On A Wing From The Holy Land [Review Of An Exciting New Novel About The Spiritual Journey Of An Israeli Woman]
Many of The Inquisitr’s readers may already be familiar with the work of our Israeli colleague, Adina Kutnicki. Her recent interview on the insidious octopus known as The Muslim Brotherhood was a wake up call about the dangers we all face from religious extremists.
Adina Kutnicki has written much about the trials and tribulations of life in Israel. The Jewish state, the only Democracy in the war torn Middle East, is surrounded by enemies dedicated to her destruction.
Israel has not only managed to survive, but the Jewish state had turned a desert into a garden of promise. Israel is a world leader in technology, science and medicine, receiving more Nobel Prizes, Per capita, than any nation on Earth.
Yet, despite all the triumphs of this tiny nation, there are those who seek to demonize and dismantle the Zionist dream, and sadly, they are succeeding by spreading their hateful propaganda and lies about the Jewish people and Israel.
As the repugnant Nazi fanatic Joseph Goebbels said: “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.” And despite everything the world should have learned from the Holocaust and the genocide of six million Jews, Goebbel’s sickness is spreading once again, and Israel is in great jeopardy.
With this in mind, Ms. Kutnicki has written a review of an important new book by Bat-Zion Susskind-Sacks, On A Wing From The Holy Land. We invite you to experience the life journey of the novel’s protagonist, and learn the truth about the nation of Israel and the millions of Jews who yearn for peace and co-existence in a very troubled world.
A Novel By Bat-Zion Susskind-Sacks
Book Review By Adina Kutnicki
On a Wing from the Holy Land, by Bat-Zion Susskind-Sacks (an Israeli writer, a “sabra” and a world traveler, she is also an American citizen) is a gripping novel about Jessica Kozlow, the story’s protagonist. Its centerpiece revolves around one woman’s soul-searing journey, as she yearns for life’s greatest treasures; veracity, peace, liberty and genuine love.
Back-dropped in juxtaposition to a tumultuous 100 year historical context (affecting 4 generations), Jessica, its lead character, ends up traveling the world, not soon after coming of age in her native Israel. Her childhood and teenage years in Israel span from the 1950’s through the early 1970’s.
But before Jessica could commence her first (of many) foray abroad, she begins her service in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), like the rite of passage of most (Jewish) Israelis. She joins the IDF a mere four years after the Arabs wage another war of annihilation, the Six-Day War in 1967.
Jessica’s aching desire is to serve within the military entertainment unit, a unit which enjoys many advantages, including traveling to remote bases and taping shows for both radio and television audiences. She is a budding actress, and the thrill of performing gives her a rush. Naturally, Jessica is giddy with delight at her acceptance into this well-respected troupe.
It is during her army service, like any normal teenage girl of 18, Jessica falls head over heels in love for the first time in her young life. Avi, a dashing 20-year-old officer in the IDF, stole her heart. Her first love.
Most tragically, Jessica would never be able to fulfill her longing to “be one” with Avi, he dies in a terrorist ambush in the Jordan Valley. It becomes a bittersweet memory, best left in her corner recesses, only to remain in her heart and mind’s eye.
Upon completion of her army service, Jessica’s mother (with her father in tow) is, paradoxically, the catalyst to her daughter’s many years of travel. Dina and Sam Kozlow’s determination to see their daughter succeed and live life to its fullest is excruciatingly apparent. They enable Jessica to reach her greatest potential, whatever course she chooses.
With her parent’s blessings, love and support, Jessica heads off for her initial exploration of life outside tiny, beleaguered Israel. Initially, she lands in Great Britain, with a spot her mother reserves at the Duncan School of Languages. It is a gift from her parent’s, allowing her to spread her wings. Their selflessness – despite their own tortured past – helps Jessica attain a life-long sense of self-awareness, both during her high points and low ones.
Her initial trip abroad precipitates a love affair with travel and adventure. Yet, along the way, she encounters many of life’s pitfalls, only to temporarily falter and stumble, as she finds the inner strength, stamina and sustenance to regain her equilibrium. Her inner fortitude.
Jessica’s march towards self discovery is encapsulated within small, yet riveting short stories, one weaving into another, as her life cycle appears – at least to an outsider – as an endless roller coaster ride. Thrilling, to the (almost) touch.
If anything, Jessica proves – time and again – to be a tenacious and hearty soul. She is also a woman who possesses an aura which others can’t help but find magnetic and enthralling. Alluring.
Throughout the course of her life, Jessica continues to crisscross around the world – in between visits to Israel – to countless exotic locales with various companions. However, setting up residence is another matter, and the USA, New Zealand and Great Britain are the countries which inevitably draw her in.
It is during these often turbulent, roller-coaster riding years, Jessica fortifies herself and acquires academic degrees to maintain her independence. She eventually marries, becomes a mother, divorces, entangles in a difficult business venture, yet manages to evolve stronger and more self-reliant. Sustenance from her childhood years.
Tellingly, throughout the novel, regardless of where she is in the world, Jessica embraces the (figurative) presence of her parents, as does the reader. They are acute and integral to all.
A loving daughter of Holocaust survivors, the horrors of their long-suffering (as that of millions of others) resonates throughout every fiber of her being, even if unconsciously. How could it not. Despite it all, she clings to their inner strength, irrespective of time and distance.
Sans a scintilla of a doubt, this book’s core shines through on the most visceral level imaginable; along with hundreds of thousands of other children of Holocaust victims, Jessica grows up knowing (and not knowing) what atrocities had been committed to her parents. A silent torment.
In this regard, traveling in Jessica’s footsteps is like peering through a double-pane mirror; reflecting the souls of those who perished and those who survived the Holocaust. Their children (often) live with the intimate knowledge of their parents pain, unconsciously shouldering it as their own.
Most essentially, On a Wing from the Holy Land, as visualized through Jessica’s eyes, is a message of hope, love, triumph and the ability to grab onto life with both hands.
Basically, this novel serves as an inspiration for the Jewish people. Despite millennium of wandering, as poignantly told through Jessica’s lens, Jews now have a home to come back to, for all who so choose.
Throughout her experiences, and despite all odds, Jessica soars like a bird on the proverbial wings nurtured by her parents in the Holy Land. Years later, she comes back to live in Israel, to acquaint anew with her roots, and with a new-found appreciation for her Jewish homeland.
Indeed, Jessica’s life’s journey embodies a most gratifying, inspiring and uplifting read!
Biography Of Bat-Zion Susskind-Sacks – Traveler Returning Home:
My name is Bat-Zion Susskind-Sacks; Bat-Zion is Hebrew for “Daughter of Zion.” I grew up in Israel in the nineteen fifties and sixties, the daughter of Holocaust survivors.
Like all Israelis, I served in the Israel Defense Forces, and then I moved to the USA to further my studies. I have lived more than half of my life outside Israel, in the USA, New Zealand and Great Britain.
I have returned to my homeland Israel with a rejuvenated love and pride, and I have endeavoured to express those deep feelings within the pages of my first novel, On a Wing from the Holy Land.
The book will become available in December 2013. I invite you to explore this site and get to know more about me and the story I have written.
You are invited to follow me on Twitter at: @OnAWing1 and to click ‘Like’ on my Facebook page: Bat-Zion Susskind-Sacks (Public Figure). You are also welcome to email me at: batzi@bat-zion.name
Biography Of Adina Kutnicki:
Adina Kutnicki is an independent op-ed contributor to various Zionist and Conservative media outlets. She contributed to an in-depth series at FrontPage Magazine (from 2003-2007) with Lee Kaplan – still working together – a well known investigative journalist. The series explored the question: “Does The Pro-Terror Left Violate U.S. Tax Laws?” Her op-eds have been featured at American Thinker, Israel National News, The Jewish Press, MidEast Outpost, The Freeman Center For Strategic Studies and other publications. Adina blogs at http://adinakutnicki.com/
Born and raised in New York City, Ms. Kutnicki made aliyah to Israel in the summer of 2008. Being fluent in Hebrew allows her to gauge the mood (aka matzav) of the country, thus, enabling her to report on core Zionist issues with much more accuracy. Adina assists Dr. Martin Sherman and Professor Paul Eidelberg through their policy centers. Her “go to” expert on all matters pertaining to international law, and a country’s right to anticipatory self defense – via preemptive strikes – is Professor Louis Rene Beres of ‘Project Daniel’.
Adina Kutnicki is the devoted mother of two outstanding sons. Both are electrical engineers (MIT & Caltech educated) and proudly serve as IDF reservists.
Introduction By Wolff Bachner For The Inquisitr.
Artwork By Holocaust Survivor Alice Lok Cahana and johanna007
