01
A family crosses an ocean
Among the great migration of Jews from Romania were Philip’s parents and their four children. Philip, the youngest, was born in 1894.
The synopsis
Five
Acts
From the old world to a new country—and then into war.
02
Learning beyond the classroom
Growing up in New York, his formal education ended after eighth grade so he could help his family survive. He kept studying independently.
03
Becoming a professional man
Self-education eventually carried Philip into dental school, joining friends who sought a profession as a path beyond immigrant poverty.
04
The Meuse-Argonne Offensive
Philip became one of one million Americans in the final Allied offensive of World War I—the deadliest battle in American history.
05
The return
His memoir follows the years from 1900 through the end of the war and his homecoming in 1919: an immigrant life recorded from within.
