writer  •  editor  •  researcher
   
     
Jim Van Buskirk
  Photo by Kent Taylor

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Jim is currently offering three unique talks (including audio-visual elements) suitable for universities, libraries, and cultural and community organizations.

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Upcoming Appearances
Tuesday, November 2, 2010, 10:00 am
"My Grandmother's Suitcase"
A talk with slides by Jim Van Buskirk
Contra Costa Jewish Community Center
2071 Tice Valley Road
Walnut Creek, California

At the age of 54, Jim Van Buskirk, who had been raised "devoutly Unitarian" met with him mother after a long estrangement. Facing her own mortality, she said she had something to tell him: "You are Jewish." She went on to give him a suitcase filled with photographs, letters, and documents. Jim began to look for answers to his family's history --and his own identity -- by researching his genealogy, talking to previously unknown relatives, and examining the contents of his grandmother's suitcase. The uncovered family saga ultimately stretching over 120 years and three continents was more complicated than he'd ever imagined. This audio-visual presentation is adapted from his memoir-in-progress.