We Were the Lucky Ones

Jakob, Bella, and Victor are aboard the ship that will take them to America. Three weeks prior, they received notice that their sponsorship was approved. They are aboard what is known as a Liberty Ship: “The Perch is an old thousand-passenger troop vessel—one of the first of its kind to bring refugees to America from Europe” (373). Other passengers aboard the ship stop to admire the baby and ask his name. Bella and Jakob easily decided on his name once he was born:

Victor summed up the elation they’d felt when the war finally ended and they came to grips with the notion that, despite the seemingly insurmountable challenges they’d faced along the way, they’d not only survived, but they’d managed to bring new life into the world (374).

Caroline urges Addy to hurry to meet his family. She and Addy have just had a baby named Kathleen, who was slightly underweight, so they are staying in the hospital. Addy feels exceptionally grateful to his wife, who not only helped him find his family by writing to the Red Cross, but also cashed in her war bonds to pay for his family’s passage to Brazil.

On board the ship are Nechuma, Sol, Halina, Adam, Herta’s brother Zigmund, and a cousin named Ala who also survived the war.