While I was visiting my parents recently I took a few minutes to look at the bookshelf in their living room. There is a section on sailing for dad and The Complete Works of Shakespeare. There are atlases and dictionaries and several art books of the great masters. And then there is The Holocaust shelf.Continue reading “Under My Nose the Whole Time”
Category Archives: Holocaust
True or False?
I had my first nibble and my first rejection from a literary agent this month. I have an author friend with an agent, and I decided to check out what types of books her agent was interesting in representing. Her website mentioned history, and narrative nonfiction and YA. This could be the one, I thought.Continue reading “True or False?”
Annelies: Your Words are Still Powerful and Necessary
Last night I went to see the Handel Society of Dartmouth College perform Annelies by James Whitbourn based on Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl I really had no idea how someone could put the diary to music. I was wondering if we were about to see Anne Frank: The Musical and ifContinue reading “Annelies: Your Words are Still Powerful and Necessary”
Psychologist as Educator
My academic training is in psychology. My “therapist skills” have been very useful while researching and writing Scraps of Hope. My most important tool as a psychologist is listening, and while working on this book, I have listened a lot. I have listened carefully to my mother’s stories and thought about what was most importantContinue reading “Psychologist as Educator”
Walking through the “isms”
During my visit to Holland to do research for my book I visited the different places my mother lived in Amsterdam during the war. Each one had a different feel and a different set of circumstances in the 1940’s and also now in 2014. Please come with me for a “walk” from house to house.Continue reading “Walking through the “isms””
Bigotry, Bullies and Brundibar
Yesterday I went to Boston to see the Central Square Theater production of Brundibar & But the Giraffe! The original opera was written in 1938 by a Czech composer, Hans Krasa with a libretto by Adolf Hoffmeister. Krasa, a Jew, was imprisoned at Theresienstadt and later murdered in Auschwitz. Hoffmeister survived the war, but diedContinue reading “Bigotry, Bullies and Brundibar”
Why Bobby?
On the evening of January 16, 2014 I arrived in Tilburg. This small city in the southern province of Noord-Brabant in the Netherlands is home to a little over 206,000 people, more than 60% of whom are Roman Catholic. The next largest “religious” group are the atheists who make up about 20% of the population.Continue reading “Why Bobby?”
Theater Lesson
Upstairs in the Hollandsche Schouwburg is a small display. There are pictures, documents and letters from the 1940’s when the theater was used as a place to hold the Jews until they were transported out of Amsterdam. While we were visiting, there was also a school group there. From the students’ accents, I assume theyContinue reading “Theater Lesson”
Acceptance Letter
Today I received my first “acceptance letter.” You might be thinking I am talking about a literary agent or a publisher. Sorry, nothing that bold as yet. Today’s letter came from the resident of one of my mother’s addresses during the war. I am preparing for a trip to The Netherlands to doContinue reading “Acceptance Letter”
Stolperstein and The Day of Judiasm
The Day of Judaism (January 17) is a day dedicated to Christian-Jewish reflection. The Roman Catholic Church in Italy started this day in 1990. I am not entirely sure of the history, but I believe it is intended to be a way for Christians to better understand the Jewish roots of their faith. In 1997Continue reading “Stolperstein and The Day of Judiasm”