I haven't checked the weather, but I know it is a perfect day to chat about adult Jewish literature. I'm Sheryl Stahl. Thanks for joining me here at Nice Jewish Books. I am happy to meet Kim Salzman, author of Straddling Black and White. Welcome, Kim.
Thank you Sheryl. Nice to meet you.
You too. So can you please tell me about your book?
Sure, so Straddling Black and White as a historical fiction novel based on Ethiopian Aliyah to Israel. Aliyah meaning immigration to Israel, which specifically focusing on what's known as Operation Moses, which was the massive aliyah of Ethiopian Jews from Ethiopia, where they when they transited, from Ethiopia, to Sudan, and then to Israel. And my book focuses on one Ethiopian Jewish family who gets split apart during this aliyah, where the father, Tegede makes aliya first to Israel, leaving his family behind in Ethiopia, and then his 14 year old daughter Azmera follows in his footsteps. She makes the journey to Sudan and actually ends up getting stuck in Sudan for a period of time and then in a refugee camp. And the mother Tegest is left behind in Ethiopia, really left behind to raise single handedly her four and five eventually children, that she needs to take care of it for many years to come. So the story focuses on those three different characters Kebede mostly in Israel, Azmera on her journey to Israel. And then once she arrives in Israel, and Tigest left behind in Ethiopia.
Yeah, it was wonderful learning about those family dynamics. But I want to go back a little bit. And can you tell me about the origins of the Jewish community in Ethiopia, and what their life was like, historically, and then more recently,
So the exact origins of Ethiopian Jewry, which are also Ethiopian Jews are known as Beta Israel or the house of Israel. They're, they're not entirely confirmed. Some people believe that maybe they were descendants of the lost tribe, one of the lost tribes, the tribe of Dan Dan, other people think that maybe they are descendants of King Solomon, and Queen Shiva. It's not 100% certain, you know, where they emerged from, but they they lived as a Jews for 1000s of years in Ethiopia, and they were really cut off from the rest of the Jewish world. And so, you know, even as late as in the late 1900s, they weren't aware that there were other Jewish communities outside of Ethiopia, they thought that they were the only Jews left since the destruction of second temple. And they continued to preserve Jewish traditions and to, you know, to be incredibly connected to their Jewish heritage and religion, for this, you know, for 1000s of years. And then in the in the late 1900s, they discovered that there was an entire Jewish world out there that they weren't aware of, they actually thought that they didn't know there was such a thing as a white Jew, they thought that only the Jews were only black. It was a new revelation to them. So in the in the 1980s, government of Israel's was prepared to be asked for them to make Aliyah and they embarked on multiple covert operations, bringing them to Israel first through actually the Red Sea. There's next flip, Netflix movies about it a movie about it called the Dead Sea, the red sea diving resort, where they were brought to Ethiopia through a fake diving resort or diving club, I think it might have been called. And that was established by the Mossad by the Israeli government
Wow! I never heard of that. I'll definitely have to look that up.
Yeah, it's a very interesting movie. But then after that was sort of that operation was shut down. And then the Israeli government and the Jewish Agency for Israel, they moved on to Operation Moses, which is what the book is really focused on, which took brought 8000 Ethiopian Jews from Ethiopia to Israel via Sudan. And all of these Jews made all these Ethiopian Jews made the harrowing journey from Ethiopia, most of them coming from Northern Ethiopia, and the Gondar region, which is where the family in my book also comes from a journey by foot from Ethiopia to Sudan where they had to deal with the elements very difficult terrain with bandits with Ethiopian police officers and Sudanese police and police officers threatening to, you know, to arrest them or or even worse, and of course, lack of food and water.
There was a drought and famine
Correct. And while 8000 Jews actually made it to Israel and operation Moses 4000 died on the way
Wow,
Most Ethiopian Jews who made it to Israel during Operation Moses lost a family member along the way. They certainly know if people if they didn't lose one directly in their family they know of somebody who passed away in the refugee camp or on the journey. It was an incredibly difficult journey. And they came to Israel with the most sort of Zionistic love for Israel motivations of, you know, just incredible. They had been yearning to return to Israel for 1000s of years. And this was their first opportunity to do so in mass. And, and they risked their lives, they truly risked their lives in order to make it happen.
Yeah, that's amazing. Why was Why did it have to be covert? Why wouldn't Ethiopia, let them just leave?
Ethiopia did not have diplomatic relations with Israel at the time. So there was no way for Ethiopian Jews to fly from Ethiopia to Israel. So the airlift had to take place out of Sudan and Ethiopia, or Israel didn't have diplomatic relations as relationships with Sudan either. But there was money involved. And so Sudan was willing to look the other way. Until there were newspaper articles in the US reporting that the operation was taking place, it got leaked, and then once it was leaked, in the media, Sudan wanted to shut the operation down. And that's why Azmera when she she makes it to the refugee camp after the operation has already come to an end. And that's why she's sort of in limbo in the refugee camp in Sudan, waiting for who knows how long until the operation is resumed. And she ultimately makes it to Israel. But she's but she's in the camp for several months waiting.
All right, well, that is so fascinating. And thank you for filling me in on more of the context, some of that appears in the books, but some of that obviously didn't. But I want to go back to the characters. So Kebede and Tigest married when she was just 13. And typically, they did marry young, but she was even younger than then typical. And his view of their relationship greatly changed throughout the book. So on one hand, when his daughter when his oldest daughter reached the age that tickets had been when he married her, he suddenly started feeling very uncomfortable with the way he had treated his then very young wife. And on the other hand, when he got to Israel, he realized how much he loved and missed Tigest. So can you kind of reflect on the the journey of their relationship?
Sure. So I think that what I really tried to portray about Kebede's journey, not just his journey to Israel, but his personal journey with himself. growth journey is that he's a really complex person, this is a person who whose name means means hard or, you know, strongly key he was raised to be strong and stoic and not to show emotions. And he was encouraged by his parents that this you know, marrying this was part of the the culture marrying at a very young age. And so he was sort of following what you know what others did in his village and what was the norm when he married Tigest, but he wasn't ever able to open up his heart to her, because of his stoicism, and, and Tigest, of course, held a great deal of resentment towards him for the way that he treated her in the first, you know, in the beginning of their marriage, ironically, she starts to sort of soften towards him as the years go by, because he made her a mother, he brought her her first daughter, you know, because of him, she had Azmera and, and, and Azmera, as you know, one of the greatest loves of her life, including her other as well as her other children. And but when when Kebede comes to Israel, you know, they say absence makes the heart grow fonder. And so you know, his distance from from Tigest, and reflecting on the relationship and reflecting on the way that he had treated her over the years. And, and, and reflecting on, you know, how much that she had, what a burden he placed on her, both before leaving Ethiopia, and after leaving, he, he learned to really develop a great respect for her, but also his love for her increased as he was distant from her. And he wasn't he's not the sort of man that's comfortable with expressing emotions. So for him to express any sentiments of love to Tigest it was difficult for him to do in person somehow, he's able to do it more I'm easily through letter writing. And a letter writing I think sort of softens his heart and he's able to let his soft side shine through in his letters that he wouldn't have been able to if he were in person to Tigest.
And part of his transformation. This journey for him and changing is, for better or for worse is experience in the absorption center in Dimona, where they're trying to teach all of the all the recent only about modern life about Israeli culture. And in some ways, they directly criticized the Ethiopian culture. And one thing that was a major deal was that these young marriages, you know, they said in Israel, that was not okay. It was not permitted. And that was a real struggle for them. And there were just so many things that he had to get used to the language, the transportation, and it seemed like sometimes the big things were easier to deal with than the little things. So can you can you talk about the deodorant issue?
Sure. So I'll start off by saying that I think that the Government of Israel when they brought Ethiopian Jews, they had like really the best of intentions to, to help them to integrate successfully into Israeli society. So they can be a full, you know, fully Israeli, but they when they wanted them to become fully Israeli, they wanted them to sort of leave behind their Ethiopian heritage at the same time. And so, for example, Kebede, they, they wanted him to change his name to fear so that he sounds more Israeli. They wanted him to, you know, to Yeah, to undergo circumcision, which I don't, we can get into that later if you want. But their intentions were good, but they weren't well thought out. Because what ended up happening is that it was insulting to Ethiopians who had had the culture and heritage of 1000s of years that they were proud of, and rightfully so. And suddenly they're being they're being told that their culture is less than Israeli culture, and that they need to get on board in order to be Israeli and leave behind everything they've ever known. And for for many Ethiopian Israelis who made earlier Ethiopian Jews and made Aliyah the older you were, the harder it was going to be, obviously, to leave behind your culture and your way of life, because that's the way you'd live for many, many years. And so through Kebede, you see the challenges that he he really struggled with, in integrating into Israeli society. And Azmera is, and we will all talk about that later. But Azmera is sort of the opposite of that, where through Azmera, you see the successes, the way that you know, she was much younger when she made it, and she's more, she's more able to adapt quickly to his really, so to life in Israel. So then he goes on this much anticipated trip to Tel Aviv where he's been waiting to go to the big city into, you know, to see what Tel Aviv is all about with his old plan or plan as a Hebrew language instruction class, like an intensive Hebrew class. And they go on a tour of the Independence Hall, which is on ... it was on Rothschild Street, which I'm sure many, many tourists that have been to Israel have probably been there as well. It's where Ben Gurion declared Israel's independence on May 14 1948, and he goes on this tour. And he's completely overwhelmed and just, you know, feeling so emotional about being in this place where the State of Israel was declared. And he's looking at the tour guide that's telling them all about that day, May 14 1948, everything that happened and how David Ben Gurion declared Israel's independence and he's so he admires the tour guide, because the tour guide represents everything that is everything that he wants to be everything he thinks he needs to be in order to become an Israeli, his dress, the way he's dressed, the way he looks, the way he talks, his self confidence, or he just exudes "Israeli-ness" and Kebede admires that. And then as they're leaving the Independence Hall Kebede kind of sticks behind and stays close to his teacher, who he admired and you know, wanted to always be near his teacher because he just wanted to learn and soak up as much of the Hebrew language as he possibly could. And he overhears the tour guide, saying to his teacher that next time make sure that your student your students wear some deodorant because they stink. And for him, that was a
what a heartbreaking thing to overhear.
Yeah, yeah. dehumanizing, heartbreaking, and it was really for Kebede, day after trying to keep it together and trying as much as possible to be the, you know, the diligent students and the hard working man that he had been up until that point that's that was kind of the straw that broke camel's back for him. And he goes on a downward spiral from that point.
And that was one thing that makes perfect sense. When you come live in a place with a drought, you don't bathe every day, you barely bathe at all, they're just,
and they had no indoor, no indoor plumbing. I mean, it was just a whole different way of life.
So it didn't mention too many of the actual Jewish practice in Ethiopia. But I think that a lot of people may or may not realize that how most of us practice Judaism today is the result of a long rabbinic tradition. And that it's not just based on the Torah based on the Talmud, and, and later works, which the Ethiopian the Beta Israel did not have access to it all. So they were strictly going from the Torah. And not all this later ...
Oral law. Correct. They were living their lives as Jews as if you know, before the destruction of the Second Temple as if there had been no Mishnah Mishnah and no Talmud, no oral law, it was all based on the the Torah correct. And that's why you know, for there's some holidays that they didn't celebrate, they didn't celebrate Hanukkah or Purim. If they weren't, if they were holidays that weren't noted in the Torah, then they weren't holidays that they would celebrate. Right? So it was it was a different practice. And so for them, that was also an adjustment when they came to Israel, because they were, you know, where do they fit in? Where their congregation, where, where, what's, you know, who's going to be the rabbinic leader and, and in Ethiopia, they had what's known as a Kes, which is a spiritual leader, who was not just a rabbi, but was what wasn't ordained as a rabbi, but was like a rabbi, but also, they're the spirits sort of the spiritual leader of the community. And and still to this day, there are Kessim or you know, kessim the the plural version of kes in Israel, leading Ethiopian communities and synagogues.
And you mentioned the other insulting invasive thing that the Israelis required was for the men to be ritually re circumcised again.
Yes, yeah. And that was really one of the more humiliating experiences that Kebede that I had to undergo, but he actually made did you want to ask him? Was there a follow up question as well,
it was just they were rescued because they were Jews. But when they got there, it's like, weeeellll, you're not quite Jewish enough.
Exactly. And this is after Rabbi Ovadia, yourself, who is Israel's chief rabbi in the 1970s. He recognized them as Jews, he recognized the Beta Israel as Jews, and that recognition was incredibly significant in them ultimately making it Yeah. So they were recognized as Jews. But the government of Israel or the rabbinic, I should say, decided that they still needed to undergo this, you know, symbolics are circumcised circumcision. So it wasn't, it wasn't actually circumcising the penis, but more just like a prick to draw blood. And for for someone who has been praying to return to Jerusalem their whole lives and has been, you know, their entire identity is their, their Jewish identity. They they're like, and this is the way that they've, they've been raised to be Jewish their whole lives, and then for anyone to cast doubt as to whether they're Jewish is incredibly humiliating.
Yeah, absolutely. So I want to switch to Azmera, who ended up leaving with Kebede's brother, Solomon, to undertake this journey across Ethiopia and Sudan. And she had not really had a relationship with Solomon, the brothers had been not exactly estranged, but distant, because Kebede and Tigest had five children. And Solomon and his wife Miski had been unable to have children yet. So to avoid the pain of seeing this happy growing family, they kind of kept their distance. And so Solomon really had no idea what to expect traveling with this young girl and had pretty low expectations. But she turned out to be much stronger and more resilient than he could have imagined. And I think he really got to respect her and get a glimpse of what it was like to be a parent also, as he was responsible for her on this journey.
Definitely I you know, so and I would say vice versa Azmera, who had a very distant relationship from her uncle Solomon before the trip she she was scared of him. And he wouldn't ever talk to her. He barely acknowledged her existence. But he went from being this person who on paper was her uncle to being someone who was like a second father to her who basically saved her life. And without her, she wouldn't have made the journey. And she also had this newfound respect for his incredible strength and character. And, and, you know, Solomon had come from, he came from a marriage of true love with Meskhi. And while he had this marriage of true love, they weren't able to bring children into the world, versus the marriage of Kebede and Tigest, which was a marriage which was mostly devoid of love, at least they didn't express love towards one another. And they were able to they were very fertile, able to have many, many children. And Solomon resented Kebede for that, and he felt like it wasn't, you know, like, you didn't share that resentment. But on the inside, it was something that he couldn't let go of the fact that his it came so easily to his brother and his brother didn't even love Tigest and his brother didn't even treat her nicely. And Solomon treated his wife like a queen and would have done anything for her. So the journey the relationship between and love the relationship between Solomon and Azmera, really, I think it's, it's something that sort of blossoms over time, and they eventually they take care of they become each other's family.
And they need to really bond together, especially when they get to Israel, because they find that Kebede is in a really bad state. You know that all these pressures have led him to overdrinking and just complete depression. So they had to work together to try and help him.
Correct. So you know, I mentioned earlier with the incident with the deodorant, Independence Hall, that that was sort of the straw that broke the camel's back. So Kebede, you know, staying in the absorption center with other Ethiopian Olim, or new immigrants, and he would see them go at the end of the day, they would go out onto the balcony in the absorption center, and they would start drinking alcohol, vodka, Arak. And he was determined to stay away from that. And he did for a period of time, he was like I said, the diligent students and the strong person for the first for the beginning of his time in the absorption center, until he had too many humiliating experiences. And until he had too many feelings of, of guilt for what he had done to to Tigest and for what he how he had abandoned his family. And he just started really hating himself, for lack of a better word. And that led him to the after the deodorant incident that led him to going out to adjoining the other men on the balcony. And that was the first thing he started drinking and quickly, really, you know, spiraled downhill. And he became an alcoholic. And when when Azmara and Solomon finally arrived in Israel, they tried to get in touch with with committee, and they're not in the same absorption center, as Azmara and Solomon are placed in the Karmiel absorption center. And while which is in the north, it's in the Galilee. While while Kebede is in the Demona absorption Center, which is very much in the Negev, they're incredibly far away from one another. Today, it's about a three hour drive, but back then it would have been much longer because the roads weren't nearly as good. And they were placed in such distance absorption centers at the time, because absorption centers were full. This was the time when there were 8000 new olim from Ethiopia that were coming in. So the absorption Center in Demona was full, the only one that had space was in Crimea. So when they finally are able to get a hold or they're not they tried to get a hold of Kebede A they call the absorption center multiple times and he just never returned as much as phone call. They finally decided they need to go down to the Dimona to make the trip. Which isn't an easy thing to do to get it you know for them. They're new to Israeli society, getting on a bus and traveling five, six hours away from your new home. It's not an easy thing for a 14 year old girl to do, but she does it with the help of Solomon and they get there and they discover that Kebede is in very bad shape. He is really no longer the man and the no longer that man that Solomon knew and no longer the father that the Azmera knew he's an alcoholic. And and he's considering putting an end to his life.
Yeah, it was definitely really tough for them for all of them in that situation. And he was so ashamed of the the state that he had become to that he was kind of rebuffing their efforts to help him
right and he was also ashamed of being confronted by Azmera because now he knows the Azmera is also in Israel. She also understands that the norms in Israel are Different than they were in Ethiopia. And she's going to understand that, you know that what he did to Tigest to her mother would have been unacceptable in Israeli society. And he was ashamed in front of his daughter that he treated as you know that he essentially he, you know, it was forced marriage he raped as Azmera's mother, there's really no other way to say it. And, and it was, you know, he preferred to avoid any confrontation and then to see his daughter, despite him loving her very much.
And then to switch back to Tigest. So while she was in Ethiopia, he had left her pregnant, although I don't think he knew it. And so she was pregnant, trying to raise these children with no help. And she ends up giving birth prematurely. And she sends her son out to get help go find help somewhere, she sends it back to her parents village. And it's a very long convoluted path, but she finally gets to a hospital. And when she gets home, Meski comes and helps out and they become true allies and sisters, eventually, you know, both of them, their husbands have left them. And Mishki becomes a second mother to this younger group of children.
Right.
So I thought that that was a really beautiful part of the relationship.
Yeah, so both, both Tigest and Meski, had had their hearts broken, but in very different ways. So to use heart was broken by her husband time and time again. And when her heart was broken, by Azmera on her oldest daughter leaving her even though Tigest is the one that sort of pushed her to go. And then of course, her heart was broken when she had a premature, very premature baby, and she wasn't sure if she was going to survive. Meskhi on the other hand, her heart was broken, because she had multiple miscarriages, and she wasn't sure if she would ever be able to have a baby. And so we've sort of touched on it earlier, but she was afraid that even the slightest exposure to to use many, many kids would just make the wounds that much deeper that she was already carrying with her. But she actually discovered the opposite, that caring for these children, brought love into her life. And gave her hope that maybe one day she could also become a mother, I'd like to think we don't I don't write about it in the book. But I'd like to think that when they get reunited in Israel, that ultimately Solomon and Meski will go on to become parents.
I was kind of wondering that too, especially with the better health care.
Right,
they might be able to see what had been going on and get some help for them. Yeah. So the name of the book is straddling black and white, how did you choose that title?
So I wanted a title that reflected not just so obviously, the most obvious reason is that, you know, they're coming from two different two very different worlds not even talking about race, black skin versus white skin, but rather just black and white meaning polar opposites. So coming from Ethiopia, you know, a country in Africa, which was very much a developing country at the time, and then arriving in Israel, which was not as developed as it is today. But it was a developed country, just completely different, a modern society. And so that, you know, Azmera and Kebede, they sort of have one leg, sort of envisioned, it's like one leg and you'll feel one leg in Israel, and they're straddling between the two. But then what I think is even more meaningful. And what I really loved about Azmera's journey is Azmera, she came at the age of 14, Israel. And I'm sure and we all remember what it's like being a 14 year old. I know when I was 14 years old, I definitely saw the world is much more black and white than I see it today. Meaning that I didn't necessarily see the things are just not always so black and white, that there is a lot of gray. And, and Azmera as she matures, she learns that okay, you know, there's not just good and bad sometimes it's a little bit more complicated than that. And her father might have done something that would have been completely unacceptable in Israeli society. And that maybe, you know, she's not proud of, but it's a little bit more complicated than that. It's not black and white. It's you know, he was living in Ethiopia where that was an accepted practice. And so that is the title straddling black and white both gets the you know, being coming from two different completely polar opposites, opposite places and feeling like you're sort of torn between those two cultures. And also this maturation that she goes through where she learns that the world isn't nearly as black and white as she had once thought, Azmera.
So obviously, you did a lot of research on this. Was there anything in your research that really surprised you?
Yes, I want to talk a little bit about why I, you know, mine and why why I wrote the book in the first place.
Oh, please
do yes,
and, and the research that I did so. So I made aliyah to Israel in 2006. And shortly after making Aliyah, I started working for an ATAR, a nonprofit organization called typica, which was an organization advocating for the legal rights of Ethiopian Israelis. And there, that was the first time that I really I was familiar with the story of Ethiopian Aliyah. But it was the first time that I really was immersed in it, many of my colleagues were Ethiopian Jews, and made Aliyah during Operation Moses, when I heard their stories, and I also heard some of the obstacles that they were, that were placed in front of them upon arriving in Israel, and typically the organization I worked with, they would submit, for example, petitions to the Supreme Court about different injustices that they were suffering from whether it being segregation in the school or you know, so that was the first time that I was really exposed to the much more complex side to Ethiopian aliyah to though you know, all the many sacrifices that they made and in in making Aliyah, and then the challenges and successes that they were encountering, upon arriving in Israel, and after going after working in typica, I actually traveled to Ethiopia for my honeymoon, wow. My husband and I spent a little little close to a month in Ethiopia. And we were mostly in northern Ethiopia, which is where Ethiopian Jews mostly came from, we walked in the mountains of Simien mountains, which are, you know, in northern Ethiopia, and very similar terrain to what they would have walked, the Ethiopian Jews would have walked on when they made when they made the journey to Sudan. And then after returning from Ethiopia, I started writing the book. So this all started now 13 years ago, that I started writing the book. And it was a very, very, very long process. Because I, after I began writing the book, I then not long after I gave birth to twins. And I had to put aside the book, I put aside the book for years, and then I'll resume writing it later. But but through the entire writing process, which really was 12 years, I did a great deal of research, I interviewed people that made aliyah during Operation Moses, I read lots of different sources. And of course, you know, I had friends and colleagues themselves had had undergone the journey. And the more research I did, the more I realized that, you know, there really was no other historical fiction novel in English that was telling this story. And like the entire 12 year period, I struggled with whether I was the one that had the rights to be the to be telling the story I well, I guess the view that the listeners to this podcast won't see the Zoom call that we're talking on. But I'm not from Ethiopia, I grew up in America. And so I personally I did not personally
your pale skinned person, right?
I did not undergo I did not make Aliyah, from Ethiopia to Israel. But I did make Aliyah and I think that there is a common thread that really connects all olim in Israel, in that we've all made sacrifices in one way or another, in coming to Israel by leaving behind our culture and our families and our language, and our way of life, and coming to Israel, and trying to create a new life here for ourselves learning Hebrew, trying to, you know, to acclimate to to Israeli society. And I had this tremendous respect for the sacrifices that Ethiopian Jews made when they made Aliyah which the sacrifices I made as an American Jew, don't even begin to compare to the sacrifices that they made. And I wanted to sort of like to pay respect, and for the story to be better known, because I think most American Jews are familiar with Ethiopian idea. They know that they're Jews from Ethiopia, they made it out to Israel, but they don't know much of many of the details. And they don't know much about the what all the losses that they incurred, how many people died on the way how much they sacrificed to come to Israel, how much it came from, like a place of ideology of true like yearning for Zion. And, and it's just incredibly admirable. And I wanted to in this in writing this book, I wanted to pay respect to that. Really, that was my ultimate goal. And you you asked, it was there In my research, was there anything I discovered that I didn't surprise me? By the time I started writing the book, I had already worked at telecom. And I was familiar with a lot of a lot of the, the issues that they faced when they arrived in Israel. But I guess, you know, there were some historical facts that I wasn't aware of, I wasn't aware of, you know, that, like Rabbi Ovadia Yossef, recognition of them in the 70s, as Jews was, like, monumental, and I wasn't aware of his role, you know, in once, maybe once recognizing them as Jews that opened the door for their Alia, I wasn't aware about the red sea diving resort, that was something that I hadn't heard of. So that was it doesn't come up in my book at all. But it was in my research, I learned about it. And I wasn't aware that there was this like, first mini operation that was in the Mossad, you know, carried out so. And of course, there was more, but those are the two that come come to mind right now.
That's great. Were there any questions or anything else you'd like to talk about that I haven't thought to ask about?
Well, I guess one thing I didn't mention, this is a fun fact that I think readers enjoy hearing this fun fact about the writing process for me so. So like I said, I finished I started writing the book before I gave birth to my twins. And then once they were born, I put the book aside for years, I sleep deprived and not able to even I didn't have the mindspace at all, to write to write anything, totally. And then when they were four years old, I gave birth to my third to my daughter, my youngest. And I said to myself, it's now we're never like, if you don't finish writing your book, now you're never going to do it. And I was blessed with you know, if you're a mother who is used to taking care of twin babies, especially twin babies that are really, really bad sleepers, which that was the case for me. And then you're blessed with one daughter, who is an amazing sleeper, you suddenly, like maternity leave was kind of a piece of cake for me with her. So I would put her down for a nap. And every time she naps, which is usually a two or three hour nap, I wouldn't do the dishes, and I wouldn't sweep the floor. And I wouldn't do any errands around the house or you know, any chores around the house, I just sat down and wrote for two or three hours every day for six months. And that was where in that six month period I really I that I finished the book, the first draft of the book in that in those six months, I actually finished writing the first draft of the book The day before I went back to work. And you know, just had tears rolling down my cheeks. Writing the epilogue when the family is finally reunited, which I think is a really happy ending to the story that brings the family filing together after years and years of being apart. So for me, it was like this personal journey of my own a 12 year journey that was coming to it, you know, that was coming to an end when I ultimately ended up publishing it. And I'm really proud of the results. The final result.
I thought it was a beautiful book. And I think it was so wonderful that you focus on one family, that a lot of times, you know, we just think about the mob of people coming on a plane and not really see the individual experience. You know what, what it meant to each of them individually as opposed to just picked up a mob and we dropped them over here.
And my goal was to give to have a story behind each character that you could relate to, and that they were no longer just the 1000s of Ethiopian Jews and made Aliyah during Operation Moses but rather tikkis as my committee, I actually have a colleague of mine who read the book and he told me that he lives in Israel, and he was walking on the street after reading the book. And he just saw like two Ethiopian Jewish men walking down the street. And he said, like, I actually looked at them differently now because I don't know I could I could imagine now what they had gone through and making idea that maybe before reading your book, I wasn't able to imagine that was probably the biggest compliment I ever received about my book, the fact that it sort of changed his way of thinking. I was really proud of that.
That's huge. That's huge. So I like to give everyone a chance to have a soapbox moment for a minute. So if you would like to use your book or anything at all, as a call to action for tikun olam for repairing the world, what would it be?
I would say come to Israel come to get to know Israeli society get to know all the complexity of Israeli society and Ethiopian Jews are a part of that. Come to Israel connect to the to the land of the Jewish people to connect to your roots and can Back to all the beauty that we have here, despite all the many, many challenges which we do, especially this year, this has been a difficult year in Israel. But come because this country belongs to all of us.
Wonderful. Thank you so much. Kim Saltzman, author of Straddling Black and White. Oh, I didn't forget to ask you if people would like to contact you what is the best way?
I have a website, www dot Kim Salzman s a l zm a n.com. And you can contact me there. And yeah, that's probably the best way to reach out to me, ask them an author's page on Facebook as well with the same name. And if you do read the book, I'll just make a little plug. If you read the book and you like it, I you know, the best way for me to promote my book is through word of mouth and through positive reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. So anyone that reads it that enjoyed reading it, please, you know, just take five minutes to write a review. It's it's really, really meaningful to me. And I love hearing from people who've read the book. I love it, and if so, definitely reach out and share your thoughts.
All right, well, thank you again. If you are interested in any of the books we discussed today, you can find them at your favorite origins brick or online bookstore, or at your local library. Thanks to di Yan Kee for use of their Freilich, which definitely makes me happy. This podcast is a project of the Association of Jewish libraries. And you can find more about it at WWW dot Jewish libraries.org/nice Jewish books. I would like to thank ajl and my podcast mentor Heidi Rabinowitz. Keep listening for the promo for her latest episode.
Hi, this is Phil train. I'm a literacy advocate, author, interviewer and kidlet book lover. I'll be joining you soon on the Book of Life podcast and I'd like to dedicate my episode to my mom and dad. My mom helps out a lot when it comes to script writing. And my dad is always behind the scenes and editing all my interviews and book reviews. So I love you too. I'm so excited for you to listen to this podcast.
The Book of Life is the sister podcast of nice Jewish books. I'm your host, Heidi Rabinowitz and my podcast about Jewish kidlet. Join me to hear my October 2023 conversation with Phil Train
