Hidden Inheritance: Family Secrets, Memory, and Faith

Heidi Neumark’s life changed when a few computer keystrokes exposed generations of family secrets, raising questions she could not answer: How did she never know of her grandfather’s murder? Or that her grandmother was a death-camp survivor? Why had the family history and faith been hidden? What did this mean for her work as a pastor, community organizer, and advocate with marginalized and oppressed communities? Seeking answers to these questions, Heidi traveled across the ocean and into the depths of her soul to encounter a family and spiritual heritage she never knew she had.
For any who have had secrets, closeted identities, and silence shape their lives, Heidi’s journey is more than a spellbinding memoir. It’s also a courageous call to discover what can happen when all that has been hidden is finally brought to life.

Heidi B. Neumark has served as a pastor in New York City for almost forty years. She is a founder and the executive director of a shelter for homeless LGBTQ youth. She has written two previous books: Breathing Space: A Spiritual Journey in the South Bronx, and Sanctuary: Being Christian in the Wake of Trump.