Page 7 - Jewish News_December 2021

FEDERATION NEWS December 2021 7A

People of the Book author/lecture series continues People of the Book...continued from previous page League of Nations); education for all King and Queen of England in order to
What led you to write this book?
Unexpected Spy, Walder shares her per-
with three Zoom events in December sonal account of a young woman who Elisha family, who lived in the Jewish (including women); state, rather than help him achieve that.
I was researching my family, the
church-sanctioned relief for the poor;
I also wanted the reader to get
went straight from her college sorority
to the CIA, where she hunted terrorists quarter of London in the 18 century. In hospitals for the mentally and phys- a sense of the humor of the period.
th
and weapons of mass destruction. As my research of London’s Spanish and ically sick funded by the state; and Vives declares, “What we can laugh
Publishers Weekly noted, “A thrilling Portuguese Jewish community, I stum- even for the proper care and rights of at, we can rise above.” And despite all
tale… Walder’s fast-paced and intense bled across many interesting historical animals. I feel that many of his causes the darkness of the events of the era, I
narrative opens a window into life in characters, none more so than Juan lie in his humanist education, but also wanted the characters to appear as ful-
two of America’s major intelligence Luis Vives, who was part of the royal within his Jewish family background. ly three-dimensional with all of their
agencies.” court during the tumultuous years of What do you hope people will human strengths and frailties. Most of
What led you to write this book? Henry VIII’s reign in the 1520s. When take away from reading this book? all, I wanted to bring this important,
My husband had always encour- I came across Vives and his story, I was As a former archaeologist, I want- but largely forgotten character of Juan
aged me to write convinced that there would be a book ed the reader to feel authentically im- Luis Vives and the small community of
a book, but I had or a film about him. I was surprised to mersed in the time and place – that Jews in Tudor London to the attention
put it off. Once I find that there wasn’t, so I got to work is, in the heart of Europe and London of readers.
had a daughter, on writing it myself! I found him to be in the 1520s and 1530s. I wanted to Tickets
I realized that it a most complex and fascinating char- evoke a sense of the sights, smells and Tickets to the three December events,
was important acter. Although he left a vast amount atmosphere of the time. I also wanted which are available via Zoom, are $10
for her to have a of writing, he led a double life, keeping the reader to be aware, from the inside each per household. For reservations to
record of what I so much of himself and his background out, of the complexities of leading the these and all remaining People of the
did. hidden. Despite that, he wasn’t afraid double life that Vives had to live in or- Book events, please visit jfedsrq.org/
Was there der to stay alive and in order to give his books. There, you will also find infor-
one moment, in family and community the best chance mation on Sponsor benefits, the Page
your work with the CIA, of which of survival. His family remained in Turner Pass and becoming a VIP Page
you are particularly proud? Spain while he had escaped, and it was Turner.
Unfortunately, I am not cleared by important for me to convey a sense of Need information not found on the
the CIA to speak of any of the attacks what he endured and the internal con- website, or want to be a Sponsor? Con-
that I stopped, and those include the flict around that, while trying to reunite tact Jeremy Lisitza at jlisitza@jfedsrq.
moments of which I am most proud. his family from afar, leaning on the org or at 941.343.2113.
What message do you hope peo-
ple take away from reading this
book?
That we need to move away from PaiSanO’s 941.926.8422
stereotyping people in careers. This has 2732 Stickney Point Road
a significant impact on who ultimately to challenge popes and kings, and to IT ALIAN B AKER Y
seeks these careers. You do not need to question the barbarity of the Inquisi- 2019
tr
S

udel
•
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change who you are to fit into anyone’s tion. I became interested in getting to •Rugalach • Strudel
stereotypes. know him from the inside out, which • H aman taschen
•Hamantaschen
Tim Darcy Ellis: is why I wrote this in the first person. BEST
LOCAL
The Secret Diaries of Juan Luis Vives What was the most surprising BAKERY PaisanosItalianBakery.com WINNER
continued on next page Tim Darcy Ellis is a writer, physiother- thing you learned during your re-
apist, business owner and, formerly, a search for the book?
professional archaeologist. He stud- I was most surprised to learn B"H
ied archaeology at the University of about the complexity of the position
York and worked on various sites of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews in C h a b a d o f D o w n t o w n S R Q i n v i t e s y o u t o a n
throughout England and Wales. He is the post-Inquisition period and what
lengths they went to in order to retain
their identity and traditions. Whether
they left Spain, were forcibly convert- o u t d o o r M E N O R A H
ed, willingly converted, partially con-
verted or simply pretended to convert
to Christianity, they were really in a l i g h T I N G
no-win situation. Despite being among
the best educated and most influential
Jews in Europe in the Middle Ages,
their community was completely dec-
imated in the 15 and 16 centuries,
th
th
yet somehow vestiges of the Sephardic
tradition have survived.
There was a small Sephardic Jew-
ish community in England throughout
Tim Darcy Ellis the Tudor period and it had import-
currently Managing Director of Prin- ant trading links with communities
cipal Physiotherapist at Excel Physio- in Europe, most notably in the Span-
therapy and Wellness in Australia. In ish Netherlands and in the Ottoman T u e s d a y
his book, The Secret Diaries of Juan Empire. Vives, like most of the com- NOV. * M E N O R A H L I G H T I N G
Luis Vives, Ellis reveals the story of this munity, was a ‘converso,’ somebody 30 * l A T K E S
Spanish Jew and leading Renaissance who outwardly practiced Christianity, * D O N U T S
humanist. Though Vives was not well though we know many continued to * M U S I C
known, Ellis says, “Vives was very practice ‘crypto-Judaism’ in secret. As 5:00pm
important in the 16 century and con- his family was being picked off one
th
tributed to making the world a better by one by the Inquisition, he advo- A T S t . a R M A N D S
place.” cated for world peace (championing a C I R C L E

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and a 16-page brochure, C a F l o : r 9 m 1 o - r 9 e 2 i 8 n - f 9 o 2 : 6 7
4
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visit jfedsrq.org/books. E - m a w i l : w R w a . b b h i a @ b C a h d a o b f a d o o w f D t o o w n n t S o R w Q n S c R o Q . c o m
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