Author Talk with Joe Gosler

As a Jew and a Hidden Child, Gosler’s innocence protected him as much as his Christian family. At seven months of age, he was given to a young nursing student from the Dutch resistance, and placed with the Dijkstra family in Wageningen for his own safety as well as his parents’. The impact of his first separation from his parents, may not be so easily ascertained, but when he is returned to them, his porcelain psyche is damaged and his closest companions are fear and distrust.

Childhood wounds never fully heal and the impact of his early life is seen through the lens of an immigrant, as he migrates with his family to Israel and subsequently to the United States. This is a personal memoir of a child survivor that spans from WWII to the late 20th century; a story of a young boy, who becomes a man, ever wandering and struggling to find himself. His parents, emotionally gutted from their own wartime experiences, are barely able to care for themselves, let alone this young stranger.

Joseph Gosler was born in Groningen, the Netherlands during WWII and after the war, he migrated to Israel with his family and subsequently to the United States, where he has lived since. His life’s journey has been a circuitous one and as a result, he has often meandered off the main road. This is best exemplified by the 20-plus years it took him to achieve his BA in History and MBA in corporate finance through the City University of New York. For nearly 40 years he has worked in educational settings ranging from day care centers to private schools in the capacity of Business Manager. He and his wife founded a preschool called Beginnings Nursery, have one son, live in New York City, and are actively involved in several Quaker projects, writing, gardening, traveling, and walking his dog.

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