Praise for Isaac’s Beacon
“David L. Robbins takes us from Hitler’s camps through the British Mandate in Palestine, onto a rocky kibbutz, and into the dangerous Irgun. A profound and pivotal novel of the birth of the State of Israel, with all its adventures and tragedies on display. This is Robbins—historian, humanist, and master novelist—at the top of his game. An epic and timeless work.”
—William S. Cohen, former U.S. Senator, Congressman, and Sec. of Defense
“Isaac’s Beacon stands alongside the great fiction epics of Israel by Leon Uris and Herman Wouk. Robbins has written an instant classic.”
—Jeff Shaara, New York Times Bestselling Historical Novelist
“Robbins has written his most ambitious book yet. A beautifully paced and utterly gripping powerhouse of a book. Extremely timely.”
—Alex Kershaw, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Liberator and The Longest Winter
“Isaac’s Beacon is a masterwork by a truly masterful writer.”
—Tom Robbins, New York Times Bestselling Author of Even Cowgirls Get The Blues and Still Life With Woodpecker
“The best historical novels not only illuminate the past, they define it. Isaac’s Beacon is one of those novels. Riveting, morally complex, fiercely intelligent, and as empathetic as it is sweeping in scope, Robbins guides readers through war-torn chaos to moments of rare, magnificent beauty. I feel like a better person for having read it.”
—Dan Mayland, author of The Doctor of Aleppo
Also by David L. Robbins
Souls To Keep
War of the Rats
The End of War
Scorched Earth
Last Citadel
Liberation Road
The Assassins Gallery
The Betrayal Game
Broken Jewel
The Devil’s Waters
The Empty Quarter
The Devil’s Horn
The Low Bird
You Are Your Own Always (collection of essays)
For the stage
Scorched Earth (an adaptation)
The End of War (an adaptation)
Sam & Carol
The King of Crimes
A WICKED SON BOOK
An Imprint of Post Hill Press
ISBN: 978-1-64293-829-6
ISBN (eBook): 978-1-64293-830-2
Isaac’s Beacon:
A Novel
© 2021 by David L. Robbins
All Rights Reserved
Cover design by Matt Margolis
Interior artwork by Tiffani Shea
This book is a work of historical fiction. All incidents, dialogue, and characters aside from the actual historical figures are products of the author’s imagination. While they are based around real people, any incidents or dialogue involving the historical figures are fictional and are not intended to depict actual events or commentary. In all other respects, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is purely coincidental.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author and publisher.
Post Hill Press
New York • Nashville
posthillpress.com
Published in the United States of America
Contents
The Characters of Isaac’s Beacon
Glossary of Terms
Chapter 1: Éva
Chapter 2: Éva
Chapter 3: Éva
Chapter 4: Éva
Chapter 5: Éva
Chapter 6: Éva
Chapter 7: Hugo
Chapter 8: Hugo
Chapter 9: Vince
Chapter 10: Rivkah
Chapter 11: Rivkah
Chapter 12: Vince
Chapter 13: Hugo
Chapter 14: Vince
Chapter 15: Rivkah
Chapter 16: Vince
Chapter 17: Hugo
Chapter 18: Vince
Chapter 19: Hugo
Chapter 20: Vince
Chapter 21: Rivkah
Chapter 22: Hugo
Chapter 23: Hugo
Chapter 24: Hugo
Chapter 25: Hugo
Chapter 26: Vince
Chapter 27: Rivkah
Chapter 28: Vince
Chapter 29: Rivkah
Chapter 30: Rivkah
Chapter 31
Chapter 32: Vince
Chapter 33: Hugo
Chapter 34: Rivkah
Chapter 35: Vince
Chapter 36: Hugo
Chapter 37: Vince
Chapter 38: Hugo
Chapter 39: Vince
Chapter 40: Hugo
Chapter 41: Rivkah
Chapter 42: Hugo
Chapter 43: Rivkah
Chapter 44: Hugo
Chapter 45: Vince
Chapter 46: Hugo
Chapter 47: Rivkah
Chapter 48: Vince
Chapter 49
Chapter 50: Hugo
Chapter 51: Hugo
Chapter 52: Vince
Chapter 53: Vince
Chapter 54: Rivkah
Chapter 55: Vince
Chapter 56: Rivkah
Chapter 57: Vince
Chapter 58: Rivkah
Chapter 59: Hugo
Chapter 60: Hugo
Chapter 61: Hugo
Chapter 62: Vince
Chapter 63: Vince
Chapter 64: Hugo
Chapter 65: Rivkah
Chapter 66
Chapter 67: Hugo
Chapter 68: Vince
Chapter 69: Vince
Chapter 70: Rivkah
Chapter 71: Rivkah
Chapter 72: Vince
Chapter 73: Hugo
Chapter 74: Vince
Chapter 75: Vince
Chapter 76: Rivkah
Chapter 77: Rivkah
Chapter 78: Hugo
Chapter 79: Rivkah
Chapter 80: Vince
Chapter 81
Chapter 82: Hugo
Chapter 83: Rivkah
Chapter 84: Vince
Chapter 85: Hugo
Chapter 86: Hugo
Chapter 87: Rivkah
Chapter 88: Vince
Chapter 89: Hugo
Chapter 90: Hugo
Chapter 91: Rivkah
Chapter 92: Vince
Chapter 93: Hugo
Chapter 94: Vince
Chapter 95: Hugo
Chapter 96: Vince
Chapter 97: Hugo
Chapter 98: Hugo
Chapter 99: Hugo
Chapter 100: Rivkah
Chapter 101: Hugo
Chapter 102: Rivkah
Chapter 103: Vince
Chapter 104: Hugo
Chapter 105: Hugo
Chapter 106: Hugo
Chapter 107: Vince
Chapter 108: Rivkah
Chapter 109: Hugo
Chapter 110: Rivkah
Chapter 111: Rivkah
Chapter 112: Vince
Chapter 113: Vince
Chapter 114: Rivkah
Chapter 115: Hugo
Chapter 116: Rivkah
Chapter 117: Vince
Chapter 118: Rivkah
Chapter 119: Rivkah
&nb
sp; Chapter 120: Rivkah
Chapter 121
Acknowledgments
For Rachel L., with thanks for being my first audience, marvelous editor, powerful role model, and incomparable friend.
The Characters of Isaac’s Beacon
(in order of appearance)
Éva, a young woman who escapes Vienna at the start of the Nazis’ rise
Gabbi, the younger sister Éva left behind in Vienna
Mrs. Pappel, a Viennese woman who befriends Éva on the ship to Palestine
Emile, an Austrian boy, friend of Éva’s and firebrand
Rivkah Gellerman, the name of a deceased Jewish woman Éva takes as her own
Hugo Ungar, a Jewish survivor of Buchenwald
Vince Haas, German-born American reporter for the New York Herald Tribune, former U.S. Marine
Capt. Beshears, U.S. Army officer in charge of Displaced Persons at Buchenwald
Gideon, the American captain of the Berl Katznelson, an illegal ship to Palestine
Julius, a Palmach fighter in Palestine
Mr. Pinchus, the underground leader of the Irgun, a Jewish revolutionary force in Palestine
Malik, an Arab gunrunner and poet, friend of Rivkah and Mrs. Pappel
Yakob, redheaded Palmach fighter
Dennis, news editor of the Herald Tribune, Vince’s boss in New York
Dov Gruner Irgun, fighter captured by the British, sentenced to hang
Judge, kidnapped by the Irgun in Jerusalem and held hostage to prevent the hanging of Dov Gruner
Warden, the administrator of the Russian Compound prison near the Old City in Jerusalem
Moshe Barazani and Meir Feinstein, underground fighters captured by the British and sentenced to hang together at the Russian Compound; Barazani fought with the Stern Gang, also known as the Lehi; Feinstein was an Irgun fighter
Bill Bernstein, American sailor, second mate aboard the illegal Jewish ship Exodus 1947, killed during the skirmish when the Exodus was boarded at sea by British marines
Judge Emil Sandström, Swedish chairman of the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP)
Uzi, the commanding officer of the Palmach force at Kfar Etzion
Glossary of Terms
(in order of appearance)
The Mandate of Palestine – following World War I, the League of Nations gave Britain the mandate to administer the territories of Palestine and Transjordan, both surrendered by the Ottomans after the war
Atlit – refugee camp north of Haifa, run by the British to hold undocumented Jewish immigrants before deporting them out of Palestine
Buchenwald – complex of Nazi concentration camps built near Weimar, Germany; one of the first and largest camps to hold prisoners from across Europe and the Soviet Union
Kibbutz – a Jewish communal farm in Palestine
Gush Etzion – a bloc of four kibbutzim ten miles south of Jerusalem on the cusp of the Negev; the bloc includes Kfar Etzion, Massuot Yitzhak, Ein Tzurim, and Revadim
Displaced Persons (DPs) – United Nations term for the millions forcibly removed from their homes during World War II; many returned to their homelands while the rest emigrated elsewhere
Ma’apilim – Hebrew word for immigrants to Palestine
Haverim – Hebrew word for settlers, primarily farmers
Aliyah Bet – the Haganah’s organized effort to smuggle Jewish refugees and immigrants into the Mandate of Palestine
Yishuv – the Jewish population of Mandate Palestine
Jewish Agency – the official government of the Yishuv
Palmach – the commandos of the Haganah
Sten gun – a small submachine gun of British design, inexpensive and simple to fabricate
Irgun – a paramilitary splinter group which left the Haganah in the belief that the Jewish Agency was too restrained in its defiance of the British occupation
Lehi – also known as the Stern Gang; broke away from both the Haganah and Irgun; the smallest of the paramilitary resistance groups, Lehi was also the most violent
Bren gun – a light, portable machine gun widely used by British armed forces
Kharda – Arabic word for scrap iron, Hugo’s nickname
Acre prison – twelfth-century Crusader fortress north of Haifa, used as a prison first by the Turks, then the British
Russian Compound – in the mid-nineteenth century, Russia built a complex near Jerusalem’s Old City to accommodate Russian pilgrims to Jerusalem; the compound included a women’s hospice which the British Mandate government later turned into the city’s main prison
Sappers – a military term for those who specialize in digging trenches, tunnels, and fortifications
UNSCOP – in 1947, the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine was charged with investigating and recommending the governance of Palestine between the Jews and Arabs
Neve Ovadia – the library in Kfar Etzion, the largest kibbutz of the Etzion bloc
Lamed Hey – Hebrew numerals for thirty-five, a reference to the Haganah platoon killed while bringing, on foot, supplies to the blockaded Etzion bloc on January 16, 1948
Spandau – a heavy machine gun widely used by the German armies in both World Wars
Sharav – a dry, hot, sandy wind occurring sporadically in the Middle East during spring and autumn
Operation Nachshon – the Haganah’s plan during the 1948 Jewish-Arab War to open the road for supplies from Tel Aviv to reach beleaguered Jerusalem; Nachshon was the name of the first man to leap onto the dry ground of the parted Red Sea when the Jewish people left bondage in Egypt
Mukhtar – the leader of an Arab town or village
1940
God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am,” Abraham replied.
“Take your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
Genesis 22:2
Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from shedding tears, for there is a reward for your labor; they shall return from the enemy’s land.
And there is hope for the future; the children will return home.
Jeremiah 31:16–17
Chapter 1
Éva
September 28
Vienna
In his blue opera coat, Éva’s father rode beside her on the tram to the train station. Her mother and young sister filled the seat behind. Her father said nothing on the way; this was how he kept from shouting.
At the station, the eastbound locomotive steamed while porters’ bells rang. The platform bustled with departure. Éva stood before the open door of a packed passenger car; every window held faces in profile and tears. Again, Éva told her father his decision to stay in Vienna was dangerous and foolish. He was being hardheaded. On no other day had she spoken to him like this, but she needed to be fearless at the last or carry away with her the burden of holding her own tongue.
Her father lowered his head until his long grey goatee touched his starched collar. Gabbi broke from her mother to hug Éva’s waist; Éva crooked an arm around her sister.
Her father spoke in a reined voice.
“You chose to go.”
“I want us all to go.”
“Edvard.” Her mother stroked his arm from behind because she wanted him to speak gently. With effort, he did.
“We will be alright.”
“You believe this? The Germans? You believe this?”
“There are a quarter million Jews in Vienna. What can they do?”
Éva could imagine, and so could he. Why say it aloud if he would not?
“You’re sending me away.”
“We are not sending you away.” His tone rose; her mother touched his arm again. “You asked for this.”
“I want us to be safe. I’m afraid.”
“So you leave your home. You leave my protection.”
“I leave so you’ll come behind me.”
“You don’t believe I can protect you. Say it. Say you don’t.”
“I don’t. Not from the Germans.”
“Good. You have that much courage, at least.”
She indicated the many cars packed with Jews. “These people don’t feel safe here either.”
“I’m not their father. I want my family to stay here. You want us to go. You make me say the hardest thing a father can say. So go.”
“Follow me. I’ll have everything waiting for you in Palestine.”
“Will you have your grandfather’s shop there?”
“Papa.”
“If I leave, the Germans will take it. And our home. They’ll empty my bank accounts. We’ll have nothing. Nothing to come back to. This is what I have. This is what my family built. And I should leave it? Stand here quietly while you tear everything to pieces?”
“You can have a shop in Palestine.”
“It wouldn’t be my father’s.”
“But it would. You see, it would.”
The locomotive screeched. Ghosts of steam riffled past. Éva cupped her small sister’s head.
“Let me take Gabbi.”
Her father had said all he was going to. He gestured for Éva’s mother to pull the younger girl away.
Her mother bussed Éva’s cheek.
“My child.”
“Mutti. Make him come.”
Her mother blinked above a final smile. “Make him? Did the two of you just meet?”
“Come before it gets too late. Promise.”
“We’ll be alright.”
Éva embraced her. She found nothing to whisper into the soft curtain of her mother’s hair. She couldn’t beg or argue more—or say goodbye. Éva kissed her cheek.
Her father took a backwards step. With hands that she had never before seen shake, he unbuttoned his blue opera coat. He smiled, too. He wanted to be remembered smiling. He held the long coat out for her to step into. Éva turned her back for him to drape the coat across her shoulders.