Rosalia’s Hand

A life of an ordinary Jewish woman during an extraordinary century. A work-in-progress.

For many years now I have been working, on and off, on a book proposal; a family story, dedicated to my great grandma, Rosalia. Here is the opening chapter of the draft. I’ve gone back and forth about sharing this because it feels quite personal. It’s a piece about identity, family memory, and what surfaced for me during 2022. But it also feels important to put it into the world rather than keep working on it in silence.

If you have thoughts on how it reads — or if it brings up memories from your own family — I’d genuinely appreciate hearing from you in the comments. Stories of how we inherit the past, or how it shapes us during difficult moments, always feel less heavy when shared.

Thank you for reading.

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