Congregation Beth Israel in Scotch Plains will host a presentation on Thursday, December 6, at 7 p.m by V. Lakshmi, author of Finding Your Way When Life Changes Your Plans: A Memoir of Adoption, Loss of Motherhood and Rediscovering Home. Sponsored by the synagogue’s Sisterhood, the event is free and open to the community.
Finding Your Way When Life Changes Your Plans is a cross-cultural, adoptive-family love story. Born in a remote village in India, V. was adopted and raised by a Caucasian Jewish family in America.. In her memoir, V. captures the emotions surrounding adoption and describes her encounters with racism. The book also relates V.’s struggles to cope with, and ultimately accept, her own feminine health issues that led to her loss of motherhood, including endometriosis, infertility, failed adoption and hysterectomy.
“As Jews and as women, we have so many shared experiences, yet the conversations sometimes never happen,” said Lisa Melville, Sisterhood President, Congregation Beth Israel. “V’s story will resonate with everyone in some way, as well as expand our sense of community, connectedness, and Jewish identity.”
- Lakshmi is an international award-winning photographer and owns a photography business in the midwest. She holds a BA in General Studies with Minors in Psychology and Gender Studies. Finding Your Way When Life Changes Your Plans is her first book.
Congregation Beth Israel is located at 18 Shalom Way, Scotch Plains, NJ (corner of Martine Avenue). For more information, contact Lisa Melville at lisamelville9@gmail.com or call the synagogue office at (908) 889-1830.
