{"product_id":"unlocking-the-past-stories-from-my-mothers-diary-shira-sebban","title":"Unlocking the Past: Stories from my Mother's Diary - Shira Sebban","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShira Sebban had long abandoned hope of uncovering more details of her mother Naomi’s past, especially after her death in 2013 following a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThat was before Sebban and her sister discovered a diary Naomi had kept during a study trip to Israel in the mid-1950s.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eUnlocking the Past: Stories From My Mother’s Diary brings Naomi’s vibrant and descriptive diary entries back to life as a series of creative non-fiction short stories. In so doing, Sebban embarked on a fascinating journey, exploring a place and space so different to her own. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNot only was her mother still single, but she had also become somewhat of an outsider, having returned to her birthplace after a decade away in Australia. Covering an 18-month period, from late 1955 until mid-1957, beginning with Naomi’s arrival in the then divided city of Jerusalem to take up a scholarship at the Hebrew University, the chapters portray what life was like in the new State of Israel, particularly in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDisparate events are covered, from social, cultural and political public happenings to more personal concerns like love and loss. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNaomi’s friends included future advisor to Margaret Thatcher, Alfred Sherman, renowned concert pianist, Nelly Ben-Or, and Ilan Hartuv, now best remembered as one of the Entebbe hostages, whose elderly mother, Dora Bloch, was among those killed.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eImportantly, we gain an understanding of what it was like to be a single, young and intelligent woman during the foundation years of Israel.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMazo Publishers,2018, softcover\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sebban family","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45095111360581,"sku":"1146","price":20.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0615\/9997\/3445\/files\/unlocking-the-past-stories-from-my-mothers-diary-shira-sebban-unlockingthepast-1412974.jpg?v=1780525454","url":"https:\/\/shop.sydneyjewishmuseum.com.au\/products\/unlocking-the-past-stories-from-my-mothers-diary-shira-sebban","provider":"Sydney Jewish Museum Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}