Thursday, June 25
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Join us for a powerful midday conversation with celebrated author and TEDx speaker Nhi Aronheim, whose memoir Soles of a Survivor chronicles her remarkable journey from war and displacement to belonging, family, and faith.
At just twelve years old, Nhi fled Vietnam alone, trekking through the Cambodian jungle before eventually finding refuge in the United States. Years later, her life took another unexpected turn—into Judaism, community, and a deep appreciation for the connections that bind cultures together. Her remarkable life journey has been documented in several anthologies, including Kentucky Women: Two Centuries of Indomitable Spirit and Vision, and the PBS documentary Vietnam 101.
This informal brown-bag Lunch & Learn offers a chance to hear Nhi’s story in an intimate setting, ask questions, and reflect on themes that resonate deeply in our own community: resilience, identity, migration, and the meaning of home.
Books will be available for purchase, and Nhi will be happy to sign copies following the program.
This is a bring-your-own lunch event.
Out of respect for the synagogue in which the museum is housed, and to keep the museum accessible to those observing varying levels of kashrut, we kindly ask that all food brought into the building be vegetarian (dairy and eggs are ok).
Thank you for helping us create a space that is welcoming to all.
Registration is free but required.
Thursday, June 25
6:00 pm
Join us for a special evening with celebrated author and TEDx speaker Nhi Aronheim, whose memoir Soles of a Survivor chronicles her remarkable journey from war and displacement to belonging, family, and faith.
Thursday, June 4, 2026
6:30 pm– 8:00 pm
Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine
Join the Maine Jewish Museum + Hadassah + Rimon Book Group at the JCA for our final gathering of the season as we discuss Soles of a Survivor by Nhi Aronheim.
At just twelve years old, Nhi Aronheim fled Vietnam, trekking barefoot through the jungles of Cambodia in search of safety, freedom, and the possibility of a future in America. Her extraordinary journey would take her through refugee camps in Thailand and eventually to the United States, where she built a new life shaped by resilience, reinvention, family, faith, and identity. Along the way, she would ultimately embrace Judaism and come to describe herself as “Jewitamese,” proudly carrying both Vietnamese and Jewish traditions forward together.
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