Lili Ventura immigrates to the Holy Land in 1903 to fulfill a promise to God, and reinvents herself as a midwife, serving not only the Jews of the Walled City but also Muslims and Christians. Her daughter, Mercada, and granddaughter, Alegra, will fight their own battles against colonialism, the class system, and rising tensions between Jews and Arabs as they continue on Lily’s path toward modernity and independence, aspiring to a future without walls, in the City of Peace. In Daughters of Jerusalem Galya Gerstman establishes herself as one of our master storytellers.
“Galya Gerstman peoples real history with fictitious characters that will have you holding your breath.” –Darryl Ponicsán, bestselling author of The Last Detail and Last Flag Flying
“This is a detailed chronicle of the rancorous evolution of Palestine into the state of Israel, but it is, at the same time, a moving and emotionally touching narrative of three generations of a family…captured vividly by the remarkable craftsmanship of Galya Gerstman.”
Galya Gerstman, author of Texting Olivia (Pleasure Boat Studio, 2021), taught French Literature at Tel Aviv University before relocating to Costa Rica to raise a family. She possesses a PhD in French Literature from Columbia University and a BA in Creative Writing from Barnard College.