Menachem Kaiser is a Canadian writer.[1] He received the 2022 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature for his book Plunder: A Memoir of Family Property and Nazi Treasure.
Menachem Kaiser | |
|---|---|
| Education | Columbia University (BA) University of Michigan (MFA) |
| Occupation(s) | writer, journalist |
| Awards | Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature (2022) |
Biography
editKaiser grew up in Toronto, Ontario and graduated from Columbia University in 2009.[2][3] He then received an MFA from the University of Michigan, and was a Fulbright Fellow to Lithuania.[4] As part of his Fulbright grant, he taught at Vilnius University and created the Vilnius Ghetto Project, an interactive map of the Vilna Ghetto which allows users to explore the streets and buildings of the former ghetto from the perspective of its former residents.[5][6][7]
Kaiser's grandfather, Maier Menachem Kajzer,[8] was a Jew born in Poland who survived The Holocaust before moving to Los Angeles and spent years trying to reclaim his family's apartment building in Sosnowiec. Kaiser documented his journey of trying to reclaim his family's property in Poland and discovering his family's surprising connections to the land in the book Plunder: A Memoir of Family Property and Nazi Treasure, which won the 2022 Sami Rohr Prize.[9] Among his discoveries were that, his grandfather's first cousin, Abraham Kajzer, was the author of a Holocaust memoir, “Za Drutami Śmierci,” which in part detailed his time spent constructing the Project Riese where many suspect treasure looted during the Holocaust was hidden and became popular among Polish treasure hunters. In Plunders, Kaiser teams up with a group of such treasure hunters in an effort to learn more about his own family history.[10]
References
edit- ^ Tyrangiel, Josh (2021-03-16). "A Quest to Reclaim a Family Home Unearths a Past Buried by the Holocaust". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-05-22.
- ^ "Why I (Sometimes) Don't Wear A Kipah*". HuffPost. 2009-08-29. Retrieved 2022-05-22.
- ^ "GS Alumnus Awarded Fulbright Scholarship | School of General Studies". www.gs.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2022-05-22.
- ^ "'Plunder,' Menachem Kaiser's memoir about reclaiming his family's Polish home, wins Sami Rohr prize". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 2022-05-18. Retrieved 2022-05-22.
- ^ "Remapping the Vilnius Ghetto". JNS.org. Retrieved 2022-05-22.
- ^ "Exploring the Vilnius Ghetto". www.axismaps.com. Retrieved 2022-05-22.
- ^ "Commemorating the Vilna Jewish Community". YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Retrieved 2022-05-22.
- ^ "'Plunder' Explores Ties To The Past As Author Searches For Property — And Treasure — Lost To Nazis". www.wbur.org. Retrieved 2022-05-22.
- ^ "'Plunder,' Menachem Kaiser's book about reclaiming his family's Polish home, wins Sami Rohr prize". jewishchronicle.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2022-05-22.
- ^ Burack, Emily. "From Shoah reparations to lost Nazi treasure: A writer's journey on family trail". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2022-05-22.