Have you read anything by Amos Oz?

By Ida Margolis and Shelley Lieb

Since you are reading this article, you are a reader. That’s a good thing for many reasons. There are a lot more talkers than readers. Even though many adults read very few books, that is not the case in Greater Naples (Collier and Lee Counties) where there are numerous book clubs and book discussions, wonderful libraries, book festivals and author presentations. So, why does GenShoah have a yearly book presentation, and why has it recently started a book group?

Each year a committee selects a book for discussion at the GenShoah Annual Potluck. They review a variety of books they think our members would have an interest in. Information about the selected book and author is shared with members in advance of the event. One of the favorites among all the 2Gs was “Displaced Persons: Growing Up American After the Holocaust” by Joseph Berger. The selection for this year’s potluck presentation is “A Tale of Love and Darkness.” While the Holocaust is not the focus of this book, it is often a thread as the author, Amos Oz, tells the story of his youth, set against the backdrop of the end of the British Mandate for Palestine and the early years of the State of Israel. The book is a family saga, but it also describes the lives of a number of Jews living in Jerusalem in the 1930s.

Amos Oz is regarded as one of the best-known Israeli writers. Having written over 40 books, his work has been published in 45 languages — more than any other Israeli writer. An Israeli author has never before been selected for our discussion.

Since there is so much interest from GenShoah members for book discussions, member Estelle Kafer has started a GenShoah book discussion group. The first book that this group will discuss next season will be “The People on the Beach: Journeys to Freedom After the Holocaust” by Rose Whitehouse. Kafer did a great job last season discussing a number of Holocaust books and brought, via Zoom, Rebecca Donner, the author of the Chautauqua Prize winning book “All the Frequent Troubles of our Days: The True Story of the American Woman at the Heart of the German Resistance to Hitler.” If you haven’t read the book, you are always welcome to listen. GenShoah welcomes members and guests to all events, but remember that RSVPs are required.

A complete list of all programs, including the book discussions, will be in the next issue of the this paper and will be included in future GenShoah communications.

Remember, you do not have to be a child of Holocaust survivors to join GenShoah. You only need an interest in our mission statement, which includes promoting Holocaust education and human rights, preserving the history and memories of the Holocaust, connecting with descendants of Holocaust survivors and supporting the Holocaust Museum & Cohen Education Center. If you are interested in more information, please email GenShoah SWFL@hmcec.org.