Robert Blau

Born and raised in the New York area, Robert Blau studied undergrad at Brandeis University, did a two-year stint in the Peace Corps in West Africa, then went to grad school at Ohio University. He joined the U.S. Department of State as a Foreign Sevice Officer, serving for over 30 years until his retirement in 2014. Overseas tours included Santo Domingo, Conakry (Guinea), Brasilia, Panama, Lisbon, Havana and San Salvador. He had domestic assignments in Washington DC dealing with Bosnia reconstruction, International Narcotics and Crime, Cuban Affairs, and Human Resources. He also was assigned for two years as a faculty member of the Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base.

After retirement he worked as a teacher at Torah Academy of Jacksonville, dabbled in resume writing, and then returned to Washington to be Vice President for Operations at the Millennium Challenge Corporation.

He returned to Florida in 2018, moving to Saint Augustine, and joining First Congregation Sons of Israel, the subject of his book "The Oldest City's Oldest Synagogue. He published a short e-book in the summer of 2023 about his experiences battling throat and neck cancer entitled "Cancer World." In 2024 he moved to Flagler Beach, FL to be under the same roof as the inspiration for "Luhhv Poems."