No life without you: Refugee love letters from the 1930s
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Book cover courtesy of Frank Felsenstein
Author Frank Felsenstein's new book "No Life Without You: Refugee Love Letters from the 1930s" hits close to home.
The big picture: The book includes love letters written by Felsenstein's parents that detail the day-to-day experience of their romance while escaping from Nazi Germany in the 1930s.
What they're saying: "After my mom died in the 1990s, I found all these papers and letters," Felsenstein tells Axios.
- "I had them translated from German to English, and then suddenly I found a very compelling story."
Context: The Jewish couple wrote letters to each other as Felsenstein's father left Germany, looking to make his way to England, where Felsenstein's mother had already relocated.
- Through the letters, Felsenstein pieced together his father's refugee plight, landing in several European cities, as well as Palestine, in hopes of finding a new home and a way back to his love.
Zoom in: Felsenstein says their story relates to refugees and migrants today.
- "We don't often connect today's refugee crisis with the situation of many Jewish people in the 1930s, who escaped but had nowhere to go," Felsenstein says.
- "My mother was constantly getting letters from people that she's never even met, asking her to please try and help them get out."
What's next: "No Life Without You" will be released this week, and Felsenstein will be in Chicago for a free luncheon Thursday at 11am. He and his wife, Carol, will read some of the letters aloud.
If you go: It's at Sinai Temple in Chicago. If you aren't able to attend in person, you can join by Zoom.