TEN LESSONS LEARNED ON MY BOOK TOUR

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I am 35,000 miles above earth, on a Jet Blue flight, heading home after a two week book tour. In my exhaustion, many emotions are rushing through my brain and body.  I met so many wonderful people and visited so many interesting places.  I can’t sort them all out just now, but here are 10 lessons learned:

Holocaust fatigue is not as bad as I thought – Many Jews are genuinely still interested in hearing stories of survivors and learning lessons to enrich our lives;
There are radically different kinds of Synagogues, each with its own character and personality; it can be seen in the spaces created and in the people who inhabit the spaces, striving to  make a purposeful community;
Whether a Jewish community is large or small, there are people who are passionate about making meaning in their Jewish lives, learning new things, and searching out ways to connect to others;
Hotel rooms are not all created equal;
My son Jack is still well loved and remembered in the Boston community;
How PR is done for an event really matters;
If you keep nudging editors of Jewish newspapers, you may get an article;
Dallas-Ft. Worth airport is one of the most insane places in the world;
Always take a non-stop flight – if at all possible;
The kindness of people is a powerful and beautiful thing – let’s pay it forward.

Here are all the amazing places I spoke over the past two weeks:

November 4 – Har Zion Temple– Philadelphia, PA
November 7 – Congregation Beth El – Springfield, MA (in partnership with the Springfield JCC)
November 10 – El Paso Holocaust Museum – El Paso, TX (in partnership with Congregation B’nai Zion)
November 12 – Millis High School (350 students) – Millis, MA [PHOTO ON TOP FROM MILLIS HIGH SCHOOL – JEFF COTTON, SEAN HAVILAND AND MR. MULLANEY]
November 12 – Congregation Beth Abraham – Nashua, NH
November 13 – Private Home – Newton, MA
November 13 – Congregation Shaarie Tefillah – Newton, MA
November 14 – Temple Beth Elohim – Wellesley, MA
November 16 – Torathon -Worcester, MA

Thank you to all the people who made this wonderful book tour possible. You have enriched my life.

A special thanks for the Jewish Book Council for including me in the author’s network for 2019-2020.

Stay tuned – next post will be part II about Susan Neiman’s book – Learning from the Germans.

Tomorrow – I get to spend time with this beautiful baby.  Can’t wait.

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