The Ladino-speaking Jewish community of Rhodes was once a world of vibrant color and intimate tradition. Moving between pre-war La Juderia and the present, The Girl in the Oil Painting follows a mother’s fragmented memories and a son who slowly uncovers the trauma she never spoke aloud. Through family kitchens rich with familiar aromas, sea light over Mandraki Harbor, Shabbat songs, and recipes passed down like treasures, the book brings back to life a community whose world was almost...