From the Nile to the Jordan [Paperback]

Ada Aharoni (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 10, 1994

"From the Nile to the Jordan" is a compelling and colorful historical novel, which captures in detail the spirit, excitement and intrigue of mid-20th century Egypt and Israel.

At the core of this stormy saga is Inbar Etty, the beautiful and talented daughter of respected judge Mosseri, member of Cairo's Jewish community. When the storm of tragic events in the Middle East in 1948, threatens to destroy her life - she sets out in a passionate quest for roots, love, fulfilment, creativity, and a new home.

The Exodus of the Jews from Egypt that took place in Biblical times is well known, but not so the Second Exodus, though it happened in the middle of the Twentieth Century. Ada Aharoni gives us the historical facts of the Second Exodus through the poignant and gripping story of Inbar and her lively group of friends.

"From the Nile to the Jordan" explores the tragedy of alienation and uprootedness. Inbar courageously fights against her tragic plight and the break-up of her family. After upheaval, exile, and the separation of her beloved Raoul - a survivor of the Nazi Holocaust for whom she searches incessantly, Inbar finally finds a deep sense of belonging, a home, and a new identity in Israel.

A major virtue of Aharoni's novel lies in its deep humanity and its hope for a lasting peace. This book has the deep inspiration, the captivating insight, and the symbolic and mythological strength, to make it unique.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Beautiful, heroic and fascinating! The book divulges a whole epic saga that is a part of history which is still quite unknown... -- A. B. Yehoshua

I read this exciting book in one breath, it opened a secret door which was totally unknown to me! -- Review by Literary Critic Aharon Megged

Inbar, the heroine of this superb novel, is a fascinating woman who regards herself as equal to any man ... -- The Chronicle (October 1995)

This is a book from a different direction. The publication of this exciting and revealing novel is timely and is to be highly praised. -- The Literary Review

This is a book from a different direction. The publication of this fascinating novel is to be highly praised. -- The Jerusalem Post, November 1994.

War, conflict, and the tragedy of uprooting of a whole culture are treated by Aharoni with skill and depth. -- Haaretz Magazine (October 1994)

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Hebrew --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 146 pages
• Publisher: Ada Aharoni (August 10, 1994)
• ISBN-10: 9659013981
• ISBN-13: 978-9659013982
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,637,365 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Accurate Account of the Tragedy of the Jews of Egypt, July 29, 2001

By 

Hany K. Eldeib (Burke, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: From the Nile to the Jordan (Paperback)

This is a sad but accurate account of the tragic events that led to the Second Exodus of the Jews of Egypt, which took place in the 1940's, 50's and 60's. Author Ada Aharoni captured the thoughts and emotions of youthful Jews growing up in Egypt in volatile times of national liberation and Arab-Jewish conflict, and their eventual forced departure to Israel.

Ada Aharoni is well qualified to write about this. She grew up as a Jew in Egypt herself, and both she and her husband were forced to leave the country and now live in Israel, where they teach at Technion University in Haifa.

The story takes on very difficult emotional and historical issues and presents a very sound explanation from the point of view of idealistic young Egyptians Jews, as well as their parents and grandmothers.

The most wonerful and unusual thing about Ada's book is that in spite of the sadness and tragedy described in this story, Ada and the heroine of her story "Inbar" are full of hope for a future without war and violence in the Middle East. Professor Aharoni dedicates a great deal of effort to promoting the culture of peace and non-violence, and peaceful coexistence between Arabs and Jews.

I loved this book as well as the author. I highly recommend it for those who enjoy a good story based on real historical events, and for those interested in the past and future of peace in the Middle East.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A SECOND EXODUS IN OUR OWN TIMES!, February 5, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: From the Nile to the Jordan (Paperback)

This is the most exciting and informative novel I have read in years! I didn't even know that there was a Second Exodus of the Jews from Egypt in my own times, and Ada Aharoni has described this astonishing historical period in a convincing and beautiful way.

This book has convinced me that author Ada Aharoni is a major universal writer. From the Nile to the Jordan is a cause for delight, gratitude and celebration. She is exceptionally brave, and she dares tell a story that no others have ventured before. Her story shines with deep and challenging truths about Middle East history,life, women, and the vision of a world beyond war and conflict.

She shrinks from no emotional, ethical or moral complexity. Each of the characters she describes are full of life and vitality. Inbar, the beautiful and courageous heroine dares to have a love affair with handsome but pessimistic Raoul, a fugitive from the Nazi Holocaust, though it is unthinkable in her society. Judge Mosseri, her father, loses all his property but not his dignity, when he is exiled from Egypt together with his family, after the Israeli War of Independence. And Nona Zina, refuses to be exiled and crashes her fine elegant china together with her life.

When Inbar finally finds Raoul in Jerusalem after she thought she had lost him forever, the reader realizes that they both together symbolize the renaissance of a people in their long lost land. The charming and rich descriptions of the scenery, the people, the texture of life in Egypt and then in Israel, are so colorful and convincing that they made me feel I was there and part of the story. In one short phrase, Ada Aharoni is a marvelous writer.

Born in Cairo, Egypt, and spending some years in the US, Ada Aharoni now lives in Haifa, Israel. She won several prestigious prizes and awards, and she was elected one of the 100 World Heroines, in Rochester, New York, in celebration of the Women's Movement founded by Susan B. Anthony. I have read all of Ada Aharoni's books and I highly recommend them. I give five stars to each of them.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Moving Story Of Life In Egypt, June 7, 2002

By 

Alvin Aronson (Boston, Mass.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: From the Nile to the Jordan (Paperback)

This is a marvelous, moving document of Jewish life in Cairo, before the creation of the Jewish State of Israel. A young girl, father and grandmother live a wonderful life in Egypt, where the father is a prominent attorney. At that time, the Jews had a rich cultural life in Egypt, with theatre, concerts, the best of all European culture. However, once the State of Israel was founded, and Palistinians emigrated to Egypt, life for the Egyptian Jews was made a living hell. Jews had to sell their property for next to nothing and flee to whatever country would take them. The young people went to Israel, but some of the older generation went to Europe. Ada's father had his money transferred to a Swiss bank, and when he went to the Swiss bank to get h is money, he was told that the Egyptian government had confiscated all his money, INBAR's father left the bank a broken man and died shortly afterwards. He was buried in a pauper's grave in Paris. INBAR's grandmother, a wonderful and colorful character, refused to leave Cairo and all her beautiful possessions, and threw herself down a flight of steps in her home and killed herself. The novel is a brilliant story of the sadness of emigration, of leaving one's home and moving to another country. In Israel, she met her beloved, Raoul, and together they built a beautiful life in their new homeland.