The Courtyard, with Alexa Morris

Please register to receive the Zoom link for this free online program, as Alexa Morris presents The Courtyard, the memoir she assisted her father-in-law Benjamin Parket in writing.

It’s 1937, the eve of World War II, and young Bernard lives with his Polish-immigrant family in a working-class courtyard in Paris. While there aren’t many other Jews in the courtyard – a bustling place teeming with a colorful cast of characters – the Parkiets feel welcome and at home. To Bernard the courtyard is both home and playground; a magical place where he watches his father varnish furniture, gets into trouble with cranky neighbors, and splits pain au chocolate with his best friend Titi. With the German occupation of Paris, Bernard’s world changes dramatically. Hours before the Nazis come to arrest the Parkiet family in July 1942, their neighbors band together to protect them. The family is hidden in a vacant warehouse, and the courtyard becomes a refuge. With their world turned upside down, it is Bernard’s job, at only nine years old, to leave the courtyard each day to get food for his family. And even with the neighbors protecting them, there is danger lurking everywhere – including in certain corners of the courtyard itself. A gripping tale of courage and kindness, The Courtyard is a timely reminder of how even in the darkest of times, a small group of people can make a difference.

Alexa Morris grew up in the suburbs of Washington DC, dabbling in a number of jobs (Senate page, vet tech, retail) before choosing the world of non-profits, where she remains to this day. She is married to the daughter of Ben Parket. Ben, born in Paris in 1933 to parents from Poland, is a retired architect, the father of three children, and grandfather to six. The Courtyard tells the story of his early years.