David Cicilline Joining Journalist Daniela Gerson for Holocaust Memoir Talk, Book Signing at Jewish Community Center

Award-winning journalist and author Daniela Gerson will discuss her acclaimed new memoir, The Wanderers: A Story of Exile, Survival, and Unexpected Love in the Shadow of World War II, during a free public program in Providence on Thursday, July 16.

Gerson will appear in conversation with David Cicilline, former U.S. congressman and Providence mayor and current president and CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation.

Presented by the Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center, the program will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Dwares Jewish Community Center, 401 Elmgrove Avenue.

Drawing on years of archival research, family records and investigative reporting, The Wanderers tells a deeply personal story while examining a lesser-known chapter of Holocaust history: the experiences of Polish Jews who survived World War II by fleeing east into the Soviet Union rather than remaining in Nazi-occupied Europe.

Gerson has deep family ties to Providence, making the event a meaningful homecoming. She and Cicilline will discuss the book, its historical significance and its relevance today.

An audience question-and-answer session will follow.

Books will be available for purchase and signing after the program. Light refreshments will be served.

Event details

What: Daniela Gerson discusses The Wanderers
In conversation with: David Cicilline
When: Thursday, July 16, 2026, from 6 to 7 p.m.
Where: Dwares Jewish Community Center, 401 Elmgrove Avenue, Providence
Admission: Free and open to the public; registration is encouraged