What Drives My Writing?
There is still much to uncover and many stories waiting to be unearthed. Last month, I attended a conference sponsored by the Holocaust Studies Program of Western Galilee College in Israel, where I heard a historian from Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland, present recent findings on the Krepiecki Forest, northwest of Lublin. I listened to another historian from Paris, France, discuss plans for new research involving possible archeological digs to uncover more bodies unaccounted for from World War II. This relentless pursuit of uncovering untold stories is what drives my writing.
In numerous countries, valuable stories and information have been unjustly suppressed for too long. Therefore, we must share the long-forgotten and sometimes commemorative narrativesāto give voice to those silenced. Just consider the number of men, women, family members, and loved ones who came home from war, never wanting to discuss what occurred. Within each of them is a story, a story that carries the weight of their experiences and the gravity of history.
However, there is another reason, a more personal one. Too often, those who bore the brunt of war were left with memories so fierce they could not talk or write about them until much later. Many, including my father, seldom did. By sharing their stories, we honor their experiences and ensure they are never forgotten.