Forever My Jerusalem, by Puah Shteiner (Feldheim, 1987), is the dramatic, riveting, powerful, tragic, timeless-yet-modern story of the siege of the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem in 1948, the subsequent fall of the Jewish Quarter to the Jordanian army, and the terrifying exile of its poverty-stricken inhabitants. In precise and descriptive detail, the author relates the trails her family – along with the residents of the Old City – faced during the Israeli War of Independence. We begin the story before the siege, continue through the terrible siege, starvation, and constant attacks, and read through the exile of the people when they were chaotically relocated to newly-captured Katamon, where the poverty and tribulations continued.
This book is a must-read for anyone who wants a deeper sense of understanding the siege of Jerusalem in ancient, Temple, times; as well as for every Jew who cares about the land of Israel, the State of Israel, and the people of Israel. The sacrifices our people have made – and continue to make, may G-d save us – for our country and our Land are staggering. And yet… Am Yisrael Chai.