ENGLISH CORNER, CON LINDA JIMÉNEZ – This week’s trivia question: How was Dahlia’s family different from most Central Asian Jews who settled in New York?

Dahlia Abraham-Klein was born in New York into a Jewish family from Central Asia.  She is a writer on Central Asian Jewish history and Jewish values. In 2014 she published the cookbook Silk Road Vegetarian: Vegan, Vegetarian and Gluten Free Recipes for the Mindful Cook, which delves into the cultural and spiritual traditions of the Silk Road to show how cultural traditions have influenced the cuisine. Her latest book, Caravan of Hope: A Bukharan Woman’s Journey to Freedom, is a historical novel that tells the story of Zina Abraham, Dahlia’s mother, who was born in an Uzbeki prison in 1933. 

Zina’s story takes us through Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Her quest for religious freedom and education then takes her to India, to Israel, and finally to the United States.  Central to each chapter of her life is a story of survival and a deep faith and commitment to build and nurture a Jewish life for herself and her community.

Dahlia vividly describes the many stops on her mother’s journey, within a culture where women play a predominant though very well-defined role. She also talks about her own experiences growing up in New York at a time when non-Ashkenazis were a very small minority within the Jewish population.

You can listen to our program about Bukharian Jews here.