In the Blowing Own Horn department, may I share this email that I received yesterday? Last December, during a trip to New York, I reunited with a friend from Vancouver days I hadn’t seen in decades. She’d had a fascinating career working all over the world for the United Nations and now lives in Brooklyn. She told me she was interested in Jewish genealogy, so I brought her my book about my great-grandfather.

She wrote, I wanted to let you know I have been passing the time in lockdown reading Finding the Jewish Shakespeare. What impressive work you have done – the research is incredible and your wonderful writing is a delight to read. In addition to the story of your great grandfather and family, it is also a fascinating portrait of turn of the century Lower East Side. It is most interesting reading it while living here.


Thank you so much for giving it to me – it has been a great companion and distraction from the horrific daily toll of death and suffering here in NYC and has certainly provided some historical perspective.


So good to read at a time when I most needed a boost. Thank you, old friend.