It was the mid-1970s news report about twelve Syrian Jews being blown up in a minefield while trying to escape their country that brought home to Judy Feld Carr the terrible plight of Syria’s Jewish population. Like other Jews who remained trapped in Arab lands following the formation of the State of Israel, Syrian Jews lived in daily peril, virtual prisoners of a totalitarian regime, their every move closely monitored by the Muhabarat (the Syrian Secret Police), with extortion, imprisonment, and torture a constant reality.

Over the next thirty years, “Mrs. Judy” (as she was known to the people she helped) publicly championed the cause of Syrian Jews as she secretly negotiated their escape–dealing with smugglers, bribing officials, haggling over travel documents, arranging medical aid, and funnelling money to those in need, even to those in prison.

The Rescuer is the intensely dramatic story of the heroic and deeply humanitarian actions of one seemingly ordinary woman, a compelling glimpse into the workings of one Islamic regime, and a testament to the difference that one individual’s actions can have on the lives of thousands.

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“[An] incredible tale…an important story that had to be told. As the book shows, sometimes the power of one is greater than the ignorance of many.”
-Toronto Star

“Over the course of [thirty] tumultuous, nail biting, cloak-and-dagger years, [Judy Feld Carr] accomplished what entire governments and well-paid professionals could not…the rescue of the Jews of Syria. In [The Rescuer], Harold Troper…gives us a fast paced tour de force worthy of any spy novel. Except that it’s all true.”
-National Post

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Harold Troper has co-authored several award-winning books including None Is Too Many: Canada and the Jews of Europe (“one of the most important books ever published in Canada”–the Literary Review of Canada); Old Wounds: Jews, Ukrainians and the Hunt for Nazi War Criminals; and Immigrants: A Portrait of the Urban Experience. He is a Professor in the Department of Theory and Policy Studies at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto.

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