About The Silversmith's Secret

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During the three years I served as U.S. Ambassador to Yemen, I came to know members of the now-minuscule Jewish community in that country and, through them, the story of how close to fifty thousand Jews emigrated from Yemen to the State of Israel in the years immediately following its creation, a massive undertaking often called “Operation Magic Carpet.”

This historical episode opens "The Silversmith's Secret," my debut novel scheduled for release in March 2025.  The silversmith in this case Moishe Azani, a gifted craftsman who must leave behind his treasured collection of silver jewelry when he emigrates in 1949.  Six decades later, a young American journalist named Hank Amato travels to Yemen in search of it.  Hank’s connection to the silversmith is his grandfather, the Flagstaff Airlines pilot who flew Moishe and hundreds of other Jews to Israel in a jury-rigged DC-4.   Guiding Hank in his quest is a hand-written note Moishe passed to his grandfather on the tarmac at Lod Airport in Tel Aviv, in which he reveals the jewelry’s location.  

Part historical novel, part adventure story, "The Silversmith's Secret" illuminates both the rich past and troubled present of Yemen.  It is a story of people searching for seemingly unattainable goals: In the case of Moishe Azani, it is a life of dignity in the Promised Land of Israel.  Hank Amato's quest is mutli-layered:  on one level, he imagines his search for the jewelry Moishe left behind as something akin to a treasure hunt.  On a deeper level, Hank is desperate to put his life back together after a shoplifting incident torched his promising journalism career.  He hopes Yemen will deliver a compelling story that he can use to re-establish his professional credibility and, perhaps, some measure of redemption.