(photo by Jan Marler Morrill)
The photo reminded me of the area of an old agronomy compound I visited back in October (now an historical site and museum) formerly owned by the Aaronsohn Family.
One of the sisters, Sarah, played an important role in their story.
And this is it …
++++++++++++++
After four days of excruciating torture by the Turks, Sarah asked for permission to change her bloodied dress. A small price, she thought, for an intercepted message to the Brits. She wrote a letter awhile back telling the story of how she hoped the efforts of the NILI Spy Ring would destroy the Ottoman Empire’s cruel dominance in exchange for British rule in Palestine.
The soldiers escorted her through her family’s agronomy compound to the farmhouse. Walking into the bathroom, she grabbed the gun concealed in the wall panel and used it on herself.
Now, they would NEVER break her.
+++++++++++++++
Of Note: NILI stood for “Netzach Israel Lo Ishaker (1 Samuel 15:29) which, translated into English, is also the title of our story.
wmqcolby 
Fascinating story, Kent.
Like your Cuz’, Charlotte Webinski, you’ve enlightened us with some history that new to me.
I’d heard of the Ottoman Empire, but thought it was a collusion of angry footstools.
Hahahahaha! I KNEW you’d go there! And I can’t say I blame you.
Yes, the Aaronsohn story is really a fascinating and compelling one. I don’t know why it hasn’t been made into a movie or even movie-of-the-week on TV. It was a family who used their agronomy compound as an information drop to help Britain overthrow the Turks. This particular incident happened in 1917. You actually would have loved seeing this place. It’s one of those tourist places off the beaten path in a really nice little town near the Mediterranean (I think). I got to see the weather station and where they left the notes. Pretty cool. Highly recommend you go! 😉
The older I gets, the more I likes histories. Thanks for this view into what I don’t know.
My pleasure. 🙂
What a chilling piece of history… so well told, and so much have happened since (and maybe keep happening).
Oh the story gets curiouser and curiouser.
Dear Cuzzin Notnek,
A story after my own heart. Hm. Do I hear screenplay? Sad ending though. Well done.
Shalom,
Cuzzin Shelley
Well, I could very easily write one. It practically writes itself.
Thanks for opening this small window into a world I haven’t seen before.
You’re most welcome, Alicia. It’s a story that’s very exciting.
Enlightening, brutal and well told.
Thanks, Thom. What happened to her brother, I think it was Aaron, had even more adventure and excitement.
Thanks for a little bit of hitherto unheard of history. Very interesting, Kent.
Well, thank-you, Sandra! As always, it’s a wonderful thing to get your neat comments. 🙂
Very intriguing perfect scene for military story.
It has that epic quality. Almost a mini-series.
An interesting and important piece of history. Well told.
Thanks, Gabriele. As I said to Rochelle, this practically wrote itself.
So pleased you wrote about this piece of history unknown to me, mike
Once you get the whole story and all the how’s and why’s, it packs a wallop. I just told only a small portion. It was close to the end, but not the absolute end.
Very interesting story – brave woman.
Pity the Brits went on to add to the mess.
Well, as with all history, there were so many complexities, victories, mistakes made, winners and losers and this was certainly one of those stories afterward. But, it did pave the way for independence, thanks to our neighbor in the Kansas City area to the east, Harry S. Truman.
As for Sarah Aaronsohn, she was indeed very brave — crazy brave! Songs have been written about her and children’s stories.
I really enjoyed how you spun this tale of history into a piece of flash fiction. Bravo.
Thanks, Dawn. It was such a rich story, but it speaks for itself. It’s a story that survives re-writes.
In cases like this, real life is every bit as dramatic as anything fiction could come up with. What a story!
Yes, it’s an incredible story. It would make a novel without so much as a change for dramatic reasons.
Thank you for teaching me something (and making me Google it, too). Very interesting history!
Great! Yes, the history is really compelling.
Great piece of history, Kent. You capture it well. I’m a bit lost when it comes to history. This is fascinating and new to me. But what a sad end. I give you 5 out of 5 candles.
Awww, thanks, Amy! Like you, I get lost on history, too. But, it’s kind of like any subject — people can get lost unless it’s made understandable. The movie Pride Of The Yankees was about Lou Gehrig, sure, but Sam Goldwyn never cared anything about baseball. It was lost on him. What made him make the movie was seeing a newsreel of Lou Gehrig’s last speech. He saw the human story and decided it would make a great movie. Oh BOY did it make a great movie!
Great but chilling piece of history with a tragic end. Brave woman.
She was very brave, indeed. She sacrificed herself for her country’s cause.
Horrible history, but wonderfully transferred into your story. I can’t get my head around how a human being can torture another human being. A riveting story, well told.
Thanks, Margaret. Actually, after having been around the world and working in news, yes. Human beings are definitely a fallen and renegade race in need of redemption.
Interesting story, Kent. I thought at first she was going to take the gun and shoot her torturers. She was an exceptional person, but what a sad ending for her. I’ve heard of the brutality of some of the Turks. Good writing. —- Suzanne
Thanks, Suzanne. Yes, it’s interesting, but the story of the whole spy ring was even bigger than that. I’m happy Turkey is opening up diplomatic relations with Israel again, or, at least, warming up to the idea.
A tough, but worthwhile read. Unimaginable, the things people had to go through, the choices they had to make. A great story
They actually tortured her own father in front of her before they tried to break Sarah. I don’t know the outcome of that, it’s been several months since I heard the story and it was a really a LOT to take in.
Thanks, Lynn, for your great comments! 🙂
Gripping tale, expertly told.