The World That We Knew @hoffmanwriter @simonandschuster #ww2 #holocaust #mysticism #magic #fairytale #jewishfolklore @absltmom

When looking for a book that seamlessly combines mysticism, Jewish folklore, magic, and reality, one should look no further than an Alice Hoffman book. In this, her newest book, Ms Hoffman combines a tale of magic with a story of the Holocaust and creates a narrative that is spellbinding and emotional.

https://www.beliefnet.com/faiths/judaism/8-fascinating-jewish-myths.aspx

“If you are loved, you never lose the person who loved you. You carry them with you all your life.”

As a parent, we always want to keep our children safe. I think as a mother it is an intrinsic part of our DNA to want to nurture and save our children from the inherent dangers of the world we live in. So it was for Hanni Kohn, whose daughter, Lea is in danger. For this is a family of Jews, and the tempest of what is to be are blowing their ill winds in their direction. How can Hanni save her beloved daughter though is the issue but when she goes to a well known rabbi seeking help, it is his daughter, Ettie, who provides the path to embark upon. For it is Ettie who is able to create a golum, made of clay and breathed into this world as a woman, whose purpose is to protect and defend Lea. It is a time of great sorrow for the Holocaust is upon them and Jews are being rounded up at all hours of the day and night to be transported and eventually exterminated.

The stoy centers on three women, Ana, the created golum charged with Lea’s protection, Lea, and Etti. Lea and Ana travel to a convent from Paris where Lea meets a young boy she is destined to love. Ana also meets something to love in the form of a heron, who comes to her bidding and dances with Ana in the moonlight. They fall in love as well, the perfect blending of the mystical and the beauty of this glorious bird who does Ana’s bidding. Etti, meanwhile is in hiding until the time comes for her to be the fighter she is destined to be.

This is indeed a riveting tale, one where death is around every corner, where the loss of a mother is so intertwined with a young life being led. It is the story of the mystical, the magical, and most of all the ability to feel that in so much loss, there is and can be happiness. Stay alive is the goal. Be someone to witness the tragedies. Be a reminder of what a world full of hatred can do, but most of all remember from where you came, who you are, and how through the love of a mother the magical became reality and the love was passed from a creature created from clay to a daughter made of flesh and blood.

A truly remarkable story that will appeal to those who find magic in life and love, and the healing that comes from where and when we least expect it. Do yourself a favor and do not miss this book. It will, in all its sadness, make you happy to be a witness to this story.

and here’s the author

https://evergreenpodcasts.com/professional-book-nerds/alice-hoffman

Interview starts at 4minutes 45 seconds