Old flame! The Statue of Liberty is the greatest gift one country ever gave another

Lady Liberty means so much to so many people.For me, growing up in Europe, she was always a beautiful postcard.But my relationship with her changed drastically when I joined the board of the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation.

I was initially very reluctant to join, but President Stephen Briganti seduced me to change my mind by highlighting a very personal passage from my memoir, “The Woman I Wanted to Be.”My mother Lily had survived a war concentration camp, and I was born 18 months after she came home.In my book, I wrote about how she used to say, “God saved me so I can give you life.

By giving you life, you gave me mine back.You are my torch of freedom.”Steve reminded me of those poignant words from my mother — and made it seem like destiny.

I had to accept.Saying yes meant that I would have to help raise $100 million for the island’s new 26,000-square-foot museum, a showcase for the original torch.We actually accomplished that goal and the museum opened in 2019.

In getting there, I embarked on a meaningful journey and learned the fascinating history behind America’s great symbol of freedom.I went France to meet the family of Gustave Eiffel, who built the skeletal framework inside the iconic statue.I also visited sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi’s museum in Colmar to understand more about how Lady Liberty arrived into this world.While the statue has evolved into an international welcome mat for immigrants, she was originally conceived by French historian Édouard Laboulaye to commemorate our nation’s centennial and abolition of slavery.

He wanted to give the United States a gift from France, as a symbol of the countries’ long-standing friendship.Laboulaye tapped Bartholdi both for his talents and their shared belief in Enlightenment values.Interestingly enough, Bartholdi first imagined her as an Arabic woman holding a lighthouse to watch over the Suez Canal, but his proposal was rejected.However, his original design was not...