Woman Who Fought an Empire

Gregory J. Wallance is a lawyer and writer in New York City, a former federal prosecutor, and a longtime human rights activist. He is the author of America’s Soul in the Balance: The Holocaust, FDR’s State Department, and the Moral Disgrace of an American Aristocracy and Into Siberia: George Kennan’s Epic Journey Through the Brutal, Frozen Heart of Russia. Wallance has written op-eds for the New York Times, USA Today, and the Wall Street Journal and is a contributor for The Hill.

• AcknowledgmentsA Note on TerminologyMajor CharactersIntroduction1. I Will Be Really Happy When I Am Home2. Two Cannot Take Three Places-What Is Missing Is Missing3. Don’t You Feel That a New Generation Is Born?4. What Sights Her Eyes Have Seen5. They Must Attack Immediately6. The Wait7. Aaron Aaronsohn’s Journey8. One of Your Men Came across the Desert9. What about Avshalom?10. Black Nights11. What I Have Done, I Have Done Purely for My People and My Country12. To Sarah13. We Are Watched by a Thousand Eyes14. Everywhere I Turn I Feel His Absence15. The Situation Is Getting Worse16. She Is Worth a Hundred Men17. The Boys Will Turn into Green Crowned Date PalmsNotesBibliographyIndex

“Gregory J. Wallance’s beautifully written and meticulously researched account of Sarah Aaronsohn’s leadership of the Nili spy network during World War I casts a long overdue spotlight on one of the most fascinating personalities of the early Zionist era and should be required reading for anyone interested in modern Jewish history.”-Ronald S. Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress “Wallance’s narrative shifts artfully between the macrocosmic events swirling around the world between 1915 and 1917 and the microcosmic struggles of the Nili spy ring to gain traction. . . . This is a book written with a great deal of nuance, refreshingly avoiding all hyperbole, sensationalism, and mythmaking about both Sarah and Nili.”-Joseph Lowin, Hadassah Magazine "Wallance also reminds the reader that these were not just spies, but bright, ambitious twenty-somethings with their own desires, both personal and professional. The dynamics of the group provide a fascinating undercurrent to the plot. It was a tight group, but certainly not without its drama, romantic and otherwise."-Amy Oringel, Jewish Book Council "Wallance's saga is a fascinating, entirely readable entry into the history of the Nili spy ring, a group of Jews who spied for the British in hopes of aiding in the overthrow of the Ottoman Empire in Palestine. Aaronsohn, the leader of the operation, was motivated by witnessing the Armenian genocide on her way from Constantinople to her hometown of Zichron Ya'acov. She feared a similar fate would befall Jews under the Ottomans, and set out to do her part to influence regime change. . . . Wallance leaves readers marveling at her accomplishments and wondering, intentionally or not, what more she could have accomplished with colleagues more like herself."-Ariane Mandell, Jerusalem Post "Wallance's narrative allows Sarah to step out of the shadow of her famous brother and her headstrong colleagues, showcasing her intense focus and sense of duty to her fellow Jews."-Amy Newman Smith, Jewish Review of Books "The story of how a multilingual Sarah presided over a circle of information gatherers and provided information to the English intelligence service that resulted in the defeat of the Turks is a riveting narrative."-Aron Row, Seattle Book Review "Wallance vividly conveys the logistical challenges and daily intrigue of operating a spy ring in that time and place."-Jeff Fleischer, Foreword "A remarkable story, well told."-A. A. Nofi, Strategy Page “A solid, well-researched biography of a remarkable woman.”-Ronald Florence, author of Lawrence and Aaronsohn: T. E. Lawrence, Aaron Aaronsohn, and the Seeds of the Arab-Israeli Conflict