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In Search of Safe Haven: The Wandering Jew

Sunday August 2, 2026 — 2:45 pm
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General Admission: $30

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THIS EVENT is proudly supported by:

Rachel Cockerell, David Marlow, Adam Van Heerden – moderator Michael Visontay

From a German-Jewish family spanning more than 300 years, to the little-known proposal for a Jewish homeland in Texas, to a contemporary pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago, this conversation explores journeys of displacement, resilience and self-discovery. Drawing on family archives, historical research and personal experience, the panel examines how migration shapes identity, how communities preserve memory across generations, and what the search for belonging can teach us about Jewish life, past and present.

Artists

  • Rachel Cockerell

    Rachel Cockerell was born and raised in London, the sixth of seven children. She did her BA at the Courtauld Institute and her MA at City University. Melting Point is her first non-fiction book. Her research has taken her to Texas, Ohio, New York, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.  Rachelisa 2026 MacDowell Fellow and has spoken widely about her work on the BBC, CNN, NBC, and at TEDx, as well as at universities including Oxford, Cambridge, Stanford and NYU.

  • David Marlow 

    David Marlow is the author of Uncovering the Names and Stories: 300+ Years of a German Jewish Family which was published by JewishGen Press in May 2025. He is the son of German Jews who escaped Nazi Germany just prior to WW2. After the death of his parents, he commenced researching his family’s history. This included a family history road trip around Germany, visiting archives, museums, libraries, cemeteries, synagogues and former ancestral homes across 34 towns and cities.

  • Adam van Heerden

    Adam van Heerden is a psychologist, writer, and author of A Jew on The Way. Based in Naarm (Melbourne), Australia, he is drawn to pilgrimage, spirituality, and life’s big questions. His path has taken him from studying ancient Jewish texts in Jerusalem to walking the Camino de Santiago and spending time in monasteries in Nepal. Adam runs Threshold Psychology and works in palliative care, supporting people through grief, vulnerability, and loss.

  • Michael Visontay

    Michael Visontay has worked as a writer and senior editor at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian and taught journalism at university. He has written six non-fiction books, including Who Gave You Permission? The memoir of Manny Waks (co-authored), and most recently Noble Fragments: the maverick who broke up the world’s greatest book. Currently he works as Commissioning Editor of The Jewish Independent.