Memory Embrace: Reclaiming Jewish Identity in Brest, Belarus
By Tasha Ackerman | August 27, 2025

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In this deeply personal feature, Tasha Ackerman reflects on author and educator Kathleen Balgley’s return to Brest, Belarus, for the unveiling of Memory Embrace—a memorial built from fragments of destroyed Jewish headstones. The article traces Kathleen’s decades-long journey of reclaiming her Jewish identity, uncovering family history lost in the Holocaust, and honoring the memory of a once-thriving Jewish community. Through archival discovery, spiritual return, and the publication of her memoir Letters to My Father, Kathleen’s story becomes a testament to restoration, belonging, and the enduring power of memory.