Letters from Rifka By Karen Hesse

Think of a place you love…… How do you feel when you are in your favorite place? What would it feel like if you were forced to leave your favorite place and you could never go back?

Discuss with your table the things your family would have to do if you were forced to leave your home and country. What would you have to learn? Would the move be easy? What sort of adjustments would you have to make? Where would you go? What would you take if you could only take one suitcase?

Think about what you know: Brainstorm hardships immigrants might have faced Video clip Preview and Predict What is the best way to survive hard times? Look at the back cover Read the author’s note Who was the author’s inspiration for the book? What experiences do you think Rifka will share with her cousin?

Response to p. 5-26 Problem/Solution for the first letter—what happened? Personal Response: Rifka had to leave her family and friends in Russia. Think of a time you left a person or place. Write about it. Perspectives: If Tovah reads this letter, what do you think she would write to Rifka? Write a short response. Summarize: Describe what happened to Rifka’s family before the train left for Poland.

Respond to p. 28-51 Problem/Solution Chart Personal Response: Saul and Rifka were alone in Poland. Saul found a job so he and Rifka could survive. Write about a time you had to do something important for yourself or someone else. Setting: Why did Rifka write that Russia was not as bad for Tovah’s family as it was for her family? How can one place be different for different people? Character’s Point of View: Rifka lived with Sual when her parents were in the hospital. How did her feelings about Saul change?

Respond to p. 52-75 Review your previous problem/solution charts. Add events as necessary. Personal Response: In Warsaw, Rifka ate an orange for the first time. Write about some foods you tried for the first time. How did you feel before you ate the food? Did you like what you ate? Why or why not? Context Clues: Rifka said she had a “bald patch” on her head. What phrases or words explain what “bald patch” means no hair? Judgments: Rifka’s family sent her to Antwerp alone because she had ringworm. Do you think this was a good decision? Why or why not?

Add events to your problem/solution chart as necessary Personal Response: If you were Rifka, would you explore a big city like Antwerp? Why or why not? Context Clues: Rifka asked her mother if Uncle Avrum wanted Tovah to find a husband. What did Rifka’s mother mean when she said “ some girls aren’t meant to marry”? Setting: At first Rifka said she would go back to Berdichev rather than go to Antwerp. But then she liked Antwerp. How were Antwerp and Berdichev similar and different? Do you think Rifka was happy about her decision to go to Antwerp? Why?

Add events to your problem/solution chart. Personal Response: Rifka was excited that she was going to America. Write about a time you went someplace new. Where did you go, and how did you feel? Character: Pieter and others told Rifka she was smart, but Rifka was not sure. Look back in the story. What did Rifka do that show’s she’s smart? Character’s Point of View: Rifka planned to write poems in America. What inspired her? Do you think this was a good plan? Why or why not?

Problem/Solution Personal Response: Rifka said she was tired from her traveling and wished she never left Berdichev. Tell about a time you wanted to give up. Why did you continue? Metaphor: Rifka compared her fear of the storm to her fear of pogroms in Russia. How are they similar? Paraphrase: Rifka decided she wanted America to be more than a place to run. She wanted to make a new life there. She said, “life is as good as a clever girl can make it.” What did she mean?

Problem/Solution 1. Personal Response: When Rifka met Ilya she hated him but also felt sorry for him. Tell about a time you had conflicting feelings. What did you do? 2. Perspectives: It was a hard for Rifka to make friends with Ilya. Write about when Rifka and Ilya met from Ilya’s point of view. 3. Character: Rifka’s Star of David fell out of her book and broke. Why was it so important to her?

Problem/Solution Personal Response: Rifka yelled at Ilya for wasting paper. Later, she thought it was funny. Write about a time something bad happened to you that later you thought was funny. Setting: Rifka wrote that she could not go back to Berdichev after living in “this big world.” Why did she say she could not go back? Character’s Point of View: Rifka wrote that she was both Jewish and Russian. How did this make her feel different from her family?

Problem/Solution Personal Response: Throughout the story, we hear that Rifka talked too much. Sometimes it got her in trouble. Sometimes it saved her. Tell about a trait you have that has helped you through hard times. Character: Ilya surprised everyone when she started to talk. How did Ilya change from when Rifka first met him? Author’s Point of View: What can you tell about the author from the Historical Note? What questions do you have for her? What are your feelings about this book?