Who is Ilya from Letters from Rifka?
Ilya from Letters from Rifka is the poor boy that the main character meets at the holding facility on Ellis Island. He has had a rough life and everyone treats him as though he were a Peasant.
Did Rifka make it to America?
She helps him understand that his uncle is not cruel and wants him to come to America because he loves Ilya, and Ilya reads from Rifka’s Pushkin poetry book. He passes the “Test” and makes it to America. Rifka gets over her ringworm, and gets to America to be with her family.
How old is Ilya in Letters from Rifka?
Young seven year old boy who pretends to be a simpleton. He thinks his uncle does not want him in America. He is at Ellis Island. Ilya is shy and nervous, and he ends up reading Pushkin to Mr.
How many languages did Rifka learn?
Rifka was quite a clever girl. By the end of the book, she could speak in five languages. Back when she lived in Russia, she could speak Russian and Yiddish. She picked up Polish when she was in Poland.
Who wrote letters from Rifka?
Letters From Rifka is a children’s historical novel by Karen Hesse, published by Holt in 1992.
Who are the main characters in letters from Rifka?
The novel opens with a letter written by Rifka, a young Jewish girl, as she writes to her cousin, Tovah (and the plot will unfold through installments of letters). The first letter opens during the Russian Civil War of 1919.
Why did the Rifka family have to leave Russia?
During the Russian Civil War of 1919, Rifka and her family must flee Russia because the Russian army are after her one of her brothers for leaving the army; the penalty for that is death for the entire family. She tells her story in a series of letters to a cousin named Tovah who remains behind in Russia, written in the blank spaces…
What happens at the hearing in letters from Rifka?
At a hearing to determine whether Ilya and Rifka can enter the US, Rifka convinces officers that Ilya is ready to enter the country. Ilya reads poetry Rifka has written, impressing the officers, who agree to permit her to enter as well. In a dramatic moment, everyone discovers that Rifka’s hair has also begun to grow back.