Galilee Gold: A noble novel inspired by a Bedouin sheikh

The riveting story Suzie Aziz Pam tells in her novel, Galilee Gold, is inspired by the character of Daher el-Omar, who actually lived, loved and battled to gain prosperity in his region in the mid-18th century. This Bedouin sheikh carved a small fiefdom out of the Ottoman Empire making Acre his capital where he  built a large fortress high up overlooking the surrounding country side. 

Here were housed his own quarters, tent like dwellings for his servants, cavernous kitchens, grazing for his goats and horses and shrubbery for herbs and plants. 

Pam’s novel realistically describes scenes in which he trades with pirates, is bent on taking yet another wife, and attempts to kill his own brother. The fortress also is depicted as central in personal terms, between el-Omar, known as King of that area, kidnapping and his wooing the beautiful 20-year-old Tamar of Aleppo, and depositing her there. This reluctant hostage, a sharp-witted, spoiled golden haired Jewess, has joined a caravan of Jewish travelers to the Holy Land. 

Providing a fascinating backdrop to the story line, it is small wonder that subsequently the fortress was further fortified by the Turkish governor, Ahmad Pasha al-Jazzer and eventually converted into a mosque.  Even in modern Israel, it is one of the most beautiful and distinctive buildings in the old city. The intertwining of a historical background with emotionally charged relationships creates fascinating scenarios. 

We see sympathetic Bedouin characters, such as Ali who, as a downtrodden ragamuffin, was befriended by none other than youthful Daher el-Omar and subsequently became his devoted follower.

Then there is bedraggled Bedouin, Samira, with her one dress. She is befriended by the golden haired beauty, Tamar, who manages to procure a dress of red silk. This leads to a remarkable twist of fate in which she is mistaken for the princess Tamar is supposedly becoming.

Pam’s novel, on the one hand, depicts Tamar’s devotion to her Jewish roots and ceremonial festivals including the New Year, while on the other her increasing attraction to her Bedouin King kidnapper. One may wonder how Tamar, hostage to el-Omar, becomes enslaved both physically and emotionally. 

Possibly a clue may be found in the Patty Hearst case. She was born in 1954 as Patricia Campbell Hearst, actress, and a granddaughter of American publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst. She became internationally known for events following her 1974 kidnapping by the left-wing organization Symbionese Liberation Army, subsequently becoming enamored by its wild escapades and eventually joining the SLA. 

This condition is known as hostage identification syndrome. It is defined as a “psychological response wherein a captive begins to identify closely with his or her captors, as well as with their agenda and demands” — in other words, a process of brainwashing the captive. This finds echoes in the relationship between Tamar and the King with a cliff hanger relationship not to be divulged here!

Galilee Gold might also be considered to have echoes of The King and I. This is a musical based on a story which relates to the experiences of Anna, a British schoolteacher. She is hired as governess to the school children, many of them the King’s, as part of the King of Siam’s drive to modernize his country. The relationship between them develops from one in which Anna challenges the King’s assumptions as to how the country should be run, to one of mutual appreciation and implied attraction. 

Many echoes in Pam’s beautifully crafted novel, arouse the reader’s interest. Her well defined chapters, with clear headings contain realistic dialogue. The book’s cover is a sheer delight and beckons the reader in – thus gainsaying ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’. In this case we may very well do so. Pam’s novel could benefit from being snatched up to become a historically enriching film.