Land of the Unfree

A Novel

The Land of the Spirit Kehillah looks like a paradise on earth: a successful organic farm with a warm family atmosphere, under the charismatic leadership of Ofer Blum, whom everyone in the community calls ״Abba.”

No one but Abba’s only child seems to have a problem revering him.

But during Keren’s hospital stay, the discontent that she’s been repressing comes to the surface, and her natural independence begins to assert itself. 

Keren’s hospital roommate Osnat is enchanted with the women of the Kehillah, but Osnat’s husband is not enthusiastic. He senses something wrong, and once his suspicions reach the ears of journalist Noam Blich — a man of action — the earth beneath the Land of the Spirit is about to start rumbling.

Ofer’s iron rule is shaken by the swelling public protest. Within the Kehillah, the seeds of rebellion are sown in the soil of the trampled human spirit. This could be the Kehillah members’ chance to go free, if they will make that choice. But if Ofer’s tyranny loses its footing, he is determined to leave nothing behind but destruction. 

With complex, true-to-life characters and a powerful plot, Land of the Unfree is a story of growth, courage, and the eventual triumph of the irrepressible Jewish soul.

By Michal Bouni