An Australian Jewish author's triumph over antisemitism

(JNS) - After facing a flood of antisemitism in the publishing world, Australian writer Linda Margolin Royal brought her Holocaust story to Jerusalem, turning adversity into triumph.

Royal, a former advertising copywriter in Australia, flew to Israel to launch her bestselling debut novel, "The Star on the Grave," at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem, on Sept. 30.

Released last year, Royal's historical fiction novel is based on her family's true story of how an altruistic gentile saved her family during the Holocaust. On Aug. 24, the book won the inaugural Szymon (Simon) Klitenik Award for Jewish Fiction at the Australian Jewish Writer Awards.

Royal texted JNS an example of the hateful antisemitic responses that her publisher, Affirm Press, had received when it promoted her book on social media, which included vicious Holocaust denial.

She said that last year, a U.S. publisher told her that Holocaust-themed books and anything by Jewish authors was unlikely to be successful. He suggested that her publisher consider removing the Star of David from the front cover, saying, "and then maybe you will have better luck."

Four months ago, a scared Australian bookseller contacted Royal on Facebook and told her that the bookstore she worked at refused to restock more copies of Royal's book when it sold out a month after its debut.

She also reported noticing an absence of Holocaust books on the shelves, and her suggestion for Royal to be a guest speaker had been shut down. When this bookstore employee, who is not Jewish, started wearing a Star of David necklace to support the Jewish people and out of compassion for the hostages, her work hours were immediately cut.

"She said it just got worse, and she just couldn't stand it anymore, so she quit," Royal stated. "I'm so sorry for what she's going through. We have Jewish organizations that can support us, but where does she go?"

Determined to triumph over injustice and expose antisemitism in the publishing world, Royal posted a video on Facebook on June 4 about this woman's experience. It went viral. Sales for her book skyrocketed.

Royal said it shot up from a ranking of 3 million to the No. 1 spot in the United States and Australia on Amazon for Jewish literature; in the United Kingdom and Canada, her book climbed to the No. 2 spot.

"The Star on the Grave" had to be reprinted in Australia because its first edition sold out like hotcakes. "It was so heartwarming to see that random people who I have no connection with, but simply because they were Jewish, went out and supported me," Royal said.

In September, Royal's husband and twin 29-year-old daughters accompanied her on the more than 20-hour flight to Israel from Australia for her book launch.

Royal described how at home she felt while saying Kol Nidre prayers overlooking a beach in Tel Aviv. Listening to "Avenu Malkenu" and praying for Israeli soldiers on Yom Kippur had been an emotional experience for her and her family.

"We were just in tears and thinking, 'Why are we coming back to Australia?' I love it here so much. I don't want to leave," she said. "I've never felt so safe."

'A huge reunion'

Royal warmly described the launch, which had 60 attendees, including her cousin and a surprise appearance from her childhood babysitter, as "a huge reunion. ... It was so lovely."

She told the audience that she was able to speak freely in Israel for the first time, describing how the alarming rise in antisemitism in Australia since Oct. 7 had resulted in terrifying attacks on homes, childcare centers, synagogues and kosher restaurants. Royal relayed how Jewish neighborhoods had to be surveilled by federal police at night.

"It was like a Hollywood movie," she said. "The helicopters were flying really low, looking for potential terrorists." Sounding distraught, she added, "I feel like reaching out to my dead grandmother, Felka, and asking her, 'When do we run? Is this it?'"

Learning about her past

Royal described the bond she felt with Felka, her paternal grandmother, whom she brought back to life in "The Star on the Grave." Always the entertainer, Felka's infectious humor and vivacious personality hid her painful past, which she kept a secret. Except for her two brothers, Felka's entire family was murdered in Treblinka during the years of World War II and the Holocaust.

"I never saw any tears or despair from my grandmother," Royal said at the book launch. "She only showed me love and laughter, and anyone who knew her can attest that she lived life to the fullest."

It was not until 15 years ago, when Royal's father turned 80, that she learned about the unspeakable tragedies that had befallen Felka's parents, who were from Warsaw. Felka had also lost her husband, Samuel, in January 1942. He was helping an elderly woman cross the street in the Warsaw Ghetto when a Nazi soldier hit him over the head with his rifle, killing him.

Royal discovered that there were two rare kind souls who not only refused to succumb to evil but instead risked their lives and careers to save Jewish people.

"My father and Anne Frank were born in 1929, just weeks apart. Anne Frank was murdered in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1944, aged 14, because she was Jewish. My father died of natural causes in 2017, aged 87. He was spared Anne's fate only because of the actions of two brave gentiles, two men I'm aiming to immortalize."

Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese diplomat, signed illegal visas, which allowed approximately 6,000 Jews to escape Nazi-occupied European countries through Japan. Similarly, Jan Zwartendijk, an honorary Dutch Consul, secretly issued visas to Curaçao to Jews fleeing from Lithuania.

Royal estimated that Sugihara and Zwartendijk saved a combined 200,000 to 500,000 of their descendants. They were both honored by Yad Vashem in Jerusalem as Righteous Among the Nations, a title given to selfless and heroic gentiles who saved Jews from the Holocaust.

When Berl Schor, 98, a Sugihara survivor, came up to Royal at the book launch, they discovered that he had probably played and gone to school with Royal's father when they were kids.

During her speech, Royal expressed her gratitude to Sugihara, a man she never met, but who had the lives of her parents, siblings, their children, and ultimately, her own life.

"I'm the daughter of a Polish Jew born in 1929, so the odds were against me ever having been born, given that 95 percent of Polish Jews were murdered by the Nazis," she explained.

Hearing her family's story changed the trajectory of her life. "I was a copywriter until my father told me this story of how his parents and he escaped Hitler," she said.

Royal told JNS that her book has become an opportunity to educate others, particularly non-Jews. She is passionate about encouraging others to "have the courage to be the one who stands up to support anyone who is being marginalized and discriminated against and become someone who other people emulate."

In January, Royal launched a podcast tentatively titled "The Righteous Podcast," in which she interviews non-Jewish allies who support the Jewish community and fight antisemitism.

Her debut episode featured Col. Michael Scott, CSC (Conspicuous Service Cross), founder of The 2023 Foundation, which he said is working towards granting scholarships to bring non-Jews to Israel for work and educational opportunities so they can see for themselves the truth about what it's really like.

"The best way of overcoming lies and malice is lived experience," said Scott. Referring to the vicious antisemitism that Royal had faced as an author, he said: "Supporting some of our finest in their time of need is part of our duty and responsibility."