He Died Alone in Tijuana

About the Book

Raymond Dayan, the fourth and favorite child of an extraordinary Sephardic Jewish family, tells their highly unusual story in He Died Alone in Tijuana. His father, Menachem Dayan, was a charming and brilliant man, who used his dapper image to run con games and scams. As arrogant as he was clever, Menachem always believed that he was on the road to the big score, but all he ever was on his way to was his next escape route. He dragged his young wife and seven children through the Middle East, Europe, North Africa, and the Caribbean, eventually ending up with a solo life of petty crime in Mexico, Central and South America. Yehoudith, Raymond’s resourceful mother, managed to nurture her children through these traumatic moves, despite frequent poverty, insecurity and even during the Israeli War of Independence. How the Dayan children survived the years of shame, deprivation and separations is a fascinating tale. Intelligence and humor were key. This memoir takes place during important times in history – World War II and the Holocaust; Algerian revolution; Dominican dictatorship; Palestine’s becoming Israel. Unlike most Jewish families, however, history raged around them, while they focused on day to day survival – and they made it.

About the Author

Raymond Dayan was born during a brief stop in Paris, France. He was raised by his parents while they, with their seven children, ran to and from Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, several European countries, Algeria, and The Dominican Republic. Educated at Baruch College, The City University of New York, he finally was able to settle in Connecticut. He now lives there with his wife and their pets – but travels whenever possible, to impossible destinations.