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Wall of Tears: The Human Face of the Israel - Palestine Conflict
If you loved ‘Apeirogon’, ‘The Tattooist of Auschwitz’, and ‘My Promised Land’, don’t miss ‘Wall of Tears’.
What lies behind the single tear that trickled down Abdiel’s face at the Western Wall in 1973?
Uri, his son, is obsessed with uncovering the truth.
Abdiel and Maya, two Polish Jewish children, survive the Holocaust and flee to Israel. Their friendship with a Palestinian family creates dangerous tensions.
Uri enters medical school and is confronted by the suffering of his people and his Palestinian brothers. His passion for peace and decision to challenge social, cultural and religious values brings heartache and conflict to his family and community.
Maya is torn between supporting her husband, who suffers the nightmares of Auschwitz, and her strong-minded sons, who choose different and dangerous paths.
The author weaves together history and human stories, collected from Israelis and Palestinians during his visits to the Middle East. The story is both joyful and tragic, gripping and shocking. There is wisdom, conflict, love, betrayal and a shattering conclusion.
What lies behind the single tear that trickled down Abdiel’s face at the Western Wall in 1973?
Uri, his son, is obsessed with uncovering the truth.
Abdiel and Maya, two Polish Jewish children, survive the Holocaust and flee to Israel. Their friendship with a Palestinian family creates dangerous tensions.
Uri enters medical school and is confronted by the suffering of his people and his Palestinian brothers. His passion for peace and decision to challenge social, cultural and religious values brings heartache and conflict to his family and community.
Maya is torn between supporting her husband, who suffers the nightmares of Auschwitz, and her strong-minded sons, who choose different and dangerous paths.
The author weaves together history and human stories, collected from Israelis and Palestinians during his visits to the Middle East. The story is both joyful and tragic, gripping and shocking. There is wisdom, conflict, love, betrayal and a shattering conclusion.
414 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 28, 2020
2 people are currently reading
6 people want to read
About the author
David Kerr
2 books4 followersInterests include unearthing stories displaying the resilience of the human spirit and overcoming adversity. Visits to Europe and the Middle East inform my writing.
My week includes a variety of writing, cycling, surfing, bushwalking, connecting with grandchildren, and working as an individual, relationship and family therapist.
My week includes a variety of writing, cycling, surfing, bushwalking, connecting with grandchildren, and working as an individual, relationship and family therapist.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 18, 2022
5.0
I should have read this book sooner.
This was a great historical fiction novel that is multi generational and covers just about every topic
you can think of. Why? When a book like this written about the Palestinian -Jewish conflict and tells the story of a relationship between two families, topics in cultivating any type of relationship are all inclusive. There are many familiarities within this novel and those outside the novel, giving me a small advantage over the subject when I began the book.
Kudos to the author!!!
I should have read this book sooner.
This was a great historical fiction novel that is multi generational and covers just about every topic
you can think of. Why? When a book like this written about the Palestinian -Jewish conflict and tells the story of a relationship between two families, topics in cultivating any type of relationship are all inclusive. There are many familiarities within this novel and those outside the novel, giving me a small advantage over the subject when I began the book.
Kudos to the author!!!
July 31, 2022
This was an enjoyable, emotive and often heartwrenching read that I learnt a lot from. I know a lot about the holocaust but very little about the conflict spoke about in this book, however, it has picqued my interest and I will be reading up about it now. It is beautifully written with a gripping storyline and well developed characters that were relatable and believeable. This was a brutally real account of the conflict full of brutal tragedy but also love and heartwarming moments.
A really good read.
A really good read.
October 20, 2022
This was a brilliant book. I really enjoyed reading it and finished it in one day. This book is packed full of brilliant culture. At times I felt like I was reading a true story or at least based on true events father than a work if fiction. It felt so realistic and believable. What ibloved the most about this book was the story the author created it felt well balanced and very well wrote and it followed so well. The first part of this book was a fantastic love story between a Muslim woman and a Jewish man . It was lovely but had some rather shocking events and heartbreaking. I was so emotionally involved in this story then the second half talks about what life was like at a concentration camp. The book was very interesting, exciting and emotional. The characters were very realistic and easy to love. The storyline was a emotional roller coaster ride. I really can't recommend this book enough it was so close to the 5 star rating. I love reading indie books like this one as this book is a hidden gem. This book really need to be shared as if this book had a big publishers it would be a best seller. If you love a story that is thrilling, full of culture which is very eye opening. Then this book is definitely for you.
So much praise goes out to the author and publishing team for bringing us this fantastic book. Its a brilliant genre hybrid book. I hope this author writes more books as he is definitely and author to watch out for.
So much praise goes out to the author and publishing team for bringing us this fantastic book. Its a brilliant genre hybrid book. I hope this author writes more books as he is definitely and author to watch out for.
June 17, 2022
“We sometimes criticize and point the finger at other people who do the same things we did, the things we’re ashamed to talk about.” In the Wall of Tears: The Human Face of the Israel - Palestine Conflict, by David Kerr offers us a “modern” historical fiction version of ancient biblical history.
Wall of Tears is a fictionalized account of several lives, told through the experiences of Uri, the son of Auschwitz survivors Maya and Abdiel. We see Uri grow up in the pages of the book and become a father himself. He falls in love with a Palestinian girl from a family that was their neighbor in the same kibbutz. Yet, despite the strong friendship between the families, an interracial relationship between a Jew and a Palestinian tears the traditional families apart.
Aalia, Uri’s love interest, is murdered by her own brother who becomes radicalized in the Palestinian resistance. As Uri searches for reasons that he cannot find, he is introduced to a person that helps him understand the other perspective. As a result, Uri finds forgiveness and acceptance within his own heart.
This is an unusual story in many respects. To quote one of the characters from the book:
“We start with the pot on the stove, cold. As time progresses, it becomes hotter.”
Rabbi Yousef, one of the characters in the historical fiction novel Wall of Tears by David Kerr.
Unlike stories that hook you in from the outset, I never saw the hook coming—but when it came, when one of the characters was murdered, I had to put the book down to grieve alongside Uri. Sure, it was foreshadowed. Of course I expected something to go wrong… and I never saw it coming; it hit me like a ton of bricks. It was that masterfully done.
This book sets out to describe the human face of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with a finely woven narrative thread that pays respect to the cultural history of both peoples; we experience the conflict through Uri’s eyes. And through his eyes, Mr. Kerr teaches us the need to consider both sides. The terrible human toll of that conflict, as well as its historical headwaters are respectfully presented.
Woven into this is another story—the biblical, historical tale of two brothers—Abraham’s sons Ishmael and Isaac. More specifically, the conflict that is described by as the rival of siblings for one promise by God. David Kerr explores Ghazi’s jealousy towards Uri—seemingly brothers, but Uri got to go to medical school, while Ghazi became a mechanic (in his own words … a “grease monkey.”) Kerr explores the sources and implications of this hardening of hatred, in a modern version of the Cain and Abel conflict over the offerings to God. Uri learns about Ghazi’s jealous hatred of him and wonders how that became the cause for a brother to murder his own sister as a result.
It is interesting that Uri’s mitzvah is chesed—kindness. In the book we see him master his rage and learn forgiveness—and that is a different, third, and much more powerful story also woven in by through Uri’s parent’s surviving Auschwitz. It is a story of the human heart, saddled with the realization that the power of the greatest evil and the greatest good coexists inside of it, all in one indivisible whole. This historical fiction novel seamlessly interweaves these three threads—these three stories, each explaining and complimenting the other as one narrative.
The book was inspired by Mr. Kerr’s meeting of a person at the Western Wall, whose parents were survivors of the holocaust. Well-researched through three trips to the holy land, this story combines the biblical historical stories, historical fiction, and the experiences of real suffering into a stunning work of historical fiction, enriched by the author’s insights into the failures of parties in conflict to consider alternative positions; to step back from the grip of emotion and attempt to come to a middle ground.
I recommend it without any reservation – to any fan of historical fiction, to any fan of the biblical and historical story of Israel and Palestine, and to every human as a piece of wisdom that we all must learn from stories such as this.
Wall of Tears is a fictionalized account of several lives, told through the experiences of Uri, the son of Auschwitz survivors Maya and Abdiel. We see Uri grow up in the pages of the book and become a father himself. He falls in love with a Palestinian girl from a family that was their neighbor in the same kibbutz. Yet, despite the strong friendship between the families, an interracial relationship between a Jew and a Palestinian tears the traditional families apart.
Aalia, Uri’s love interest, is murdered by her own brother who becomes radicalized in the Palestinian resistance. As Uri searches for reasons that he cannot find, he is introduced to a person that helps him understand the other perspective. As a result, Uri finds forgiveness and acceptance within his own heart.
This is an unusual story in many respects. To quote one of the characters from the book:
“We start with the pot on the stove, cold. As time progresses, it becomes hotter.”
Rabbi Yousef, one of the characters in the historical fiction novel Wall of Tears by David Kerr.
Unlike stories that hook you in from the outset, I never saw the hook coming—but when it came, when one of the characters was murdered, I had to put the book down to grieve alongside Uri. Sure, it was foreshadowed. Of course I expected something to go wrong… and I never saw it coming; it hit me like a ton of bricks. It was that masterfully done.
This book sets out to describe the human face of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with a finely woven narrative thread that pays respect to the cultural history of both peoples; we experience the conflict through Uri’s eyes. And through his eyes, Mr. Kerr teaches us the need to consider both sides. The terrible human toll of that conflict, as well as its historical headwaters are respectfully presented.
Woven into this is another story—the biblical, historical tale of two brothers—Abraham’s sons Ishmael and Isaac. More specifically, the conflict that is described by as the rival of siblings for one promise by God. David Kerr explores Ghazi’s jealousy towards Uri—seemingly brothers, but Uri got to go to medical school, while Ghazi became a mechanic (in his own words … a “grease monkey.”) Kerr explores the sources and implications of this hardening of hatred, in a modern version of the Cain and Abel conflict over the offerings to God. Uri learns about Ghazi’s jealous hatred of him and wonders how that became the cause for a brother to murder his own sister as a result.
It is interesting that Uri’s mitzvah is chesed—kindness. In the book we see him master his rage and learn forgiveness—and that is a different, third, and much more powerful story also woven in by through Uri’s parent’s surviving Auschwitz. It is a story of the human heart, saddled with the realization that the power of the greatest evil and the greatest good coexists inside of it, all in one indivisible whole. This historical fiction novel seamlessly interweaves these three threads—these three stories, each explaining and complimenting the other as one narrative.
The book was inspired by Mr. Kerr’s meeting of a person at the Western Wall, whose parents were survivors of the holocaust. Well-researched through three trips to the holy land, this story combines the biblical historical stories, historical fiction, and the experiences of real suffering into a stunning work of historical fiction, enriched by the author’s insights into the failures of parties in conflict to consider alternative positions; to step back from the grip of emotion and attempt to come to a middle ground.
I recommend it without any reservation – to any fan of historical fiction, to any fan of the biblical and historical story of Israel and Palestine, and to every human as a piece of wisdom that we all must learn from stories such as this.
August 30, 2022
Princess Fuzzypants here: Wall Of Tears is a compelling and compassionate tale of the Israeli Palestinian conflict. It is not an easy read and can incite powerful emotions as it follows Uri, his family and his friends, who include many Palestinians. It looks at the roots of the conflict from both sides. The Jews, many Holocaust survivors, do not lose the confines of the prisons from which they came. The prison now is the threat of annihilation that has been a constant since day 1. It also looks at the people who were displaced and often treated with contempt and cruelty.
It shows that if people have the will to live together in peace, it is possible. But it is a choice.
Sadly, it is a choice that has been hijacked far too often by evil people who are determined to destroy the other side. As the book says at the end, it is not a matter of finding a solution, it is a matter of embracing one. I can tell you that it has changed my perspective. I will never understand those who live by violence and destruction. While I can see the genesis of that frame of mind, it does not excuse it. They prey on those innocents who just try to live their lives as well as they can on both sides. Until their voices are the ones that are heard and make the decisions, things can change but not get better.
Powerful and heart-wrenching, the book allows the reader to get under the skin of the people who are involved. It exonerates no one but it does enlighten. Five purrs and two paws up.
It shows that if people have the will to live together in peace, it is possible. But it is a choice.
Sadly, it is a choice that has been hijacked far too often by evil people who are determined to destroy the other side. As the book says at the end, it is not a matter of finding a solution, it is a matter of embracing one. I can tell you that it has changed my perspective. I will never understand those who live by violence and destruction. While I can see the genesis of that frame of mind, it does not excuse it. They prey on those innocents who just try to live their lives as well as they can on both sides. Until their voices are the ones that are heard and make the decisions, things can change but not get better.
Powerful and heart-wrenching, the book allows the reader to get under the skin of the people who are involved. It exonerates no one but it does enlighten. Five purrs and two paws up.
September 2, 2022
For readers of Holocaust accounts and fiction, this is a further step well worth taking in learning more about Jewish history and experience. I found myself compelled to look for more information about Palestine and the experience of the various stakeholders over time. Deeply moving, often confronting and always thought provoking, this is a must read.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews