The Juderia

by Laura Varon

Life in la Juderia, the Jewish quarter of Rhodes, had its basis in the strong cultural traditions of the Sephardic Jews who settled there after fleeing the Spanish Inquisition. Nazi occupation of the island late in World War II would shatter the community and force its inhabitants into concentration camps far from home. Driven by her promise to look after a younger sister, young Laura Varon learned to cope in a world where human kindness was so rare that it could neither be trusted nor believed. One of the few survivors of Rhodes, she would struggle to deal with the loss of the dead and the ghosts that haunted the living. Upon her liberation, Laura lay among corpses, finally ready to give up her fight. A long convalescence in Sweden would only be the beginning of her journey back toward normalcy. Gradually reunited with family, Laura must come to terms with the loss of her community and her past. Rhodes, no longer an Italian territory, cannot be the home she seeks. A fierce determinati