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Bridge the Distance Between you and your partner! |
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AN ORPHAN IN NEW YORK CITY
By Seymour Siegel, D.S.W. with Laura A. Edwards, Ph.D.
We are all strangers in some way. Each of us longs to bridge the distance between ourselves and other human beings. We want to love and be loved. Our families provide the seeds of loving and caring. During the Great Depression, there were families whose efforts to love were thwarted by bank failures, lost savings, lost jobs, and too little heat or food to eat. Disease, illness, and death also threatened family stability. Especially at risk were the first generation immigrant families who spoke differently, dressed differently, and behaved differently. They were likely to be discriminated against when applying for the few jobs available at the time.
Fortunately for Jewish families in New York City there was the Hebrew Orphan Asylum (HOA). Some called it a city within a city with its own public school, synagogue, and shops. Alumni call it "home". An Orphan in New York City is about the separations and losses that led to institutionalization and the pains and gains of children--orphans, half orphans, and non-orphans--who had been left with strangers. The book is based on interviews conducted from 1976 to 1991 with forty alumni of this childcare institution and my own decade of experiences as a Hebrew Orphan Asylum resident. The book contributes to the discussions of institutional versus foster care for children living in abusive, broken, or poverty stricken homes, on the streets, or in shelters. Ultimately the stories of these orphans are the stories of Everyman struggling to survive physically, mentally, and emotionally.
To order An Orphan in New York City go to any of the following web sites:
Amazon -- http://www.amazon.com XLibris -- http://www.xlibris.com
Walmart -- http://www.walmart.com Borders -- http://www.borders.com
Barnes and Noble -- http://www.barnesandnoble.com
Key Benefits
 | Examples of facing adversity |
| Increases understanding of life during the Great Depression |
| Contributes to the institutional vs. foster care debate |
Phone: 856-596-4788
Email: sy.sieg@juno.com