Author Description

Early 1939 Poland. A precarious position for any Jewish family, for the news out of Nazi Germany is frightening. Joshua Stern lives with his family in Warsaw. His father, Avraham, is the head of the ecumenical Warsaw Cultural Center and Joshua is a professor there. His sister, Ruchel, is a student and his mother, Devorah, keeps a kosher home for the religious family. One of Joshua's students, Hanna Zilenski, takes a shine to her professor. When all the other Polish students drop out, Joshua is invited to her grandmother's home to continue her studies. Education is followed by love. It blooms and Hanna converts to Judaism. They marry. The Nazis attack Poland on September 1, 1939. Hannah and Joshua must escape, for all Polish Jews have been designated for extinction by the Nazis. This stirring novel tells the story of Hannah and Joshua Stern's lives and is a tribute to the spirit of their Jewish identity and culture. There Are No Goodbyes is a highly researched roman à clef by the author as well as a testament to the drive of humanity to survive in the face of evil. In this current age of coronavirus, we too must fight to survive. (About the Author) Gary D. Chattman was a teacher and an administrator in the New York City Public School System from 1969 to 1999. He is an expert on education, having been a "soldier" in the various educational wars that have taken place. He has never been satisfied with the status quo, and figures that over the past decades he has taught over 10,000 students and influenced a lot of them. He is the author of 14 published books.