Dear Uli!

A rare glimpse at a German Jewish family through the letters they wrote their son, sent alone to America at age 16, and the new lives they built.

by Peter H. Schweitzer


Formats

E-Book
$3.99
Hardcover
$54.99
Softcover
$36.99
E-Book
$3.99

Book Details

Language : English
Publication Date : 1/24/2023

Format : E-Book
Dimensions : N/A
Page Count : 924
ISBN : 9781669814771
Format : Hardcover
Dimensions : 6x9
Page Count : 924
ISBN : 9781669814795
Format : Softcover
Dimensions : 6x9
Page Count : 924
ISBN : 9781669814788

About the Book

Life is full of choices, some thrust on us, others of our own making. Sometimes the consequences can mean the difference between life and death. DEAR ULI! is the story of trauma and resilience told through letters to Uli, sent alone to America at age 16, from his family in war-torn Europe. A treasured family collection of more than 750 letters narrates the lives of one German Jewish family, and their anguish, fear and optimism. In 1937, Uli left Berlin and arrived in New York City where he forged a new life for himself. On the other side of the world his twin sister, Isa, and their parents endured the oppressive Nazi regime that culminated with Kristallnacht and Papi’s imprisonment. He was among the fortunate who were released, only to face an uncertain and fraught future. The letters and documents evoke images of this family’s life and the world around them over the course of the war and beyond.


About the Author

As a rabbi and social worker, Peter Schweitzer brings a unique perspective to understanding his family’s history and experiences. A respected collector of ephemera pertaining to Jewish Americana, he has a special appreciation for the letters and documents that his family preserved, which inspired this book. Rabbi Schweitzer is Rabbi Emeritus of The City Congregation for Humanistic Judaism in New York City, which he led for 25 years. He also earned a Master’s in Social Work and worked as a clinical social worker for many years for JBFCS in Brooklyn. Rabbi Schweitzer is the author of The Liberated Haggadah: A Passover Celebration for Cultural, Secular and Humanistic Jews and The Guide for a Humanistic Bar/Bat Mitzvah. He was the regular contributor to Moment Magazine’s “Ask the Rabbi” column from the Humanistic perspective. Additionally, for 25 years he amassed one of the most significant collections of Jewish Americana that he donated to the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia in 2005.