WESTPORT–Author Richard Hurowitz will appear at the Westport Library in January to discuss his book “In the Garden of the Righteous,” which profiles heroes who aided Jews during the Holocaust.
Part of the library’s Author Talks series, the free event will take place from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 22. It will be held in the Trefz Forum of the library at 20 Jesup Road.
Figures such as Raoul Wallenberg and Oskar Schindler are well known, but Hurowitz’s volume delves into previously unsung stories of others who protected and saved their neighbors. A circus ringmaster and his wife, a Portuguese diplomat, an Italian cycling champion, a Polish social worker and a Japanese spy are among those who Hurowitz spotlights.
“These heroes provided hiding places, participated in underground networks, refused to betray their neighbors, and secured safe passage to save the persecuted,” the book’s jacket reads. “They repeatedly defied authorities and risked their lives, their livelihoods, and their families. ‘In the Garden of the Righteous’ is a testament to their kindness and courage.”
The book made the longlist for the 2023-2024 Wingate Literary Prize, given to works that explore Jewish themes.
The event will be moderated by the Rev. Vanessa Rose, senior pastor of First Church Congregational of Fairfield, UCC.
Westport’s own Sigrid Schulz, the pioneering American female journalist, should be on any list of the righteous who helped Jews escape Germany. As Berlin Bureau Chief for the Chicago Tribune, she did this with the knowledge that her own Jewish heritage could likely soon be uncovered by the Nazis.