Daughters of Jerusalem is a saga of three generations of extraordinary Jewish women, inspired by Galya Gerstman’s grandmother’s stories. Written in a warm folktale style, Daughters of Jerusalem is a timely novel, rich with the history of Jerusalem and the various powers that conquered it over the centuries.

Galya shines a humanizing light on the multicultural history of Jerusalem and Palestine in the first half of the 20th century to the birth of Israel. 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 Lili’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.

“Told with engrossing complexity, the family saga Daughters of Jerusalem is set amid a land of entrenched and continuing conflict. ” – Meg Nola, Foreword Reviews“Galya Gerstman peoples real history with fictitious characters that will have you holding your breath.

” – Darryl Ponicsán, bestselling author of The Last Detail & 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. ” – Robert Karmon, author of Isaac & The Resettlement of Isaac“Daughters of Jerusalem is an important book for anyone seeking to understand the roots of contemporary animosity between Israelis and Palestinians….

Gerstman’s daring suggestion is that not too long ago, Jews and Arabs coexisted in relative and quite intimate peace, sharing food, shelter, and the milk of human kindness. Perhaps they might again.

” – Richard B. Simon, author of Teaching Big History.