An oasis of hope in a desert of madness

By Douglas P. Zipes, MD

The security metal detector screeches when Gabe Goerner carries his infant daughter into Saint Luke Catholic Church for her baptism. The cause is a mysterious silver spoon engraved with Ari Holmberg, 27-2-1943, Warsaw, concealed in the thick, double-layered hem of her silk baptism gown, a family heirloom. The shocking discovery spirals Gabe’s life through a series of unforgettable events that lead him from contemporary Indianapolis to the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II, from underground bunkers to operating rooms, and from the safety of home to the Treblinka death camp. What he fi nds on his mission forever transforms him.

Douglas P. Zipes, MD

“Ari’s Spoon” depicts unflinching parallels between antisemitism then and now, and heroic acts that defy explanation. Jewish children smuggled under, over and through the ghetto wall, hidden in caskets, ambulances and garbage trucks, are raised as Catholics on Warsaw’s Aryan side, where they are provided an oasis of hope in a desert of madness. Some parents decide it is better for their children to die in gas chambers as Jews than live as Catholics.

Amazon’s five-star reviews have praised “Ari’s Spoon” as “Absolutely spellbinding historical novel dealing with both the Warsaw Ghetto uprising and contemporary antisemitism. Relevant, emotional and eye opening.”

Everyone is invited to attend the Author Book Talk discussion of “Ari’s Spoon” on Wednesday, May 18 at 1 p.m. (ET) via Zoom. Register for this free event at www.jewishnaples.org.

This program is brought to you by Jewish Federation of Greater Naples and Men’s Cultural Alliance.

AUTHOR BOOK DISCUSSION

“ARI’S SPOON” BY DOUGLAS P. ZIPES, MD

When: Wednesday, May 18 at 1 p.m. (ET) Where: Zoom

Register for this free program at www.jewishnaples.org.