BY DEE-DEE GOIDEL
There is an old adage that
claims, “Still Waters Run
Deep,” and that is how we
can describe Bern Rosenthal, who
is modest but at the same time daring
and quietly determined. Some of you
know her as co-leader of the Migdal
Hadassah Discussion Book Group.
The reason I describe her as modest
is because she quietly just let us know
she recently published her memoir,
“Under the Noodle String.”
As an active member of the Migdal
Chapter and member of its Executive
Board, it was decided to turn the
tables on Bern and interview her
instead of her focusing on books by
other authors. This article focuses
on Bern’s newly published Book.
What inspired you to write
this book?
“My family and friends were interested
in the stories of my life,” Bern
said. Due to the pandemic she finally
found the time to put her memoirs
together. She started the stories
when she was in her 30s, but as so
often happens, life got in the way.
Can you summarize your book
in one to three sentences?
“It is written about my first 18
years of my life. Growing up in
poverty from the Great Depression
to WWII, I write about my struggles
to be a good person and a grown-up
who knew things. I wanted to find
my own security as an independent
woman who would always be able to
find a job. My big opportunity came
when the federal government offered
a fully funded program to become
a nurse.”
What is the overall theme of your
book and where does it take place?
“It takes place in Chicago. It’s
about coming of age and the family
responsibility of being a big sister in
a family of four girls.”
Who are the main characters
and why are they important to the
story?
“It is a memoir so I, my parents
and sisters are central to the story,”
Bern said. “My grandmother, aunts
and uncles, with their approval and
disapproval, shaped my decisions.”
Why do you think that your book
will appeal to readers?
“How my family tried to maintain
self-respect when they were
dependent upon public assistance
and my father had lost his job. The
desperation and humiliation in my
story is universal within the poor
existing today.”
What makes your book different
from other books like it?
“My book is written from the
child’s point of view…trying to
understand why life was so hard
for her family.”
How is your book relevant in
today’s society?
“Coming of age during times of great
anxiety, as i did, with problems of getting
a good education and financial
security, is very relevant to the anxiety
that children feel today from the
restrictions imposed by the COVID-19
pandemic. They also worry about education
and parents’ job security as I
did during 1930s and 1940s.”
What do you want readers to take
away from your writing?
Bern said she wants readers to
know “that having goals, even small
goals like a better report card, helps
build a foundation for additional
goals and more successes.”
The Migdal Chapter is so proud
of Bern for writing this book that
we wanted to share her story with
our members and the NST community.
“Under the Noodle String”
was released in September and is
available at Amazon and Barnes
& Noble.
Hadassah M Migdal Chapter of NST Takes Pride
in Highlighting Bern Rosenthal
VOTE BRAUNSTEIN FOR ASSEMBLY
In-Person EARLY VOTING
Saturday, Oct. 24 – Sunday, Nov. 1
ELECTION DAY Tuesday, Nov. 3
Assemblyman Edward Braunstein Is
Standing Up for Us and Will Continue To:
• PROTECT middle-class families from
bearing the brunt of the burden that
COVID-19 has placed on state fi nances
• FIGHT to maintain existing funding
levels for NYC schools
As your Assemblyman, • CHAMPION property tax reform
I’m fi ghting every day for
the hardworking families
of Northeast Queens.
BraunsteinForAssembly.com EdBraunstein
November 2020 ¢ NORTH SHORE TOWERS COURIER 13
/BraunsteinForAssembly.com