Loving Strangers

03/09/2025
62 min
[video_views]

Loving Strangers: A Camphorwood Chest, a Legacy, a Son Returns is a powerful family memoir reimagining Jewish identity beyond the familiar landscapes of Europe and the Shoah, journeying through Iraq, India, China, and Singapore. Described by Claudia Roden as “a beautiful and moving story that brings to life a fascinating part of Jewish history,” it explores themes of immigration, intermarriage, and integration. Prize-winning author Jay Prosser discusses his book with artist and photographer Leslie Hakim-Dowek, who reflects on memory and identity through Index of Objects, her poignant project cataloguing her late mother’s cherished belongings.

An event from Jewish Book Week 2025

About the speakers

Leslie Hakim-Dowek

Leslie Hakim-Dowek is a visual artist of Lebanese origin based in London. Her practice mainly focuses on issues of identity, migration and memory often combining photography, archival material and creative writing. She is a Senior Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Portsmouth and has widely exhibited in the UK and abroad. Her work is in many […]

Jay Prosser

Jay Prosser is a Reader in Humanities at the University of Leeds, where he specialises in Jewish studies and creative nonfiction. He has published academic books, including the first study of transsexual life writing, Second Skins: The Body Narratives of Transsexuality (1998; Columbia UP), a book that continues to sell very well 25 years after […]

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Loving Strangers

03/09/2025
|
62 min

Speaker

Leslie Hakim-Dowek

Leslie Hakim-Dowek is a visual artist of Lebanese origin based in London. Her practice mainly focuses on issues of identity, migration and memory often...

Jay Prosser

Jay Prosser is a Reader in Humanities at the University of Leeds, where he specialises in Jewish studies and creative nonfiction. He has published...