Bonnie Goldenberg’s journey into World War II history began when she was given a treasure trove of letters her parents had exchanged during her father’s service in a U.S. Army antiaircraft battalion from 1943 until 1945. Those letters became the foundation of Love, Abe: A Jewish GI’s World War II Letters Home.
Goldenberg is also a poet whose works have been published in a variety of literary journals and anthologies. Before leaving her professional career to focus on raising her son, she was a labor attorney in New York and Washington, D.C., and a writer and editor for a legal publishing house in New York City.
In addition to writing, she is the business administrator of her husband’s biopharma startup. She and her husband live in Thousand Oaks, California.
Love, Abe: A Jewish GI’s World War II Letters Home
A story of wartime life, love, and service
The children of immigrants, Abraham “Abe” Klapper and Lillian Schein were newlyweds expecting their first child when Abe was inducted into the U.S. Army and later served in an antiaircraft battalion. Between 1943 and 1945, the couple exchanged over 800 letters. In Love, Abe, author Bonnie Goldenberg draws from her parents’ voluminous correspondence to reveal the unique perspective of a first-generation American Jew sent to fight the Nazis in Germany.
While contending with the vicious anti-Semitism of the Nazi regime, Abe was no stranger to prejudice on the home front. An articulate observer, he shares his experiences during training stateside and his service overseas, including:
Celebrating Passover in Hitler’s Germany
Joining the front line for Europe’s biggest antiaircraft battle at the bridge at Remagen
Using his background in Yiddish to act as an interpreter with German civilians and POWs
The elation of V-E Day and V-J Day
Daily life in postwar occupied Germany
Guarding the Ministerial Collecting Center as part of “Operation Goldcup” to recover documents scattered across Germany during the Allied bombing
In his letters, Abe poured out his love, hopes and dreams for his wife and young daughter and the future he was fighting for.
This is a story unique to Abe and Lillian, but much of their experience was also shared by many of the Americans who served in World War II and their loved ones at home.
Thursday, April 28, 2022, 7:00 p.m.
TAE and live-streamed
Dr. Hensley will share stories of parents who sent their children from likely destruction to an uncertain future, the men and women who gave these children new lives in safety and security, and the ability these stories have to shape memory and inspire the future.
Jason Hensley, Ph.D., has been lecturing on the Holocaust since 2013. He has traveled around North America, interviewing Holocaust survivors who escaped the Holocaust on the Kindertransport. His work has been featured on the BBC, Breaking Israel News, Aish.com, and the USC Shoah Foundation’s website.
Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) was established in the 1880s in direct response to Czarist pogroms in what is now Ukraine to assist Jews fleeing to the United States – has staff, partners, and Jewish community collaborations in Ukraine, Poland, Moldova, and Slovakia to help displaced Ukrainians seek shelter, food, water, and medicine. Hear from HIAS’ LA-based Community Engagement Director, Joe Goldman, on the critical work happening on both sides of the Ukrainian border and what the Jewish community can do to uphold its commitment to welcoming the stranger.
Joe Goldman is the Community Engagement Director for the Western Region at HIAS, the world’s oldest – and only Jewish – international humanitarian agency serving refugees and asylum seekers of all backgrounds. He mobilizes activists, organizations, and lawmakers across California to ensure that displaced people are treated with the dignity they deserve. Before joining HIAS, Joe worked at MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, the San Francisco-based Jewish Community Relations Council, and began his career working on several political campaigns and advocacy efforts. Joe is currently in the fourth cohort of the Coro LEAD LA Fellowship and holds both a BA in Political Communication and Master’s of Political Management from The George Washington University in Washington, DC. Joe lives in his native Los Angeles with his husband, Adam.
Understanding Invisible Disabilities: A Presentation by Aaron Wolf
Join Aaron Wolf during Shabbat Services on Friday, February 4, 2022, at 7:00 p.m.
Scroll down to learn more about Aaron Wolf.
View the live-stream here!
Aaron Wolf, an award-winning actor, director, speaker, and activist uses his creative voice to tell stories from the heart, that entertain and matter. He is the co-founder of Howling Wolf Productions. Some of his work include the Academy Award® shortlisted film Restoring Tomorrow, and TAR, the theatrical throwback thriller that came out last year staring Wolf with Academy Award Nominees Timothy Bottoms and Graham Greene . He also has created the I AM ABLE Foundation, iamable.info.
Wolf will draw from his personal experiences, sharing insight into his struggle to tackle the urgent topic of learning disabilities and de-stigmatize people deemed disabled. For Wolf, this is one the most critical civil rights issues currently being overlooked and misunderstood by society and he is on a quest to use his voice and work for positive change. Aaron’s presentation is made possible with help from “RespectAbility”.
Friday, April 22, 2022, at 7:00 p.m.
TAE Sanctuary or live-streamed!
Join Cantor Shukiar, the TAE Chorale, and the Band of Milk and Honey as we recall our Exodus from Egypt across the Sea of Reeds to freedom. As we remember the song that Moses, Miriam and the Hebrews sang at the shores of the sea, we will experience an evening filled with music and spirit, together exploring songs of peace, Shalom Rav, and Sim Shalom.
Discover the history, mystery, and meaning of these texts through various versions spanning many generations of Jewish music. You do not want to miss this chance to study and experience these wonderful and meaningful pieces of our liturgy.
Saturdays, 10:00 a.m. Location: Temple Adat Elohim
Check the TAE Calendarfor the campus location.
TAE’s lay-led weekly meditation service weaves together meditative traditions from Judaism and elsewhere to deepen our ability to live joyful, meaningful, and wise lives. Practices may include mindfulness, lovingkindness meditation, walking meditation, morning blessings of gratitude, singing of Chassidic niggunim (songs without words), kirtans, and more. You do not need to have a background in meditation to participate. All are welcome!
Bonnie Goldenberg’s journey into World War II history began when she was given a treasure trove of letters her parents had exchanged during her father’s service in a U.S. Army antiaircraft battalion from 1943 until 1945. Those letters became the foundation of Love, Abe: A Jewish GI’s World War II Letters Home.
Stories of the Kindertransport:
Understanding Invisible Disabilities: A Presentation by Aaron Wolf
Discover the history, mystery, and meaning of these texts through various versions spanning many generations of Jewish music. You do not want to miss this chance to study and experience these wonderful and meaningful pieces of our liturgy.