Hidden Star

About the Book

On her Abuela's (grandmother's) death bed, Estrella Schmitt, discovers that she is a descendant of Conversos (hidden Jews) from Spain. he finds mementos, writings and audiotapes from her ancestor, Estrella Gomez, dating back to 1597, about the harrowing overseas journey and all of the difficulties she endured to find a place of peace, far from the hands of the Spanish Inquisition. That is until she discovers that the Inquisition followed her to New Spain. Her descendent, Estrella, becomes interested in the story of her family and decides to retrace her family's steps to find out more which she does.

About the Author

Ellie Gersten was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan where she attended Wayne State University for her Bachelor's and Master's degrees followed by Jewish Studies at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel. She continues to nurture her love of Judaism, through volunteer work with the Jewish National Fund and Jewish Women's Conservative Forum. A self-described "Jewish Jumkie" she is passionate about her heritage. Her book Hidden Star: Two Heroine's Struggles with Faith, Family, and Love.