Archive for: Women's Auxiliary

We are excited to kick off our book club season with Rabbi Sara Y. Sapadin who will discuss “The Color of Love: A Story of a Mixed-Race Jewish Girl” by Marra B. Gad

“Winner of the 2020 Midwest Book Award in Autobiography/Memoir, The Color of Love is an unforgettable memoir about a mixed-race Jewish woman who, after fifteen years of estrangement from her racist great-aunt, helps bring her home when Alzheimer’s strikes.”

“In 1970, three-day-old Marra B. Gad was adopted by a white Jewish family in Chicago. For her parents,          it was love at first sight—but they quickly realized the world was not ready for a family like theirs.

Marra’s biological mother was unwed, white, and Jewish, and her biological father was black. While still a child, Marra came to realize that she was “a mixed-race, Jewish unicorn.” In black spaces, she was not “black enough” or told that it was OK to be Christian or Muslim, but not Jewish. In Jewish spaces, she was mistaken for the help, asked to leave, or worse. Even in her own extended family, racism bubbled to the surface.

Marra’s family cut out those relatives who could not tolerate the color of her skin—including her once beloved, glamorous, worldly Great-Aunt Nette. After they had been estranged for fifteen years, Marra discovers that Nette has Alzheimer’s, and that only she is in a position to get Nette back to the only family she has left. Instead of revenge, Marra chooses love, and watches as the disease erases her aunt’s racism, making space for a relationship that was never possible before.

The Color of Love explores the idea of yerusha, which means “inheritance” in Yiddish. At turns heart-wrenching and heartwarming, this is a story about what you inherit from your family—identity, disease, melanin, hate, and most powerful of all, love. With honesty, insight, and warmth, Marra B. Gad has written an inspirational, moving chronicle proving that when all else is stripped away, love is where we return, and love is always our greatest inheritance.”

10 copies of the book will be available from the temple library on a rotating basis. Due to the temple closure between December 20th and January 3rd, the books will be available for pick up this week until Friday, December 18th and then once again available for pick up/drop off on January 4th.

Pick up is available at the 1 East 65th St. Lobby Security desk until this Friday, December 18th from 2:30 pm to 5 pm ONLY.  Please sign out the book and once you are done reading, we would appreciate the return of the book back to 1 East 65th St once the temple is open again on 1/4/2021 so that another temple member will have an opportunity to enjoy the book.

Please call ahead first, to see if there are books available before coming to the temple to retrieve a copy.  212-744-1400 ext. 249.  

Two E-book links available upon request. Please email for the link.

This book club discussion is only open to temple members. There is no charge for this event, but reservations are required. RSVP no later than 4 pm on Wednesday, January 13th to receive the Zoom link for the book club session.