Page 7 - Jewish News_June-July-2021

FEDERATION NEWS June/July 2021 7A

People of the Book...continued from previous page
Schell and Rene Dreyfus did not hold why hadn’t I heard about it before? on her mem oir Con cealed. Her pieces hope that readers would learn certain
political power; they were not part of Excited and intrigued, I spent the next have been per formed by Jew ish Wom- lessons. For me that would have felt
any organized resistance. But, in their three years going to archives around en’s The atre in Los Angeles and in formulaic. I didn’t want my memoir to
community – racing – they decided to the world hunting down the confirm- Man hat tan, and she was cho sen as its come across as prescriptive in any way.
take a stand, symbolic though it was, ing evidence. And what I found was Artist-in-Res i dence in 2019. Since my parents were Crypto-Jews
against German might. They took the nothing less than a true-life Day of the How is writing a memoir differ- living a life of duality and duplicity in
fight to the world in which they lived. Jackal. I was hooked and decided to ent from other forms of writing or the Iranian city of Mashhad, I felt the
Today, we all similarly need to take tell this story. storytelling?
stands in our own communities against What is the main challenge in In order to write my memoir, I had
injustice and aggression. writing a historically based book, to relive my life, live it a second time. I
had to peel back the layers, capture the
sights and smells, beginning with ear-
ly childhood when my Jewish parents
had immigrated to New York from the
Iranian city of Mashhad. Growing up
in the 1950s, I was straddling two con-
flicting cultures. I felt caught between
the Islamic world my father had hauled
from Mashhad into our Queens living
room and the voice of freewheeling
Neal Bascomb 20 century U.S.A. I had to remem-
th
the world who are often very propri- ber every meaningful high and low,
etary about what they have. Thankful- as well as numerous sidesplitting co-
ly, I was able to convince the Dreyfus Howard Blum / and how did you overcome those medic moments which threaded their
family to open up its personal archives Night of the Assassins challenges? way throughout my life. My parents, Esther Amini
to me, everything from photographs, In Howard Blum’s Night of the Assas- My books tell true stories. I ap- who had escaped a torturous land, were need to tell their tale and mine – one
collections of new articles in a dozen sins – The untold story of Hitler’s plot ply the same standards to writing my also bewildered by America. Recalling that has never been told and needed to
languages, letters and even the speech-to kill FDR, Churchill and Stalin, three non-fiction books as I do when I do re- the subtle details of my past required be. That being said, so many readers
es at Rene’s funeral. This then offered world leaders are meeting for the first porting for The New York Times. At the re-experiencing them viscerally in or- from around the world have written,
clues on where to unearth details about time at a top-secret conference in Teh- same time, however, I am determined der to pen my story authentically. Writ- stating they not only identified with me
Lucy’s remarkable life. As with every ran. But the Nazis have learned about in my books to create a narrative, to ing a memoir is very different from and my dilemmas, but also were left
book, it takes a bit of detective work. the meeting and Hitler sees it as his last have characters that lead the reader other forms of writing since it demands with insights regarding their own cul-
What lessons or message do you chance to turn the tide of World War II. through the action. Therefore, before I a deeply personal archaeological dig, tural conflicts, their own relationships
hope readers will take away from take on a project, I need to see if there along with the willingness to expose with parents and siblings, their own
your book that will be pertinent to is sufficient source material – memoirs, oneself and become intimately known journeys. The predominant takeaways
our world today? documents, letters, contemporaneous by total strangers. Writing an open and I often hear from others are of hope,
Faster is a David vs. Goliath tale, news reports and interviews – that will honest memoir requires not only hard resilience and perseverance. Readers
one about a small, unlikely band of allow me to recreate what my charac- work but the courage to reveal. tell me they feel inspired by my ability
strivers who take on the monolithic ters are thinking and feeling through- What lessons do you hope people to hold onto my core, intrigued by my
Third Reich motor champions. Lucy out the story. When I found the source take away from your book? feelings of otherness, and how I found
material for Night of the Assassins, I I didn’t write Concealed with the continued on next page
felt confident I could tell a true story
that was also exciting and suspenseful.
What is it that you hope readers Temple Beth Sholom
will take away from your book?
I’d like readers to be caught up in Sarasota's Conservative Synagogue
what is a real-life thriller. Yet, at the
same time, I’d hope that they’d see welcomes you!
how close the plot came to succeeding,
Howard Blum how close history moved toward being
Howard Blum is the author of The changed forever during five days in
New York Times best seller and Edgar Tehran in 1943.
Award win ner Amer i can Lightning as Esther Amini / Concealed
well as Want ed!, The Gold of Exo- Esther Amini’s mem oir, Con cealed,
dus, Gang land, The Floor of Heav en Memoir of a Jewish-Iranian Daugh-
and a 2018 New York Times Notable ter Caught Between the Chador and
Book, In the Enemy’s House. While America, is a provoca tive com ing-of-
at The New York Times, he was twice age saga, recount ing her youth and
nom i nat ed for a Pulitzer Prize for ear ly adulthood as a first-gen er a tion
inves tiga tive report ing. Iran ian-Amer i can Jew ish woman in
What was it that first attracted the 1950s and ’60s. Her person al strug-
you to the theme or subject of your gles are inter twined with her his to ry
book? and cul ture, as she recounts the sto ry
I first heard about this story after of her Jew ish ances tors. At Temple Beth Sholom, everyone is welcome!
Russia decided the time had finally Esther Ami ni is a writer, painter Now, as always, TBS is your home.
come, a full 70 years after the end of and psy cho an a lyt ic psy chother a pist
WWII, to crank open their vaults and in pri vate prac tice. Her short sto ries
release a trove of previously secret have appeared in Elle, Lilith, Tab- Daily morning Minyan 8:00 a.m.
documents that told an extraordinary let, The Jew ish Week, Barnard Mag- Tues. Swimming in the Sea of Talmud 11:00 a.m.
story – a German commando mission azine and Prox im i ty. She was named Wed. Gutsy Torah 11:00 a.m.
to kill the three Allied leaders during one of Aspen Words’ two best-emerg- Friday night service 6:30 p.m.
the Tehran Conference in November ing mem oirists and award ed its Emerg-
1943. Was this true? I wondered. And ing Writer Fel low ship in 2016 based Saturday morning service 10:00 a.m.
Various classes and special events!
For a complete schedule Visit our website or Facebook page for more details

of events, admission "Where community is family and egalitarian Conservative Judaism

information, author bios thrives in Sarasota through prayer, learning, and community service.”
PEOPLE OF THE BOOK 1050 South Tuttle Avenue Sarasota, FL

and book synopses, 941.955.8121 TempleBethSholomFL
visit jfedsrq.org/books. Info@TempleBethSholomFL.org Temple.Beth.Sholom
www.TempleBethSholomFL.org