John and Elisa found each other later in life. John was a Christian who lived in rural
Tennessee. Elisa was a Jewish Nashvillian from New Jersey. They married and built a
beautiful life together in Shelbyville, Tennessee. They dreamed of traveling and touring
Israel. Tragically, Elisa’s dreams were shattered by John’s untimely death.
Despite her unrelenting grief, Elisa felt drawn to Israel. Her last trip there had been more than two decades earlier. This trip would be a time to reconnect with her extended family and to honor John’s memory.
In June 2025, two days after Elisa arrived in Israel, the Twelve-Day War erupted. Israel closed its airspace. Elisa was stranded in Israel, seemingly indefinitely. Would she make it home in time to obtain the eye injection she needed to preserve her vision? Would she get to attend her son’s engagement party?
Elisa spent time every day in bomb shelters and safe rooms with her extended family.
The love and support she experienced transformed her grief. As she witnessed the
courage and resilience of her family and the Israeli people, Elisa’s faith was strengthened
and her heart began to heal. This is a story of one woman’s journey to embrace life despite its many upheavals and uncertainties.
After graduating from Brooklyn Law School, Elisa worked as Special Counsel for the New York Stock Exchange, Inc. Later she joined the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as a trial attorney. Elisa also worked for more than a decade as an immigration lawyer.
After relocating to Tennessee, Elisa continued practicing law. She joined the non-profit community as Executive Director of the Epilepsy Foundation of Middle and West Tennessee. She later practiced law with Disability Rights Tennessee. Elisa has served with several organizations that help incarcerated women. She also volunteered at Gateway Church’s food pantry in Shelbyville.
Elisa holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in writing. She has published articles in The Tennessean and in various non-profit publications. This is her first book.
