Role of HIAS in the Ringel connection
Walter called to remind me that we have already written about the role played by the immigration agency HIAS in helping our travelers in New York and quite likely in Lisbon and Marseilles before that. In particular, credit for the idea for finding a Ringel relation in New York, and then actually doing so, almost certainly goes to HIAS and its case worker Neubau.
Some of the details are here in this 2006 post. More embarrassing is that in my recent reconstruction I overlooked the HIAS information and many other details in Walter's write up of Helga's account of her refugee experience. That is part of this blog's founding document, The Early Lives of Stanley and Helga Ruby.
We have always hosted that paper in the blog sidebar as a downloadable PDF, but never posted its content as regular blog material. I plan to correct that in the coming days, by posting installments of the original document with added images and commentary.
You definitely have a treat in store. Or if you can't wait, get the PDF now.