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The Last Jew in Hania
May 29th, 1944. The last of the 2,300 year old Jewish community of Hania is rounded up. Nazi soldiers load them onto a cargo ship, their final destination Auschwitz. They don’t get far. Just off the coastline of Crete, the vessel is torpedoed and sunk. Every one of the Jewish community is lost. Except for one young woman, Olympia Surmon, and the baby she rescues. The synagogue, Etz Hayyim (Tree of Life), is left in ruins for over fifty years. The Jews are forgotten. Olympia is a lost soul. The baby grows up not knowing who she is.
In January 2010, Judith Hamilton arrives in Crete from her home in Canada, determined to trace the roots of her family, in time to witness an arson attack on the local synagogue. She uncovers the dark truth about the lost Jews of Hania, and becomes embroiled in a mysterious plot that threatens her own survival. Based on real events, The Last Jew in Hania brings new life to a community that perished apart from one survivor.
In January 2010, Judith Hamilton arrives in Crete from her home in Canada, determined to trace the roots of her family, in time to witness an arson attack on the local synagogue. She uncovers the dark truth about the lost Jews of Hania, and becomes embroiled in a mysterious plot that threatens her own survival. Based on real events, The Last Jew in Hania brings new life to a community that perished apart from one survivor.
252 pages, Paperback
Published September 12, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 6, 2025
I had the opportunity to meet the author in a Chapters store in Fredericton, NB. As I didn’t know his books, I asked him to help me choose which one should I tried first. As this book been his last release, and also for the story of a young woman that goes back to Greece to try to figure it out her grandmother’s past, as the last Jew in Hania, it got my attention! It’s a mix of present with past, a little bit of suspense and romance, I found to be a really nice reading!
September 24, 2023
A young woman trying to solve the mystery of her grandmother's past in Greece, a modern day hunt for treasure and kidnapping, a little romance and presentation of a rich Jewish culture and that of island Greeks. You will be subjected to a range of emotions while reading ghis book.
December 19, 2025
This is an interesting and informative book.
The story holds your attention, and it’s a story that needed to be told.
Well written and a very good read!
The story holds your attention, and it’s a story that needed to be told.
Well written and a very good read!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews