. So I invite you also to consider honoring my great-great aunt Sheyna and her daughter Hanka (for whom I am named), both heroes of the underground resistance, with a donation of $43 in honor of the year of their deaths and the liquidation of the ghetto.
The Center for New Americans provides support and education services to immigrants in our community. This cause is important to me because my grandparents (pictured) were immigrants, refugees of the European Holocaust who arrived in the US in late 1940. Immigrants contribute so much to our local, regional, and national communities, and it is important to welcome and support them as we ourselves would want to be welcomed and supported if we had to remake our lives in a new home. This is true now more than ever. So please give as generously as you can!
