Behind Prison Walls: A Jewish Woman Freedom Fighter for Israel's Independence [Hardcover]

Tzila Amidror Heller (Author), Elizabeth Maor (Translator)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The author was a member of the Irgun, the underground organization headed by Menachem Begin, who later became Israel's prime minister. Irgun's aim was to get the British out of Palestine and establish a Jewish state; in the end, it was successful. This fascinating autobiography focuses on Heller's life in the infamous British prison for women near Bethlehem. In her preface to the book's first edition--written in 1961--Heller reveals that 19 years after her first arrest and imprisonment, and 14 years after her final release (during those five years she was arrested and released several times), she began writing the book in an attempt to tell the story of the women of the underground. Heller vividly describes her arrest (and the effect it had on her mother and four-year-old son), the nightmare of her interrogation, and the inhuman conditions of prison life. Heller writes of the important role religion played for her and other inmates, and of the mutual empathy among the prisoners. George Cohen

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Hebrew

Product Details

• Hardcover: 296 pages
• Publisher: Ktav Pub Inc (September 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881256315
• ISBN-13: 978-0881256314
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,187,500 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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