Author Roya Hakakian Consults with Mayberg Foundation on Graphic Novel and Podcast Highlighting Jewish Heroes of the American Revolution

Roya Hakakian, acclaimed author, lecturer, and journalist, met with Mayberg Foundation Executive Director Todd Sukol last week to discuss her latest project, Unsung Patriots—a graphic novel that shines a light on the Jewish heroes of the American Revolution.

Unsung Patriots will introduce readers to remarkable, but often overlooked, figures such as Francis Salvador, the first Jewish elected official in America and the first to die in battle during the Revolution; Haym Salomon, who financed Washington’s army; Abigail Minis, who supplied Patriot troops in Georgia; and Gershom Mendes Seixas, America’s first native-born Jewish religious leader and a participant in Washington’s inauguration—Jewish patriots whose courage and contributions helped shape America’s earliest ideals of freedom.

Hakakian, who is approaching several Jewish foundations for support, including Mayberg, is also planning to develop a companion podcast to further explore this rich and inspiring history. The project benefits from the guidance of its adviser, Dr. Jonathan Sarna, University Professor at Brandeis and one of the nation’s foremost scholars of American Jewish history. Read more about Roya Hakakian here