Monday, May 6 at 7:30 PM
On Yom HaShoah, we commemorate the millions of Jews massacred by the Nazis and reflect on the stories of Holocaust survivors. During this year’s evening service at Temple Emanu-El Rabbi Appell will interview Keren Blankfeld, noted journalist and author of “Lovers in Auschwitz—A True Story, ” just released in January 2024.
Blankfeld, who recently spoke about her deeply researched book to a full house at the 92nd Street Y explained, ‘“Lovers in Auschwitz: A True Story” began as an unlikely love story that I reported for the New York Times in 2019. As I dug deeper, I discovered it was so much more than that. It’s about the quiet resistance that thrived in the women’s camp in Auschwitz. It’s about Zippi and David, two young people who lost everyone and everything and rebuilt incredible lives. It’s about the power of hope, grit and resilience.”
Join us for this meaningful discussion.
Praise for the book from mainstream and Jewish media:
“A story of instant love and poignant loss … [Lovers in Auschwitz] captures the miracle of love in a place of horror and reminds us that, at the very moment the world is tearing us apart, certain forces might bring us back together.”—Jewish Book Council
“Lovers in Auschwitz adds to the history of resistance during the Holocaust and is an example of a rare story of joy during an incredibly dark time.”—Time Magazine
“A remarkable love story.”—The New York Times Book Review“
Zippi and David are both lovingly rendered. And in focusing on them, the book does implicitly honor the full humanity of two survivors — recapturing the texture of their origins, their hopes and dreams, and their complex lives, rather than merely their presence at one of history’s most unfathomable, tragic episodes.”—Washington Post
“Keren Blankfeld’s gripping Lovers in Auschwitz, written with the page-turning intensity of a good novel, tells one such story. — The Forward
“A complicated, important story, told with great care.”— Los Angeles Times
““A page-turning account of [an] unlikely love story… Fast-paced and novelistic, this is a moving demonstration of the ability to find love in the darkest places.” ―Publishers Weekly
“This searing true story shows the human spirit transcending horrific suffering.”—People Magazine
“Moving and tragic… A true tale of love amid unimaginable suffering.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Lovers in Auschwitz” will be available for sale at the event and may also be ordered here.
Attend the book signing immediately following the evening’s event.