Welcome to Gerisa Books
Where History & Stories Come Alive
ABOUT US
Hello. We are the authors and editors of the titles featured on Gerisabooks.org. Missing Pieces: A Family Story Retold and Our Story: Martha & Pinkas Isaak are about family, survival, unimaginable loss, and the challenges of starting over in new lands during some of the most difficult times in human history.
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My name is Beth. I am originally from the American Midwest. I moved to the New York area many years ago and have lived here ever since. I am an educator with 40 years of experience working with students and teachers from the primary grades through graduate school. My doctorate is in Language, Literacy and Learning from the Graduate School of Education at Fordham University.
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David is the translator, graphic designer and co-author of our books. His parents fled Germany in December 1938, only months before David was born. He grew up in England, Israel, and upper Manhattan after the family's move to America in 1953. For many years, David was a dentist, applying his design skills to making beautiful smiles. We have four children and four grandchildren
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Today, we are writers, travelers, and gallery educators at the Museum of Jewish Heritage-A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in lower Manhattan. We welcome your participation as we continue our journey.
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ENDORSEMENTS
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"This remarkable story reminds us that the things that matter most should not be taken for granted. May the legacy of missing loved ones inspire us to remember them not only in our words but in our deeds. That is what they would want and certainly deserve"
Rabbi joseph Potasnik
Executive Vice President
New York Board of Rabbis
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Six million is a number. But behind that almost unfathomable statistic are real stories of hope, despair, panic and occasional salvation. Missing Pieces is based on real letters written by members of one extended family that was spread all over Europe (Germany, Poland, Lithuania, England, Hungary, Portugal — even Cuba!) during the late 1930s and early 1940s.
Missing Pieces relates a riveting experience — precisely because of its immediacy and the heartfelt longings for normalcy that utterly eluded both those who escaping the Holocaust and those caught in its midst.
The book is full of the original letters (mostly in German), along with their translation into English. There are numerous family photographs and background explanations that place the correspondence in a proper historical context.
Overall, Missing Pieces has been produced with meticulous care — nothing “missing” here from an historical standpoint! Highly recommended for readers interested in the “nitty-gritty” of life disassembled during this horrific era.
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Professor Sam Lehman-Wilzig
School of Communication (Chairman 2014-2016)
Bar-Ilan University, ISRAEL