ABSTRACT
Max Zisman (his real name) arrived in the US in 1901 from Lithuania, at the age of 31. He brought with him his entire family, including his wife and two children, his parents, and his eight siblings and their spouses and children. At his point of entry, in Boston, he faced a battery of health tests, but no one asked him to prove his identity, account for his political affiliations, or even explain why he had left. No one wanted to know why he was afraid of being forced into the Russian army, why didn’t he want to serve, was he a deserter, what would happen to him if he were to return? In fact, he did not face certain death or torture in Lithuania, although few young men in his village ever returned from service in the Czar’s army. The truth is that Max Zisman (who was Amy’s greatgrandfather), was searching for a better life, and his story, like that of so many immigrants of his time, is about both escaping from a dangerous political situation and searching for greater economic opportunities.
