Doreen Klein Robinson’s new picture book A PLACE TO PRAY: A TALE OF FRIENDSHIP AND COMMUNITY INSPIRED BY A TRUE STORY (WorthyKids, 2026), illustrated by Yuke Li, tells the true story of a community coming together with compassion and care. When a beloved historic church in New York City is severely damaged by fire, the congregants are left without a place to pray. A local Rabbi steps up, and soon the two congregations share space in the temple, ensuring a place for all to worship. A PLACE TO PRAY is an inspiring story for young readers. The illustrations beautifully depict the city, and the end pages with pictorial maps are terrific. Detailed author’s notes provide additional information that will be of interest to readers and educators. I’m pleased to welcome Doreen Klein Robinson.
How did you learn about the terrible church fire?
Thank you for having me on your blog, Barbara. I’m so grateful to share A PLACE TO PRAY and the journey from inspiration to publication.
I don’t recall exactly where I first read about the tragic December 5, 2020 electrical fire that destroyed Middle Collegiate Church, but I know it left me feeling devastating. This story made international headlines and after reading one article, I had all these questions that needed answers… Who made up their congregation? What did the historic church look like? What was its history? The journalist in me needed answers – so I did a Google search and of course, there were dozens of articles online, newsclips that included footage of the fire, interviews with the reverend, as well as an outpouring of support on social media from all over the world.
It was indeed a terrible tragedy – and thankfully no one perished, but an entire community was now placeless. The more I read, the more inspired I became – people around the globe were offering what they could – faith, friendship, prayer, kindness, unity and community.
What inspired you to share the story for young readers?
I was deeply moved when I read that Rabbi Joshua Stanton of East End Temple was among one of the first to reach out to his mentor and friend, Rev. Dr. Jacqueline Lewis at Middle Collegiate Church to offer help. This tragic event took place during COVID when the world was mostly still in lock-down. I imagine it was devasting to be part of a congregation that no longer had a place to pray – even if services were conducted virtually at that time. Because of the pandemic, I think there was a universal longing to return to our physical, spiritual homes – churches, temples and mosques, and be among our congregations and our communities – to connect with our families, friends and worshipers, as well as with our God. The fire destroyed that for the Middle Collegiate Church family – but the aftermath of that fire is a story of resilience, faith, friendship and hope.
I also must point out that this was during a time of rising antisemitism – with another outburst from the celebrity Kayne West – which made me so angry, but I focused on the beauty of the real friendship between Rabbi Stanton and Rev. Dr. Lewis and it gave me hope and helped me heal. It made me proud of being Jewish and I began to craft a story in my head that was called A Place to Pray. The true story of the church fire inspired my fictionalized version where two friends – one Jewish and one Christian – and their congregations, come together to share one place of worship after a tragic fire.
You offer readers in-depth back matter. Can you tell me a bit about your research process and how you decided what to include?
There were so many interesting details that I uncovered with this story. I knew I wanted to immerse the reader into the NYC landscape. The walking distance between the church and temple is about a half a mile. So I “walked” the shortest route via Google Maps and what immediately stood out to me was the diversity of the area – restaurants, cafes, bakeries, grocers, and shops representing different cultures and ethnicities. It was a true melting pot!
Then I discovered the “stars on the ground” which I absolutely had to include in the story. These granite stars are part of the Yiddish Theater Walk of Fame (like the Hollywood Walk of Fame) and commemorate famous stars of Yiddish Theater. They’re located at Second Avenue and East 10th Street, where Second Avenue Deli used to be (which has since closed down) and were installed in the pavement in 1984 by the deli’s owner, Abe Lebewohl who was a Holocaust survivor.
I was fortunate enough to “walk the path” that the boy in the story walks when I visited New York in June 2023. Even though the manuscript was written, it hadn’t sold yet – but it gave me goosebumps to trace his steps and see the stars on the ground. I stood across from the church on a cloudy summer day and gazed upon what remained of the burned down structure before it was demolished. I imagined the church in all her glory and I knew in my heart that my story would honor her memory.
Another detail that I felt must be included in the back matter had to do with the New York Liberty Bell. I remember being awestruck when I read that the bell had miraculously survived the fire. The bell has its own story. Commissioned by Colonel Abraham de Peyster in 1728, it was cast in 1731 in Amsterdam. Weighing around 900 pounds, it has a distinctive silver tone from the coins that were thrown into the metal mix. The New York Liberty Bell rang during the reading of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. It also pealed to announce the inauguration and death of every American president and on September 11, 2002 in remembrance of the lives lost.
The bell was removed from the belfry by a demolition team and was carefully crated and relocated to The New York Historical – where it was on exhibit at the museum for three years while the church was demolished and rebuilt. It is now back where it belongs – at home, inside Middle Collegiate Church.
To research both these topics I relied on websites and the wealth of information that I found online from reputable sources. Obtaining permission to use images was a bit of a challenge and I’m grateful for the assistance from the City of New York, Department of Buildings.
What do you hope young readers take away from the story?
I hope readers, young and young-at-heart, will realize that we are more alike than different and that they can spread unity in the community.
What were your thoughts when you first saw the illustrations by Yuke Li?
I was so impressed when I saw Yuke’s illustrations – she took my words and breathed this story to life. I feel so fortunate to have been involved in the process from the start. The publisher at Worthy Kids shared portfolios of some very talented artists and illustrators. I was given the opportunity to rank them – which was very difficult because they all had such unique and beautiful work. It turns out, the publisher went with my number one choice, Yuke Li. One of the reasons I thought she would be the best illustrator for this manuscript is that she was the only one that lives in New York and I felt that she could capture the NY landscape/cityscape best – and her illustrations do exactly that!
You write both fiction and nonfiction. How is the process of writing different?
That’s a great question! I’ve come to realize that my writing process is driven by two factors: my Judaism and my career as a journalist.
Everything I write is through a Jewish lens, that’s how I see the world. So regardless of fiction or nonfiction, my writing is going to reflect my Jewish upbringing and my experiences as a first generation Jewish American of Ashkenazi descent, with parents who were born and raised in Israel. It’s who I am – and my writing reflects this.
Whether I’m writing fiction or nonfiction, the journalist in me loves to read and research topics. For example, in my debut picture book – Golem Loves Latkes: A Tasty Hanukkah Tale, I read up on golems. And since the story included a glossary of Yiddish terms, I had to do a bit of research since my familiarity with the language is very basic.
Either way – when I come up with a story idea – I enjoy the process of researching the topic and seeing it through the eyes of seven-year-old me – the Jewish girl who longed to see herself in books and is proud of her identity.
Thank you, Doreen!
Doreen Klein Robinson has more than twenty-five years of storytelling experience as a career journalist and editor for community newspapers. When writing, she looks for the heart of the story, hoping to inform and inspire her readers. She felt compelled to write A Place to Pray after reading about the tragic December 5, 2020, fire that destroyed historic Middle Collegiate Church and the uplifting aftermath between two very different houses of worship.