Behind Prison Walls: A Jewish Woman Freedom Fighter for Israel's Independence

Behind Prison Walls tells the story of one of these courageous women, Tzila Amidror Heller, an activist member of the Irgun Zvai Leumi, the underground organization of freedom fighters headed by Menachem Begin, who later became Prime Minister of Israel. Most of the book recounts Heller's experiences in a British prison for women near Bethlehem. As her narrative demonstrates, the women of the Irgun fought back even when they won concessions from the prison administrators; they continually demanded respect and dignity for the cause to which they had dedicated their lives. Religion played an important role for them, and with the assistance of a visiting rabbi, they held services on all the important Jewish holidays. Moreover, calling upon the emotional resources of sisterhood and mutual empathy, they supported one another in moments of stress, time and again demonstrating that strong women have the inner resources to meet any challenge.