In A Century in the Making: A Hundred-Year Journey from Refugee to American, Peter Lindenfeld shared the story of immigration, assimilation, destruction, and rebirth of home and relationships in post-war North America through the microcosm of his own life.

Peter’s daughter, Naomi, will present stories about her father and how his experience as a refugee affected his life. She will include brief readings from his book and a slideshow of images.

Born in Vienna, Peter Lindenfeld’s stable childhood was destroyed by the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany. The young boy and his mother fled to North America, landing him in Vancouver, then New York, and finally, the academic world in New Jersey. Molded by his original Austrian-Jewish culture and carved by his new environment as an immigrant, Peter, a physicist, crossed paths with Jewish social societies and scientists shaping the new atomic world.

Retired from a storied academic career at Rutgers University, Peter Lindenfeld turned 100 years old in March 2025, editing and revising this book right up to his passing in November.

Co-hosted by the Yankee Bookshop, this event is free and open to all.