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Searching for Self in the Seattle Stories of my Jewish Ancestors
Karen Treiger
Thursday, August 14 at 6 pm via Zoom

After retiring from her law practice in 2015, Karen dedicated herself to researching and writing her family histories. After three years of work, Karen published her first, award-winning book telling the harrowing story of her in-laws, Sam and Esther Goldberg’s experience during the Holocaust. The result of her three-year inquiry is the widely praised book, My Soul is Filled with Joy: A Holocaust Story (also available in Polish). In it, Treiger chronicles both Sam and Esther’s journey, including Sam’s escape from the death camp Treblinka, as well as her family’s experiences in Poland when they retraced the path from Treblinka to the pit in the Polish forest where they hid until their liberation. As Treiger became invigorated and inspired by the people she encountered, Sam and Esther’s story became her story too.

She then turned to explore her own family’s history. A very different story – as much of the history was just outside her front door. These immigrants came to the United States before World War II, some as early as 1860s. This exploration was inspired, in part, through the grief she felt after losing her father, Irwing Treiger in 2013.

The deep dive into the lives of these fascinating characters has been a journey of self- exploration. She is thrilled to bring this book, Standing on the Crack: The Legacy of Five Jewish Families in Seattle’s Vibrant Gilded Age to the world in August of 2025. Through this book, Treiger brings Seattle and her family members to life as she puts the story into historical context. She shares the growth of the city and its Jewish community through the lives of these five families.

Karen was born in Seattle and educated at Barnard College and New York University Law School –where she was editor-in-chief of NYU Law Review. She has been named to the Jewish Book Council Author’s Network, the Seattle Holocaust Center for Humanity Speaker’s Bureau, and served on the University of Washington Advisory Council for the Extension Writing Program. Her perspectives have been shared in the Forward, the Jewish Press, and the Washington State Pioneer Association Newsletter. Karen is the proud mother of four adult children and the Bubbi (grandmother) to five fantastic grandchildren.