1960 Destination Israel

About the Book

"1960 DESTINATION ISRAEL," was written by the author for her children who don´t know much about this period of her life. In 1960, Israel was not exactly a tourist destination. Instead the country was receiving a fascinating influx of Jewish immigrants from all over the world and Elsa, a "goy," was in the midst of them. The voyage to Israel was at the invitation of a Jewish scientist who had studied in Holland. Elsa van der Laaken found employment in Beer-Sheba and Jerusalem and stayed in Israel for 2 1/2 years. The result was a collection of handwritten journals embellished with photos and historical notes that eventually shaped this book. The author´s writing challenge was to stay faithful to her younger self and her impressions of the State of Israel in its formative years. The story describes a series of events experienced by a young adult ready to grow up and leave home. To learn more about the author, as well as her WW II memoir, "A Point of Reference," go to www.vanderlaaken.com.

About the Author

During WW II Elsa M. van der Laaken lived in a Nazi-occupied building in The Hague, Holland with a Dutch father and a German mother who helped the Dutch resistance. She describes her family’s tenuous situation and defiance against the occupiers. She moved to California after studying psychology and creative writing at Vermont College.