Joanne Oppenheim

“It's war to the last crumb of potato, cheese, and kasha on New York City's Lower East Side. The first knishery has opened in the early years of the 20th century on Rivington Street amid Manhattan's largely Eastern European Jewish immigrant community. The delicious, oversized dumplings are baked with a filling of potatoes, cheese, or kasha (buckwheat groats) and fill one's tummy with warmed-up heavenly heaviness. Benny's family business is busy and successful until a new stor

Recently I enjoyed a brilliant performance of Stephen Sondheim’s Pacific Overtures, starring George Takei and I was reminded of a very different but special event that we shared—a day that reminded me of our immigrant origins—a subject dear to George’s heart and mine. It's a memory that seems right as we approach the 4th of July. A few years ago, after the publication of my book, Stanley Hayami, Nisei Son, I had the honor of reading some of Stanley Hayami’s letters about his

On the Other Side of the River, illustrated by Aliki, was recently reissued in Japan by Tuttle. Originally published in the US by Franklin Watts in 1972. It was also published at that time in UK, France, Sweden, Korea, Germany and Denmark. It has been out of print for years. Aliki and I were delighted when the new edition arrived in 2016. Q&A for The Other Side of the River What was the inspiration for this book? I had been rereading an old collection of folktales that I grew

I’m thinking this week-end of Stanley Hayami, a young man I never met but spent four years of my life getting to know in order to write a book about him. Stanley Hayami was a 16-year-old boy who began keeping a diary in November 1942, when he was a prisoner of his own country. He had committed no crime. He was an American citizen of Japanese ancestry who found his life turned upside down when war began between the United States and Japan in December of 1941. In a few short mo