New York Times Best-Selling Author to Speak on Life of Raoul Wallenberg

New York Times best-selling author Alex Kershaw will visit Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Township on Monday evening to discuss his new book, The Envoy, during a free public lecture.

"The book relates the compelling story of Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg who, during the last winter of World War II, accepted an assignment in Budapest (Hungary) that ultimately enabled him to save the lives of thousands of Hungarian Jews," according to a Temple Beth El press release. "Wallenberg often defied the Nazis in face-to-face encounters during which he demanded the return of 'his Jews' who had been rounded up and were facing deportation to extermination camps."

The fate of Wallenberg, who graduated from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and was a Christian, remains uncertain.

"Tragically, when Budapest was finally liberated by the Soviets, the Holocaust’s greatest hero had disappeared into the Soviet gulag; to this day his exact fate is unknown," reads a posting on Kershaw's website.

Jan Durecki, director of the Rabbi Leo M. Franklin Archives at Temple Beth El, which is sponsoring the lecture, said the book tells, "an incredible story of bravery that cuts across all demographics."

"I read this one, The Envoy, and Escape from the Deep and I can't wait to read the rest of his material," Durecki said. "He does a lot of work on World War II. I work with the Jewish War Veterans of Michigan (whose archives also are housed at Temple Beth El). I just have the highest respect for everything they have done in service to the country."

Kershaw, a Massachusetts resident, is the 2011 Mary Einstein Shapero Memorial Lecture guest speaker at the Rabbi Leo M. Franklin Archives; the series was established by the Honorable Walter Shapero in memory of his late wife.

"I'm really pleased (Kershaw will) be here to tell the story," Durecki said. "It's a story for humanity."

If you go

When: 7 p.m. Monday

Where: Handleman Hall at , 7400 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township

Cost: Free

What else: Call 248-865-0628 or e-mail franklinarchives@tbeonline.org to reserve a seat. Reservation requests made Friday through Sunday will be confirmed Monday. Copies of The Envoy will be available for purchase.