(Courtesy of CBY) On Thursday, April 1, over 100 people joined the Congregation Bnai Yeshurun Youth Department on a Circle Line chol hamoed cruise to the Statue of Liberty and New York Harbor. Youth directors Rivka and Yehoshua Szafranski invited Teaneck author Chana Stiefel on board to share her new picture book, “Let Liberty Rise,” published by Scholastic in March. Stiefel spoke about the children who contributed their pennies to build the statue and her grandparents who arrived in New York soon after the statue was built. She also displayed a newspaper from 1943 showing her late mother-in-law, Hannelore Stiefel, as a young German Jewish immigrant standing in front of the Statue of Liberty. Hannelore and her late husband Arnold Stiefel were founders of Bnai Yeshurun.

Children were encouraged to turn empty macaroon and matzah meal containers into tzedakah boxes. “The theme of the book is that ‘drops make an ocean.’ I want kids to know that every contribution matters, no matter how small. Together, we can make a lasting difference,” said Stiefel.

Rivka Szafranski added, “It was so special to be able to celebrate the holiday of our freedom while learning about how our grandparents gained their freedom when coming to America.”