Felix Danon of Manalapan was one of the winners of an essay contest sponsored by the Center Players, Freehold, in conjunction with a presentation of The Immigrant. Danon, pictured with his wife, Myra, wrote about his first glimpse of the New York skyline and the hunt for his first job.
of immigrants’ U.S. success
By linda denicola
Staff Writer
The Center Players, based at a community theater on South Street in Freehold Borough, recently held an essay contest designed to honor immigrants and to promote the diversity of Monmouth County and surrounding areas.
The contest was held in conjunction with the opening of The Immigrant, the true story of Haskell Harelik, a Russian immigrant who arrived in 1909 at the Port of Galveston, Texas, to escape social tyranny and start a new life in America.
"We want to highlight those who overcame the challenges of immigration and are now living the American dream," said the show’s director, Bernice Garfield-Szita. "The Center Players looked for compelling stories that detailed the challenges and successes of acclimating to a new country."
The theater group picked five winners. The winners received two tickets to a performance of The Immigrant, with dinner for two provided by Trattoria Portobello, Freehold Borough. The winners were honored and their stories were featured at the performances and on the Center Players’ Internet Web site www.centerplayers.org.
The show opened on June 28 and ran for two more weekends.
"We were completely sold out, but we’re taking a waiting list because the show was very popular, and people are calling for tickets. Right now we have 70 people on the list. We’re going to bring it back for several more performances," said David Sorin of Sorin Productions, Free-hold, president of Center Players.
The troupe is based at the Center Playhouse, a 49-seat theater that is open on Friday and Saturday evenings and for Sunday matinees.
The winners of the essay contest are Randy Shain, a Manalapan resident who wrote about his grandmother’s experience as an immigrant. Shain, a recent graduate of Richard Stockton College, told his grandmother’s story as a writing assignment and then entered it in the Center Players’ contest.
Alice Shain was 8 years old in 1929 when she left Hungary with her family. The family’s immigration came about because of an impulse. Alice felt compelled to stand on a line to sign a paper that she did not understand at the time. When she got to the front of the line, she noticed that others signed names of family members and so she did the same. This innocent action turned out to be the family’s ticket to freedom in America.
Felix Danon was 24 and single when he emigrated from the Republic of Sudan by way of Greece. Among his fondest memories are his first glimpse of the New York skyline and the hunt for his first job, that of a clerk with the company that he later became president of many years later. He is now semi-retired and lives in Manalapan with his wife, Myra. The couple has three children and two grandchildren.
Rosa Hart decided as a 10-year-old in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, that she would live in America. She saved the gifts of jewelry that she received and had them made into bracelets that held the stones that were her "fall back plan." She arrived alone in 1980, and those stones gave her a start. She became an executive assistant at one of the largest firms in the country, married and lives in Denville.
Clara Comb arrived from Argentina in 1964. She came with her family and did not speak English. She studied hard in school and devoured the Encyclopedia Britannica that her father had bought. She excelled in school, ultimately receiving a fellowship in comparative literature at Columbia University, followed by a master of arts degree and a master of philosophy. After a career in finance, the Manal-apan resident now teaches.
Jackson resident Monica Pascarella submitted the story of her grandfather-in-law, Vincenzo Pascarella. Vincenzo and his brother, Thomaso, left Italy to seek a better life for their families. They were separated at Ellis Island, and Thomaso was sent to Argentina, leaving Vincenzo alone in New York to try to achieve the dream they both had shared.
Vincenzo married another Italian immigrant, Imaculata, who arrived by herself at the age of 15. The couple has 10 children, who have gone on to become teachers, lawyers, opticians, stockbrokers, accountants, homemakers and upstanding citizens with children of their own.
He added that the return engagement of The Immigrant may be held in August. People can call the theater at (732) 462-9093 to inquire.