Here's my recent travel article in the Jerusalem Post, entitled, "We;ll Always Have Paris." Terrorism can not be allowed to win, and the brave will keep their travel plans to Paris or Jerusalem, and not give in to Arab terrorists. Do you remember the last time you saw Paris? Or if you have never been to the "City of Love," if not now, when? .http://www.jpost.com/Diaspora/Well-always-have-Paris-438520. Also check out "The Scattered Tribe, Traveling the Diaspora from Cuba to India to Tahiti and Beyond,"
(Globe Pequot Press) http://amzn.to/J3Z47T, ebook. Also, two chapters on France in "A Travel Guide to Jewish Europe," (Pelican Publishing)   Follow me on twitter @bengfrank. www.bengfrank.blogspot.com

Time stops in the Maghreb

I was in Algeria in the 1960's writing about the last Jews to leave that country after it became independent. As French citizens many Algerian Jews were on their way to France. Others went to Israel; The Algerian Jews and many of their North African brothers and sisters, literally expelled by Arab nations from North Africa, found a new home in the French Republic and revitalized the Jewish community. Walking the streets of Algiers, especially in the casbah, I would see signs in Arabic and French, "Palestine is Ours." When I questioned the Jews about the signs, they answered with a smile on their faces, "Palestine is Ours,Jewish." While there are Jews in Morocco, Jews are long gone from Algeria. Ironically, many of the grandsons of those Algerian Jews I met then, are now leaving France for Israel, the Jewish state. Meanwhile as this article shows and as I wrote in "The Scattered Tribe," http://amzn.to/J3Z47T, "time stops in the Maghreb." Check out "The Scattered Tribe," (Globe Pequot Press) an ebook and wherever books are sold. Follow me on twitter @bengfrank. www.bengfrank.blogspot.com

Visiting Vladivostok, Russia.

Congrats to the Jews of Vladivostock, Russia on the opening of the synagogue which had been confiscated under Communism. My aunt Clara of "Klara's Journey," (Marion Street Press) an historical novel, AND a story of "betrayal, drama and love," http://amzn.to/13Sp769 visited this famous port, Vladivostok, the final stop on the Trans-Siberian railway. The year was 1918. , U.S. troops were stationed there. Ninety years after her stopover on her journey to Canada, I visited the city and its vibrant  Jewish community.  For more info, read "Klara's Journey," wherever books are sold, an ebook.

Speaking at JCC, Boynton Beach, FL

“Exotic Jewish communities” will  be the topic of my travel talk at the JCC, Boynton Beach, FL, at 2 pm Wednesday, Dec. 2, as well as my adventures traveling the world, as noted  in “The Scattered Tribe, Traveling the Diaspora from Cuba to India to Tahiti  & Beyond,” (Globe Pequot Press) Wherever books our sold,  http://amzn.to/J3Z47T, a travel narrative.  Follow me on twitter @bengfrank. www.bengfrank.blogspot.com

Both Klara's Journey and The Scattered Tribe, cyberweekend sale at levinejudaica.com

Both "Klara's Journey," (Marion Street Press) an historical novel and a story of "betrayal, drama and love," and "The Scattered Tribe,traveling the diaspora from Cuba to India to Tahiti & Beyond," (Globe Pequot Press), a travel narrative to exotic Jewish communities, can be obtained fromlevinejudaica.com in its cyberweekend sale w/discounts.Follow me on twitter @bengfrank.

Odessa, segue to "Klara's Journey," (Marion Street Press) wherever books are sold.

https://t.co/5ik0lhnkRX Nice segue to ‪#‎Klaras Journey‬https://t.co/ACoPbT3uSu, "betrayal, drama, love" ‪#‎ebook‬, ‪#‎amazon‬‪#‎Russia‬ ‪#‎Ukraine‬ ‪#‎EU‬

Tune n 98.5fm & 95.3fm, at 7 a.m. Sun, 11/15, Hudson, NY area radio stations.  I’ll be discussing the world of our fathers and mothers in Russia and Ukraine during the vast Jewish emigration from Russia between 1880 and 1920, as well as the Revolution and Russian Civil War. “Klara’s Journey,” (Marion Street Press) http://amzn.to/13Sp769. available wherever books are sold. Also an ebook, nook, and kindle, “The Scattered Tribe, Traveling the Diaspora from Cuba to India to Tahiti & Beyond,” (Globe Pequot Press)  http://amzn.to/J3Z47T.   Follow me on twitter @bengfrank. www.bengfrank.blogspot.com

Only Israel stands by U.S. in UN vote condemning Washington.

Only Israel stood by the U.S. in a UN condemnation of the US re the latter’s embargo on Cuba. It was the first such resolution since US-Cuban diplomatic ties were restored earlier this year.  US deputy ambassador to the UN, Ronald Godard, said shortly before the vote that the U.S. “finds it unfortunate that despite our demonstrated bilateral progress the Cuban government has chosen to introduce a resolution that is nearly identical to those tabled in years past," For the latest Jewish travel narrative with a chapter on Cuba and its Jews, check out “The Scattered Tribe: Traveling the Diaspora from Cuba to India to Tahiti & Beyond,” (Globe Pequot Press) http://amzn.to/J3Z47T. Also an ebook.Wherever books are sold, Follow me on twitter @bengfrank. www.bengfrank.blogspot.com

Russia and Syria

Syria represents Russia's last bastion of significant influence in the Middle East. Its strategic location enables Russia to project power in the Mediterranean. By entering Syria,---with its strategic location---Russia once again is projecting power in the Mediterranean. Check out my three books on Russia and Ukraine, http://amzn.to/13Sp769. wherever books are sold. Follow me on twitter @bengfrank

Question re Russia in the Middle East?

So is the Russian initiative in Syria, a serious attempt to engage the US in a joint enterprise to solve the war in Syria? Or is it Russia seizing the opportunity to boost its profile at America's expense in the Middle East - showcasing its military hardware for good measure?  Check my two books on Russia and Ukraine, “Klara’s Journey,” (Marion Street Press) http://amzn.to/13Sp769. available wherever books are sold. Also an ebook, nook, and kindle, “The Scattered Tribe, Traveling the Diaspora from Cuba to India to Tahiti & Beyond,” (Globe Pequot Press)  http://amzn.to/J3Z47T.   Follow me on twitter @bengfrank. www.bengfrank.blogspot.com

Russia Back n Cuba

Not since Soviet times, has Russia stepped up ties with Cuba. After a complete downfall of relations during perestroika and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia has worked hard in recent years to upgrade relations. The latest move by Moscow is a $1.32 billion loan to Havana on October 17 to refurbish the communist island's power plants, says RFE/RL. Chk "The Scattered Tribe, Traveling the Diaspora from Cuba to India To Tahiti & Beyond," (Globe Pequot Press) http://amzn.to/J3Z47T.

Russia, a world power!

In a report this month for the European Council on Foreign Relations, Gustav Gressel argued that Putin had overseen the most rapid transformation of the country's armed forces since the 1930s.

"Russia is now a military power that could overwhelm any of its neighbors, if they were isolated from western support," wrote Gressel, a former officer of the Austrian military.

Russia's fighter jets are, for now at least, conducting nearly as many strikes in a typical day against fighters opposing the government of President Bashar al-Assad as the US-led coalition targeting the Islamic State has been carrying out each month this year.

Check out my three books on Russia and Ukraine, wherever books are sold. Follow me on twitter @bengfrank

Russian intervention in Syria!

Russian intervention in Syria has opened Russia not just the shores of the Mediterranean, but also the road goes to the Gulf. We may feel the effects of this game changing move from Egypt to Bahrain and Yemen, although with different ways and intensities, writes Dr. Dr. Mehmet Akif Okur  Assoc. Prof. / Gazi University-Ankara.  Check out “Klara’s Journey,”(Marion Street Press), “ an historical novel, a story of “betrayal, drama and love.” C. Follow me on twitter @bengfrank. www.bengfrank.blogspot.com

What a mess!

What a mess! In scenes reminiscent of the Cold War, President Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin traded barbs in speeches at the United Nations. Each put forth their competing approaches to fighting Islamic State and ending the conflict in Syria. A later face-to-face meeting between the two leaders produced a "business-like back and forth" with no agreements reached, according to a U.S. official, Check out my three books on Russia and the Ukraine: "Klara's Journey," (Marion Street Press)  "The Scattered Tribe,"  (Globe Pelquot Press) and "A Travel Guide to Jewish Europe and South American." (Pelican Publishing Co.)

Just finished sequel to "Klara's Journey"

Just finished writing sequel to "Klara's Journey," to be titled "Klara's Daughter." “Klara’s Journey” (Marion Street Press, 2013), is not a prerequisite to “Klara’s Daughter. But it might help the reader in the transition from the Russian Revolution and Civil War in “Klara’s Journey, to World War II and the State of Israel in “Klara’s Daughter.” Is it correct to say, “like mother, like daughter? http://amzn.to/13Sp769. Wherever books are sold. Follow me on twitter @bengfrank

Russia in Syria!

Do we want Russia in the Middle East, next door to Israel?. Read Aaron David Miller’s quote here, also. “The issue with engaging Mr. Putin on Syria is not that the U.S. looks weak–of course it does–because Moscow has acted and Washington has not reacted. Far more concerning is that Mr. Putin appears to know what he wants: to prop up Mr. Assad, oppose the U.S., and pick up propaganda points abroad. The Obama administration, meanwhile, has objectives that are in conflict with each other and, worse, insufficient assets on the ground to achieve them.”… “U.S. allies Israel and Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, are worried about Russia’s military support for Mr. Assad and that it might extend to Hezbollah, too” Check out my three books on Russia and Ukraine, wherever books are sold. Follow me on twitter @bengfrank

The Taj on Twitter

With the launch if Taj Mahal’s twitter account, the 17^th century mausoleum has become the “first historical monument” to have an official handle on the micro-blogging site. @Taj Mahal. Read “The Scattered Tribe: Traveling the Diaspora from Cuba to India to Tahiti & Beyond,” (Globe Pequot Press). http://amzn.to/J3Z47T. Also an ebook and wherever books are sold.  Follow me on twitter @bengfrank. www.bengfrank.blogspot.com

The Taj on twitter

With the launch if Taj Mahal’s twitter account, the 17^th century mausoleum has become the “first historical monument” to have an official handle on the micro-blogging site. @Taj Mahal. Read “The Scattered Tribe: Traveling the Diaspora from Cuba to India to Tahiti & Beyond,” (Globe Pequot Press). http://amzn.to/J3Z47T. Also an ebook and wherever books are sold.  Follow me on twitter @bengfrank. www.bengfrank.blogspot.com

Lest We Forget, 9/11

 Lest we forget: 9/11. My article Jerusalem Post, A visit to “The National September 11 Memorial & Museum” in New York City. http://www.jpost.com/Not-Just-News/A-fitting-way-to-remember-the-fallen-413659 I travel the world.  Follow me on twitter @bengfrank.

Lest we forget, Germany invades Poland.

Lest we forget. September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland and unleashed the worst war (WWII) in human history, including the murder of Six Million Jews in Europe. The long chapter on Polish Jewry was closed, only to be revived with a new chapter after the Shoah. For more info, check out my three books on European Jewish life and travel: “Klara’s Journey,” (Marion Street Press) http://amzn.to/13Sp769  “The Scattered Tribe, (Globe Pequot Press) http://amzn.to/J3Z47T and a “Travel Guide to Jewish Europe,” 3^rd edition, (Pelican Publishing).

Lest we forget, "Deals with the Devil"

Lest we forget. . “Deals with the devil never pay off.”  The infamous Molotov-Ribbentrop or the Nazi-Soviet pact, signed August 23, 1939, The pact divided Eastern Europe into German and Soviet spheres of influence. Germany invaded Poland on Sept 1, and Stalin marched into Poland on Sep. 17. The pact freed Hitler from a war on two fronts and made possible Hitler’s stunning expansion over Europe during the next two years. The Nazis double crossed Stalin and invaded Russia on June 22, 1941. Check out my two books on Russia and Ukraine: “Klara’s Journey,” (Marion Street Press) an historical novel, http://amzn.to/13Sp769 and “The Scattered Tribe, Traveling the Diaspora from Cuba to India to Tahiti & Beyond, “ (Globe Pequot Press)  a travel narrative, http://amzn.to/J3Z47T. Both are also ebooks. Follow me on twitter @bengfrank.

Travel to Cuba

Support for ending travel restrictions to Cuba building., Now is the time for future sojourners to Havana and arm-chair travelers to check out "The Scattered Tribe,Traveling the Diaspora from Cuba to India to Tahiti & Beyond," (Globe Pequot Press) http://amzn.to/J3Z47T, a travel narrative and the latest book on Jewish community in Cuba. Also an ebook. Wherever books are sold, Follow me on twitter @bengfrank. www.bengfrank.blogspot.com

Lest we forget

Lest we forget “the black years of Soviet Jewry,” and “The Night of the Murdered Poets,” when more than a dozen celebrated Soviet Jewish writers and artists were executed by Stalin  on August 12, 1952. Included were writers-poets David Bergelson, Itsik Feffer, Perets Markish, and Leib Kvitko. For more info on Russia, check my “Klara’s Journey,” (Marion Street Press) “The Scattered Tribe: Traveling the Diaspora from Cuba to India to Tahiti & Beyond,” (Globe Pequot Press) and “A Travel Guide to Jewish Russia and Ukraine" (Pelican Publishing).

Planning a trip to Cuba.

Tourism to Cuba has surged nearly 20 %  this year so if you’re planning a trip or are an arm chair traveler, read “The Scattered Tribe: Traveling the Diaspora from Cuba to India to Tahiti & Beyond, “ (Globe Pequot Press) a travel narrative, http://amzn.to/J3Z47T. Also an ebook. Follow me on twitter @bengfrank.

Ah Odessa!

Ah Odessa. Nice to see that despite the terrible civil war in Ukraine, the Jews of Odessa keep up Jewish heritage, and why not. Odessa has a special place in Russian Jewish history, great Jewish writers lived and worked there, it was an enlightened and Zionist city, a unique place, "the only large Russian city they weren't barred from in Czarist times." For more on Odessa, check out my "Klara's Journey," (Marion Street Press) and ":The Scattered Tribe:Traveling the Diaspora from Cuba to India to Tahiti & Beyond," (Globe Pequot Press). Follow me on twitter @bengfrank. www.bengfrank.blogspot.com

New Cold War

Whether we call it a new cold war or just tension, we're in for a long standoff with Russia. Never a better time to know the background and history. Check "Klara's Journey," (Marion Street Press) an historical novel,http://amzn.to/13Sp769. and "The Scattered Tribe, Traveling the Diaspora from Cuba to India to Tahiti & Beyond," (Globe Pequot Press) )http://amzn.to/J3Z47T. Both ebooks. Wherever books are sold, Follow me on twitter @bengfrank. www.bengfrank.blogspot.com

Now is the time to read "Klara's Journey""

If ever there existed a time when an unbridled Russian nationalism expresses itself openly, it is Russia today under Vladimir Putin. We now have the emergence  of a new Cold War which in reality began after the Russian Revolution in 1917 and the Russian Civil War, (1918-22). Travel back in time to that source of today’s war in Ukraine, by reading “Klara’s Journey,” (Marion Street Press), “ an historical novel, a story of “betrayal, drama and love.” http://amzn.to/13Sp769. Wherever books are sold and an ebook as well as  J. Levine Books and Judaica, levinejudaica.com  Follow me on twitter @bengfrank. www.bengfrank.blogspot.com Jason Mastrian at jasonmastrian@gmail.com by April 30, 2015.  Jason Mastrian at jasonmastrian@gmail.com by April 30, 2015. or a great cause.The suggested donation will be $25 with the proceeds raised benefiting the South Florida Pitt Club Endowed Scholarship Fund.

Jews displaced in eastern Ukraine.

Of the 90,000 Jewish residents of eastern Ukraine some 40,250 are currently in exile from their homes. Many of these refugees, specifically children, have had to face what no one should have to go through, bombings, death, destruction, and the loss of family and friends reports Chabad. Terrible conditions existed when Klara Rasputnis made her way through Ukraine and Russia during the Russian Revolution and the Russian Civil War. Read “Klara’s Journey,” (Marion Street Press), http://amzn.to/13Sp769 Also an ebook. Wherever books are sold. Follow me on twitter @bengfrank. www.bengfrank.blogspot.com Follow me on twitter @bengfrank. www.bengfrank.blogspot.com

Yoga and India

International  Day of Yoga recently celebrated. In India Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi recalled  the contribution of ancient sages, yoga gurus and practitioners across the world. He said Yoga was not merely an exercise , but offered an opportunity for balancing the mind and body and could help harness an individual’s  inner strength. For more on India and its wonderful Jewish community, read “The Scattered Tribe: Traveling the Diaspora from Cuba to India to Tahiti & Beyond,” (Globe Prequot Press) http://amzn.to/J3Z47T. This travel narrative is also an ebook.  Wherever books are sold, . Follow me on twitter @bengfrank. www.bengfrank.blogspot.com

Second anniversary of the publication of "Klara's Journey,"

2 YEARS AGO TODAY, “KLARA’S JOURNEY,” IS PUBLISHED:  STILL GOING STRONG! 

If ever there existed a time when an unbridled Russian nationalism expresses itself openly, it is Russia today under Vladimir Putin. We now have the emergence  of a new Cold War which in reality began after the Russian Revolution in 1917 and the Russian Civil War, (1918-22). Travel back in time to that source of today’s war in Ukraine, with “Klara’s Journey,” (Marion Street Press), “ an historical novel, a story of “betrayal, drama and love.” http://amzn.to/13Sp769. Wherever books are sold and an ebook as well as  J. Levine Books and Judaica, levinejudaica.com  Follow me on twitter @bengfrank. www.bengfrank.blogspot.com Jason Mastrian at jasonmastrian@gmail.com by April 30, 2015.  Jason Mastrian at jasonmastrian@gmail.com by April 30, 2015. or a great cause.The suggested donation will be $25 with the proceeds raised benefiting the South Florida Pitt Club Endowed Scholarship Fund.

To complement the wine tasting experience, we will have a wonderful selection of tasty hors d'oeuvres and a number of outstanding raffle items. Please plan on joining your fellow South Florida Pitt Alumni for an afternoon of great wine, great food, and lots of fun in beautiful Coral Springs.

Questions / RSVP to Jason Mastrian at jasonmastrian@gmail.com by April 30, 2015.

We look forward to your participation!

Hail to Pitt!!!

To all my friends in India.

To all my friends in India, Looking forward to this happening. In the coming year, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will become the first Indian premier in history to visit Israel. He will also travel to Jordan and the Palestinian territories. The move was announced Sunday by Modi’s foreign minister Sushma Swaraj, and marks yet another recent landmark in Israeli-Indian relations. In September, Modi met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, in the first such meeting in 11 years, according to Tablet Magazine, FYI, "The Scattered Tribe: Traveling the Diaspora from Cuba to India to Tahiti & Beyond," Globe Pequot Press. http://amzn.to/J3Z47T

Lest We Forget, WWII

 Lest We Forget: The end of World War II. 70 Years ago. The first signing of German surrender takes place at Rheims, France, on May 7. The second and final surrender ceremony is on May 8, in Berlin. On May 9, nearly four years after the Nazi invasion of Russia, Moscow makes a victory announcement. “Attention! This is Moscow. Germany has capitulated. This day, in honor of the victorious Great Patriotic War, is to be a national holiday, a festival of victory.” Hitler’s Thousand Year Reich ends and with it “the Nazis’ horrendous tyranny supported to the last by most Germans,” wrote historian Fritz Stern, a topic I researched in my latest book on Russia and Ukraine, “Klara’s Journey,” (Marion Street Press) an historical novel. Check out my other book  on Russia and Ukraine, “The Scattered Tribe: Traveling the Diaspora from Cuba to India to Tahiti & Beyond, “ (Globe Pequot Press). Both are available wherever books, including Amazon, kindle, nook, etc. Follow me on twitter @bengfrank.

From Disney to Havana

From Disney to Havana: A Florida travel agency will soon be offering twice-weekly flights between Orlando and Cuba. Island Travel and Tours says it will be begin nonstop service between Orlando and Havana on July 8, according to The Miami Herald.  For the latest travel book, guide, on the Jews of Cuba and Jewish sites on the island, read, “The Scattered Tribe, Traveling the Diaspora from Cuba to India to Tahiti & Beyond,” (Globe Pequot Press) a travel narrative, wherever books are sold and  an ebook: http://amzn.to/J3Z47T . In Florida: Liberty Book Store, 330 N Clematis St #117, West Palm Beach, FL 33401, (561) 906-5399 West Palm Beach, FL, www.libertybookstore.com. In New York area, J. Levine Books and Judaica, 5 West 30th St. NYC, levinejudaica.com Follow me on twitter @bengfrank. www.bengfrank.blogspot.com Jason Mastrian at jasonmastrian@gmail.com by April 30, 2015.  Jason Mastrian at jasonmastrian@gmail.com by April 30, 2015. or a great cause.The suggested donation will be $25 with the proceeds raised benefiting the South Florida Pitt Club Endowed Scholarship Fund.

EU and Ukraine, message.

The bottom line: The EU will have to send a message that it cannot safeguard its own backyard if Ukraine fails as a state or Russia annexes any more of its territory. For more on Russia and Ukraine in the new Cold War, read “Klara’s Journey,” (Marion Street Press) an historical novel, a story of “life, loss and love,” http://amzn.to/13Sp769  and my The Scattered Tribe: Traveling the Diaspora from Cuba to India to Tahiti & Beyond, “ (Globe Pequot Press), a travel narrative of exotic Jewish communities in the world,  wherever books are sold and  an ebook: http://amzn.to/J3Z47T Follow me on twitter @bengfrank.

40th anniversary of end of Vietnam War.

Today is the 40^th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. Timely is my chapter on Vietnam and its Jewish community in “The Scattered Tribe, Traveling the Diaspora from Cuba to India to Tahiti & Beyond,” (Globe Pequot Press),  http://amzn.to/J3Z47T ---a travel narrative re exotic Jewish communities throughout the world. Ebook, kindle, nook. Available wherever books are sold! In Florida: Liberty Book Store, 330 N Clematis St #117, West Palm Beach, FL 33401, (561) 906-5399 West Palm Beach, FL, www.libertybookstore.com. In New York area, J. Levine Books and Judaica, 5 West 30th St. NYC, levinejudaica.com Follow me on twitter @bengfrank. www.bengfrank.blogspot.com

Pope to visit Cuba as well as Joint Session of Congress

Pope Francis will visit Cuba in September and then continue his journey to New York, Philadelphia and Washington where he is expected to address a joint session of Congress. For more on the Vatican’s role in brokering the U.S. Cuban rapprochement, read my “The Scattered Tribe: Traveling the Diaspora from Cuba to India to Tahiti & Beyond, “ (Globe Pequot Press), wherever books are sold and  an ebook: http://amzn.to/J3Z47T Follow me on twitter @bengfrank.

New Lecture Topic

frankpromo@aol.com

My timely new lecture topic: (also attached)

WHO SHOULD WE ROOT FOR : Russia or Ukraine?

Where do American Jews stand?

·        

New Cold War. New Civil War in Ukraine.

·          

OUR JEWISH HERITAGE: Russia & Ukraine:

Until 1920, Russia and Ukraine were the spiritual and religious center of the Jewish people in Europe.  From 1880 to 1920, 2 million Jews emigrated from the old Russian Empire to the U.S.

“The World of Our Fathers and Mothers.”

*From the shtetl to the Czar to Russian Jews in the 21^st Century:

*Russia: Yesterday, today and tomorrow?

Meet Ben G. Frank, journalist, reporter and former news person at Radio Liberty, as well as the   author of the just- published “Klara’s Journey, A Novel,”(Marion Street Press) a story of  betrayal, high drama, love that takes place in Ukraine & Russia! He is also the author of  “The Scattered Tribe: Traveling the Diaspora from Cuba to India to Tahiti & Beyond,” (Globe Pequot Press) a travel narrative, with several chapters on Russia and Ukraine, and the Trans-Siberian Railway..

·        

*Impact of Russian Revolution & Civil War explored in this new historical novel, “Klara’s Journey,” by Ben G. Frank, considered one of this country’s most distinguished travel writers and commentators on Jewish communities around the world.

Talking points:

·       The Russian-Ukraine Crisis

·       EU and Sanctions

·       Future of Ukraine

·       Why history is important and yet….

·       The Russian and Ukrainian Jewish Community.

        

         

Ben G. Frank is also the author of “A Travel Guide to the Jewish Caribbean and South America,”  “A Travel Guide to Jewish Europe,” and “A Travel Guide to Jewish Russia and Ukraine,” all Pelican Publishing Company.

Ben G. Frank  journeyed  through Russia and the Ukraine, Siberia and the Russian Far East, China and Japan, as well as Canada, before writing this historical novel , “Klara’s Journey.”

 

A former newspaper reporter with the New Haven Register and Elizabeth Daily Journal, he has published articles in Hadassah Magazine, Reform Judaism Magazine, The New Haven Register, The Arkansas Gazette,  Inside Chappaqua Magazine, and Inside Magazine, Philadelphia, PA.

 

About the book:

Klara’s Journey: A Novel

ISBN 9781936863471  * 228 pages, trade paperback …$17.95 (CAN $19.95)

 

 

 

 

Jews from India in WWII

Jews from India fought with British forces in WWII, points out an exhibition in the Museum of the Jewish Soldier in WWII in Latrun, Israel. One of the most noted Jews with the British and in the Indian Army later was Lt. Gen. Jack Frederick Ralph Jacob, noted Olam Yehudi magazine in the Jewish Press. For more info on Incredible India and its Jews, read, “The Scattered Tribe, Traveling the Diaspora from Cuba to India to Tahiti & Beyond,” (Globe Pequot Press) http://amzn.to/J3Z47T Follow me on twitter @bengfrank. www.bengfrank.blogspot.com

National Library Week

Let’s all celebrate, “National Library Week,” April 12-18, with a visit to our local  libraries which give us all an opportunity for knowledge to succeed, listen, connect and discuss. “Klara’s Journey,” (Marion Street Press)  and “The Scattered Tribe, Traveling the Diaspora from Cuba to India to Tahiti & Beyond,” (Globe Pequot Press) and my Jewish travel guides to Europe, Russia and  South America, (Pelican Publishing) are all available in libraries.

Re Jews in Ukraine

“Let me tell you something: This is not a Jewish fight. The Jews have no side here. The Jews in Ukraine are siding with Ukraine, and the Jews in Russia are siding with Russia. It’s very important to understand that,” notes Rabbi Yaakov Dov Bleich, chief rabbi of Ukraine, in an interview in the Jewish Press, April 8. For more on Ukraine, read, “Klara’s Journey,” (Marion Street Press)  http://amzn.to/13Sp769    as well as “The Scattered Tribe: Traveling the Diaspora from Cuba to India to Tahiti & Beyond, (Globe Pequot Press). http://amzn.to/J3Z47T Follow me on twitter @bengfrank. www.bengfrank.blogspot.com Jason Mastrian at jasonmastrian@gmail.com by April 30, 2015.  Jason Mastrian at jasonmastrian@gmail.com by April 30, 2015. or a great cause.The suggested donation will be $25 with the proceeds raised benefiting the South Florida Pitt Club Endowed Scholarship Fund.

 Jason Mastrian at jasonmastrian@gmail.com by April 30, 2015.  Jason Mastrian at jasonmastrian@gmail.com by April 30, 2015. or a great cause.The suggested donation will be $25 with the proceeds raised benefiting the South Florida Pitt Club Endowed Scholarship Fund.

 

A story of "life, loss and love,"

A recent "Russia Today" headline suggests that Europe is “slouching towards anxiety and war.” Could be the same headline when Klara Rasputnis in “Klara’s Journey, “ (Marion Street Press) a story of “life, loss and love,” made her way across Siberia in the midst of the Russian Revolution and Civil War. .” http://amzn.to/13Sp769  Follow me on twitter @bengfrank. www.bengfrank.blogspot.com Jason Mastrian at jasonmastrian@gmail.com by April 30, 2015.  Jason Mastrian at jasonmastrian@gmail.com by April 30, 2015. or a great cause.The suggested donation will be $25 with the proceeds raised benefiting the South Florida Pitt Club Endowed Scholarship Fund.

 

 

With the truce holding, now is the time....

With the truce holding in Ukraine, now is the time to read “Klara’s Journey,” (Marion Street Press) an historical novel of “betrayal, drama and love. “ Then--- in Klara’s day--- (the Russian Revolution and Civil War ) and now, the Crisis in Ukraine, conflict caused displacement. JDC reports 2,500 internally displaced Jews have been  aided by that humanitarian organization after those Jews fled fierce fighting in Eastern Ukraine. Hope the truce holds; or is this just a lull in the war so both sides can rearm? Klara’s Journey,” http://amzn.to/13Sp769 Wherever books are sold, also an ebook, kindle, nook. In Florida: Liberty Book Store, 330 N Clematis St #117, West Palm Beach, FL 33401, (561) 906-5399 West Palm Beach, FL, www.libertybookstore.com . In New York area, J. Levine Books and Judaica, 5 West 30th St. NYC, levinejudaica.com Follow me on twitter @bengfrank. www.bengfrank.blogspot.com

The Cold War and the Crisis in Ukraine and East Europe

As the Ukraine-Russia crisis drags on, what was unthinkable at the end of the old Cold War now, in the new Cold War, seems not quite so unlikely to many Poles and Eastern Europeans: “that the great Russian behemoth will not be sated with Ukraine and will reach out once again into the West. The thought is darkening the national mood and rippling across the (East Europe) entire region in ways that reflect a visceral fear of an aggressive and unpredictable Russia,” notes the NYT today. Chk out  “Klara’s Journey,” an historical novel, a story of “betrayal, high drama and love,” (Marion Street Press). http://amzn.to/13Sp769 Follow me on twitter @bengfrank. www.bengfrank.blogspot.com

Lest we forget.

Lest We Forget: Re the murder of Boris Nemtsov, "The atmosphere of mad aggression created by the state television ... has signaled that you could do anything to the people expressing a different view, this will benefit the Motherland," Dmitry Muratov, the editor of the Novaya Gazeta, a newspaper critical of the Kremlin, told the AP .  http://amzn.to/13Sp769 Wherever books are sold, also an ebook, kindle, nook. In Florida: Liberty Book Store, West Palm Beach, FL, www.libertybookstore.com . In New York area, J. Levine Books and Judaica, 5 West 30th St. NYC, levinejudaica.com Follow me on twitter @bengfrank. www.bengfrank.blogspot.com

 

 

celebrate "National Reading Month,"

Celebrate “National Reading Month” by checking out “Klara’s Journey,” (Marion Street Press), an historical novel and a story of “betrayal, high drama and love,” during the brutal Russian Civil War, the forerunner of today’s Cold War between the West and Russia.  http://amzn.to/13Sp769 Wherever books are sold, also an ebook, kindle, nook. In Florida: Liberty Book Store, West Palm Beach, FL, www.libertybookstore.com . In New York area, J. Levine Books and Judaica, 5 West 30^th St. NYC, levinejudaica.com Follow me on twitter @bengfrank. www.bengfrank.blogspot.com