David Lewis
|
David Lewis is a retired, decorated Lieutenant-Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy. Having retired just before COVID came to visit, he was forced to stay home with limited options for personal productivity. Perhaps it was time for him to paint and to write. David writes about his life and many years of military service in both the US and Canada, Europe and Afghanistan. He also includes how flashbacks of childhood abuse at the hands of parish priests have influenced and infected his life and service. David is a recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal, the General Campaign Star – South-West Asia, the Commander Canadian Army Commendation, and other decorations. He has been married to Sherrie, his wife of over 40 years. They have five children and one granddaughter.
|
Altared Boy
|
Non-Fiction
Altared Boy takes us on a journey through much of the life of a sexually abused altar boy. It is a stark journey laid bare in a delicate and non-graphic manner. Through ongoing flashbacks, which sometimes detonate into his daily life with unfortunate consequences, LCdr Lewis guides us through his pilgrimage through an emotional minefield. His belief that, though you may never be free of the scars you hide, you by no means need to surrender to them guides his and the readers' voyage. A disturbing but eventually encouraging experience will leave the reader exhausted but exhilarated. A must-read for those who suffered abuse as young children. A tragic but ultimately heartening and restorative account. 
|
Aliyah: The Poetry of David benLevi
|
Poetry
Aliyah is the immigration of Jews from the diaspora to, historically, the geographical Land of Israel, which is in the modern era chiefly represented by the State of Israel. Traditionally described as "the act of going up", moving to the Land of Israel or "making aliyah" is one of the most basic tenets of Zionism. Zionist ideology was premised upon the reconstitution of the Jews as a free, self-determining nation in their own state. In recognition of this aspiration, Israel’s Declaration of Independence declared that “The State of Israel will be open to the immigration of Jews and for the ingathering of exiles from all countries of their dispersion.” In 1950, this principle was given shape as the Law of Return, enshrining this Zionist principle within Israeli law. The Law of Return grants every Jew in the world the automatic right to immigrate to Israel – in Hebrew called aliyah – and immediately become a citizen of the state. The Law of Return did not arise from ideology alone; it was also a practical measure. In the wake of the Holocaust, the first act of the new Israeli government was to abolish all restrictions on Jewish immigration. Israel, the government declared, would provide Jews the world over with a haven from anti-Semitism. This book of poems covers much of the spectrum of emotion associated with making Aliyah. |
