Before Samuel Saslove arrived in Canada in the 1920s, settling in Ottawa, he lived in a Ukrainian shtetl. At age 10, eager to work and help provide for his impoverished family, he lucked into a job that nobody else in his community could: he fixed their brand-new electric street lights whenever the wires went down.
Just as Saslove became known as the community “light keeper”, his daughter, Sheila Baslaw, became the keeper of his father’s stories for decades. And only now, Baslaw—at age 92—has found a whole new audience for her father’s inspiring tale of bravery and resilience. Her debut children’s book, The Light Keeper, co-written by Karen Levine of Hana’s Suitcase fame, was published by Second Story Press in October. It’s already a “Heather’s Pick” at Indigo.
Now, on the week of Hanukkah, and to celebrate the miracle of lights (including electric street lamps), Ellin Bessner speaks with Baslaw and Levine on The CJN Daily to learn more about their book’s universal message of overcoming challenges as a young person—and why Baslaw, a nonagenarian first-time author, believes it’s never too late to learn a new skill.
What we talked about:
- Learn more about The Light Keeper at Second Story Press.
- Read more about Hana’s Suitcase, the true story of the Brady family, on The CJN Daily.
- Hear more stories about the author’s family in her oral history with the Ottawa Jewish Archives from 2001.
Credits
- Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner)
- Production team: Zachary Kauffman (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer)
- Music: Dov Beck-Levine
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