The Lonely Tree by Yael Politis

Tonia Schulman is a strong young woman who uses inventiveness and hard work to get what she wants. Her father, Josef, is as determined as his daughter. Having rescued his family from Nazi atrocities in Poland, he hopes to establish a new Jewish identity and society in Palestine. To that end he helps to found a kibbutz in the hill country near Jerusalem. Tonia hates the kibbutz, finding it crowded and uncomfortable. She’s determined to finish high school, leave Palestine, and make a new life for herself in America.

On the other hand, she’s not indifferent to her people’s need to carve out a better future for themselves.

Amos Amrani is more than aware of that need. He’s a handsome young Yemenite Jew who fights in the Jewish underground. His and Tonia’s backgrounds are very different, but they fall in love.

Their budding romance is fraught with fear and danger as the Jews are repeatedly attacked by their Arab neighbors. In the spring of 1948, Arabs lay siege to the kibbutz where Tonia’s family lives. Despite its defenders’ heroic efforts, many of them die and the kibbutz is forced to surrender. Tonia’s father, mumbling prayers, is killed by an exploding grenade. A day later, on May 14, 1948, the British mandate over Palestine expires and the independent State of Israel is officially declared.

Josef’s long-held dream appears to be coming true, though the citizens of the new State face many challenges. Will Tonia stay to share them? Not if she can help it. She clings to her resolve to reach her promised land, America. She rejects Amos, the love of her life, and devotes herself to raising enough money to emigrate.

Tonia arrives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in March 1953. She opens a bakery and buys the kind of house she always dreamed of, only to discover she’s miserable. She misses her family. She misses Amos. Tonia tries to make friends among the Americans around her, but feels like an outsider among them. When Amos arrives in Grand Rapids looking for her, Tonia realizes she wants to marry him and live where he lives, back in Israel.

Tonia and Amos’s life in the homeland is far from easy. She sometimes wonders why she left America. But deep down she knows she made the right decision.

The book is well written, with evocative descriptions, gripping action, well-realized characters, and authentic appeals to the emotions.

The Lonely Tree is available online from the Holland Park Website. The url directly to the book is http://www.hollandparkpress.co.uk/book_detail.php?book_id=17.