MEDIA KIT
By June Hersh
FOREWORD
BY DANIEL BOULUD
20 23
Food, Hope & Resilience: Authentic Recipes and Remarkable Stories from Holocaust Survivors
by June Hersh, Foreword by Daniel BouludOnsale:11/20/2023
Price:$29.99
Pages:332
ISBN: 9781467155397
About the Book
This vital collection of survivor stories uplifts and inspires alongside recipes that nourish your soul. Read about daring partisans who fought in the woods, hidden children who sought comfort from strangers and those who endured unimaginable internment. For Holocaust survivors, food was a way to connect their lives before the war with the homes they created after. Their kitchens were filled with the aromas of familiar foods like chicken soup and brisket, while unfamiliar delights they adopted, like arroz con pollo and gnocchi, became part of their repertoire. These are the recipes they share with you. Culinary icons such as Michael Solomonov, Jonathan Waxman, Ina Garten and more contribute their own recipes as tribute to the remarkable survivor community. Author June Hersh gives readers a taste of history and a life-affirmingmessagethathonorsthelegacyofHolocaustsurvivors.
A portion of the proceeds from sales of this book will benefit organizations committed to Holocaust education.
To request a copy for review or to set up an interview with the author, contact Maddison Potter at mpotter@arcadiapublishing.com.
About the Author
June Feiss Hersh grew up in New Rochelle, New York. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in elementary education. She holds a master’s degree in gifted and talented education and taught third and fourth grade before joining her family’s lighting business. When her family sold the company in 2004, June’s sister remarked, “We did well, now let’s do good.” That’s when June embarked on her food writing career, penningcookbookswithacharitableflavor.She hasauthoredfivebookswithafocusontheHolocaust, Jewish food and food history, all of which have generated proceeds for charitable organizations. Proceeds from the sale of this book will benefit those committed to teaching the lessons of the Holocaust. June was a featured guest on QVC’s In the Kitchen with David, has given hundreds of book talks in connection with her published works and writes extensively for food blogs and magazines. She is a member of the New York chapter of Les Dames D’Escoffier, a philanthropic organization of female leaders in the food, wine and beverage industry, and serves on the advisory board of the Catskills Borscht Belt Museum. When not cooking or writing, June enjoys traveling, playing with her dog Mallomar and, most of all, being called Nana by Henry, Daisy and Aria. She resides in Bedford, New York, with her husband of forty-seven years. To provide feedback, inquireaboutspeakingengagementsorjusttochat, email:junehersh@gmail.com.
About Arcadia Publishing
Asthenation’sleadingpublisherofbooksoflocalnonfictionandrarely exploredpocketsofhistory,Arcadia’smissionistoconnectpeoplewith theirpast,withtheircommunities,andwithoneanother.Arcadiahasan extraordinarycatalogof17,000titlesexploringthestoryofAmericaone city,state,orcountyatatime,includingtitlesfromArcadiaChildren’s Booksandthe100-year-oldstalwartpublisher,PelicanPublishing.
HUNGARY AND CZECHOSLOVAKIA
The war came late to Hungary, but the Final Solution, Hitler’s plan to eradicate Jews from all of Europe, was swift and brutal. Between the start of their invasion in March 1944 until the end of the war, more than half a million Hungarian Jews were deported and murdered, mainly in Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Czechoslovakia’s trajectory was different from Hungary’s, in that its land was annexed years before, as part of a concession to Germany by ally nations. In the end, their fates were similar, as more than a quarter of a million Czech Jews perished. You might notice that our Hungarian and Czech survivors were a bit camera shy, but that doesn’t diminish their intense pride in their culture and culinary efforts.
These two countries share borders, which help define their shared cuisine. Their cooking highlights big flavors—handfuls of dill, potfuls of meat—and bellyfuls of rustic home cooking. Hungarian and Czech cuisine was very much influenced by the area’s natural resources. Because this region is truly landlocked, fish preparations took a back seat to game, poultry
and beef. There is a rich tradition of inventive vegetable preparations, hearty soups, rich goulash and everything paprikash! Hungary is forever linked to the small red pepper plant from which paprika is harvested. Many American cooks add paprika for the color it imbues rather than the flavor it imparts. Hungarians have known for centuries that paprika’s spicy and potent properties help kick the taste up a notch. In a most interesting twist of fate, in 1937, Dr. Szent Gyorgyi, a Hungarian national, won the Nobel Prize for his work with paprika pepper pods. As the political climate began to change in Hungary, Dr. Gyorgyi facilitated the escape of his Jewish friends, worked with the underground resistance and even used his notoriety as a scientist to secretly negotiate with the Allies on behalf of his government. Our Hungarian and Czech survivors are a living reminder of staunch fortitude. It is with great respect that we present the moving stories and piquant recipes remembered by these intrepid survivors.
