Still on Vacation: In the middle of a pandemic
This memoir is the true story of an immigrant working mother whose journey led to an unintentional long-term vacation to the United States of America. Her story is filled with a myriad of learning experiences, inspiration, hard work, struggle, and loss. Her story illustrates her tenacity throughout the struggles of adapting to a different culture, learning a new language, working for a major organization, attending college, raising five daughters, losing her husband to cancer, and finally finding purpose and a new home. This three-week vacation became a grand adventure. Her advice is to keep in mind you might be taken to a place you never expected; but, no doubt, life is so unpredictable. Have faith that you are precisely where you are supposed to be.
Sailing with Columbus: The Arrival of Judaism in the Americas
For those readers who are relatively unacquainted with Jewish people, Jewish culture, and Judaic history, this compact book offers a brief overview of the complexities of Judaism in the twenty-first century. Those readers who are familiar with Jewish culture and history may find here a convenient springboard from which to do further research, as facilitated by the enticingly lengthy bibliography.
In this intrepidly written guide, Ilean Baltodano shares what she has learned since she began her odyssey of inquiry: Who are the Jewish people? Is Judaism a religion? When did Jews first arrive in the Americas? What lessons can we learn from the Holocaust? What is Zionism? These are some of the questions that are discussed in a straightforward and compassionate manner. Students and adult readers will also enjoy this invitation to learn more about the theory that Christopher Columbus enabled Jews to step foot in the Americas.
“Laughter is an instant vacation”
—Milton Berle
“To deny people their human rights is to challenge their humanity”
—Nelson Mandela