Stars Align

by Jill Duff-Hoppes

Kudos to local poet Holly Mandelkern, who recently released an album of Holocaust-themed songs based on a book of poems she penned.

Holly planned to release the album, Beneath White Stars: Holocaust Profiles in Song, during the summer of 2021 but put the project on hold due to the death of her mother. She was able to put the finishing touches on the album and release it this summer.

For the project, Holly turned her poems into ballads and folk songs by collaborating with many talented musicians and singers – some local, some from across the United States and other countries.

Holly’s book, Beneath White Stars: Holocaust Profiles in Poetry, is a collection of more than       40 of her historically accurate, narrative poems. Her poetry tells the moving stories of brave Holocaust victims, survivors, rescuers, and resistors.

“The past few years have been an exciting journey for me serving as the producer and lyricist, adapting 17 poems from my book into songs,” says Holly, who lives in Winter Park. “I had the privilege of working with more than 20 amazing musicians who brought to life these songs of courage            and resistance.

“One of the reasons I produced this album is that I am hoping teachers and educators will use these songs when teaching about the Holocaust,” Holly adds. “Through music, I’m hoping that even more people will hear about the lives of the individuals in my book.”

In addition to being an award-winning, published poet, Holly is a lecturer, educator, and lifelong lover of music. She earned a degree in European history from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, and a master’s degree in library science from Florida State University.

Holly taught teachers and students about Jewish resistance during the Holocaust for more than 20 years. She was inspired to study and teach about the Holocaust because of the experiences of her father, Herman Lodinger, who fought in  World War II and was a prisoner of war in a labor camp with other Allied soldiers. He passed away in 2017, the same year Holly’s book was published.