Tuesday, May 9, 12 pm, Zoom
The upcoming online event with Frank, author of One Hundred Saturdays: Stella Levi and the Search for a Lost World, promises to offer an insightful and thought-provoking discussion outlining six years’ worth of weekend meetings between Frank and Levi – uncovering the many layers of Levi’s life. The event is hosted by United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and Simon Family JCC in partnership with UJFT’s Holocaust Commission.
Born and raised in the old Sephardic Jewish quarter of the island of Rhodes, Levi tells Frank what it felt like to come of age on an Italian island in the eastern Aegean. In July 1943, Nazi soldiers rounded up all 1,700-plus residents of the Jewish quarter – the Juderia – and sent them first by boat and then by train to Auschwitz on the longest journey experienced by any deportees during the Holocaust. Ninety percent of Rhode’s Jews were murdered upon arrival.
In the book, readers are treated to a rich tapestry of family history, cultural insights, and personal reflection.
During the virtual Zoom event, Frank will speak about the research process that went into creating One Hundred Saturdays. He will also discuss the challenges of delving into family history and the emotions that arose while writing. Attendees will be able to ask questions and engage in a dialogue with the author.
This program is free and open to the community. Registration is required in advance to receive the Zoom link. To register, visit JewishVA.org/BookFest, or contact Hunter Thomas, director of Arts + Ideas at UJFT, at HThomas@UJFT.org.
This event is presented as part of the Lee & Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival, which is held in coordination with the Jewish Book Council, the longest-running organization devoted exclusively to the support and celebration of Jewish literature.
-Hunter Thomas