Does your family have roots on the Lower East Side in New York?  The immigration stories of the turn of the century have long been a passion of mine and I am very pleased to be doing a special talk on this subject next week in Boca Raton, Florida.

Today, I am busy editing the finishing touches on one of the videos I will be including in the presentation which will be on April 3rd at the Sandler Center of the Adolph and Rose Levis Jewish Community Center.

JCC University Series

This is part of the Levis JCC Sandler Center Adult University Lecture series and I am very honored to have been invited to speak about Jewish immigration, with a particular emphasis on New York City.

My interest in Jewish migration grew out of the research I began many years ago for my historical fiction novel Ravenscraig. Since then I have become fascinated with the Lower East Side of New York and I look forward to sharing the stories that I have learned and the marvelous old photographs I have found in the archives of the Library of Congress on line.

Photos and Music

I am particularly drawn to the photos of families at work and will be including a discussion about the sweatshops and what that meant for the littliest workers. The presentation features a video montage of archival photos.

I find these kinds of talks are particularly appealing to people who have a passion for learning their family histories.  For me, learning about the past, and the hardships that had to be overcome is very inspiring.

A Celebration of Family Roots

Whether your family landed in New York, or Chicago or on a farm in Manitoba, as mine did, there is a common experience and a great value in learning the stories of our families.

I am grateful that my ancestors had the determination and grit to make a go of it in the “New World” and indeed, that they were courageous enough to take the plunge.  It was this interest in my family history that inspired me to write Ravenscraig.

Levis JCC Sandler Center:  April 3 at 1:00 p.m.

Please do join me at the Sandler Center on April 3, 2013, if you happen to be in South Florida next week.   For reservations and information, call 561-558-2520.

Book signing to follow the presentation.  See you there. 🙂