Jackie Gmach’s memoir, From Bomboloni to Bagel: A Story of Two Worlds, is now available in paperback and on Kindle. It is definitely on my must read book list. Jackie’s personal story is as fascinating as it is delightful as it is inspiring. Currently Jackie serves as the Project Director of the University of Southern California’s Shoah Foundation Institute, Sephardi Mizrahi Testimony New Collection, documenting the lives of Jews who lived in North Africa and the Middle East during WW II and the Holocaust. She lives in the San Diego area and is a highly respected & much beloved community leader & volunteer.
This is the story of Jackie Semha, a young girl born in Tunisia to a loving family and community, yet one in which only boys are celebrated. Her journey from Tunisia, to France, Israel, Canada and finally the United States forces her to confront the disparity between the land of her birth and the land of her mature years. Her transition from a learning-handicapped tomboy sheltered in the womb of a loving community to a successful professional in a foreign land with an unfamiliar language and alien customs and values is heartbreaking and inspiring at the same time. The words of her teacher, Madame Sabban: Si tu veux, tu peux If you want to succeed, you can succeed gave Jackie strength and inspired her to help others find the faith in themselves to achieve greatness. Jackie s story is brought to life through a collection of superbly written vignettes with the help of the writer Hillary S. Liber
Dare to be Great!
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