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1947: In Jerusalem, an Arba and a Jew fall in love. But a wall – and a war – divide them
About the Night
What you need to know before your trail
In a land divided, two people meet at a grandstand overlooking Jerusalem.
Elias and Lila fall deeply in love but they come from two different worlds and so their relationship is impossible. However they are determined to keep it going. Elias you see is a Christian Arab living on the eastern side of the newly divided city, whereas Lila is a Jew living on the western side. A growing conflict between their cultures casts a heavy shadow over the region and their burgeoning relationship. Between them lie not only a wall of stone and barbed wire but also the bitter enmity of two nations at war.
Can a wall and/or a war divide two people’s hearts?
Travel Guide
Jerusalem – a city divided
The story takes place in Jerusalem prior to the gaining of independence from the British Mandate. This is a city divided where Jews and Christian
By reading only this book, you would think that this process was achieved with little consequence to the people involved. At its heart this is a love story between an Arab Christian man and a Jewish lady. Skipping forward and back through the events of the successive years you are introduced to an number of people caught up in the Middle East conflict.
‘From up high, it was nearly impossible to differentiate between the Christian, Jewish and Muslim graves scattered like dominoes around the same holy valley. Elias took consolation in the fact that all the dead basked in the same sun and were drenched by the same rains and buffeted by the same winter winds and exposed to the same birdsong.’
The novel is a unique view of the region -of a country and two people’s at war . Israel’s tragic past comes to light – The story starts in 1947, just before the UN voted to accept Israel as its own state. Jerusalem is a a city in flux – a mix of Brits who are at that time ruling the area. Europeans, Jews, Arabs, all are forced to live together with political rules and changes forced on them. Then war comes to these lands with the Arab-Israeli war of 1948.
Booktrail Boarding Pass: About the Night
Author/Guide: Anat Talshir Destination: Jerusalem Departure Time: 1947 onwards
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