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My Dad's side came through Ellis, part of the great wave of Eastern European hordes. I have heard that 1/3 of Americans are descended from immigrants that were processed through Ellis.

I also live in a city "marred by racial tensions". I do believe that things are getting better, not just in the Deep South, but all over the country. Gen Y might flagrantly abuse the word "like", but they also have in them the promise for a better tomorrow.

What an honor to have played your viola there!

Recently I inherited a spiritual family with members who were incarcerated by Hitler's regime. They wore "Purple Triangles" and were called Bibelforsters, as Jehovah's Witnesses were called back then. At the Holocaust meusium there's a portion sectioned off that tells about them. The surviving members are some of the most encouraging and strengthening persons one could ever meet.

Sadly I don't think we ever will get it right. That doesn't mean we shouldn't try though. I recently finished a book...just a purely fictional book about the survivors of a global nuclear war. One of the characters had a saying that she would repeat to herself all along the journey she was undertaking. It was "One step and then another takes you to where you are going." The point being that you have to be willing to take those steps and not get bogged down with the seemingly insurmountable task. I think in many ways that should be our outlook. It may be that we will never "get it right". Certainly however we have to keep striving for the goal, whether it is reachable or not. What choice do we have, really? I don't like the prospect of not trying. I don't think the human race will ever be free of hatred and mass killings, I'm afraid. However, I agree with Thomas: We've got to keep trying. Ah, that was such a beautiful sound. Thank you for sharing.

What was that piece you were playing?

That was "The Prayer" by Bloch (originally for cello). Wow, how powerful. How cool that you were able to contribute music to the event. It says so much more than words, and so eloquently.