ARTS&LIFE BOOKS
Ties with India New book looks at synergies between Judaism and Indian religions. SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
E
xperiences gained during 20 trips to India and more times to Israel, joined with research gleaned from dozens of texts, enter into the pages of Susan Adelman’s third book, From Jerusalem to Delhi, through Persia (Gorgias Press), published this March. Adelman, a Southfield resident active with Adat Shalom Synagogue, Susan is scheduling preAdelman sentations to introduce her book-expressed impressions exploring interreligious connections — from legends, through customs
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and into languages. Two speaking/book-signing engagements represent the religious reach of her chapters: 3:30 p.m. Sunday, March 27, at Adat Shalom in Farmington Hills and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, April 3, at the Bharatiya Temple in Troy. “I’ve allowed myself to tell personal stories and to express my feelings about India, as well as spiritual and mystical experiences, in a way that I’ve never allowed myself to express before,” Adelman said. “My first book, The Rebel: A Biography of Ram Jethmalani, is about an extremely famous Indian lawyer and friend, and I felt my job was to tell his story
and not intrude with my own thoughts. My second book, After Saturday Comes Sunday, is the history of the last living people who speak Aramaic.” Adelman, 80, a retired pediatric surgeon who continues a longtime professional sideline of
artistry — painting early on and making silver jewelry now — became curious about India in the 1970s. A neighbor working with traditional Indian textiles stirred her interest in seeing more authentic artistry. “I had no exposure to the Indian religions until my husband, Martin, and I went to India,” Adelman said. Initially impressed with the architectural artistry of the temples, she made a point of getting to know about the beliefs expressed inside and the people who expressed them. Describing herself as “scholarly by nature,” Adelman launched her own book studies back home, and as her learning expanded, she became engrossed with new notions of religion, spirituality and mysticism.
Adelm India
