daughter of the waves: memories of growing up in pre-war palestine

Born in 1921 in British Mandate Palestine, Ruth Jordan chronicles her remarkable childhood in this award-winning autobiography. Seen from the fresh perspective of a young girl, this is a poignant and witty account of growing up in a seaside suburb of Haifa called Bat Galim (Daughter of the Waves).

Jordan seamlessly weaves together personal anecdotes with the epoch-making events of her time. She vividly depicts her pet hyena and the superstitions he evokes, a ride atop a coffin with a kindly Arab mule driver, and her profound love of the sea, as Haifa is transformed into a bustling port. She brings the legendary conductor Toscanini to life as she describes his groundbreaking performances with the newly formed Palestine Orchestra. In the final chapters, she recounts the arrival of the refugee boats from Germany and her anguish as they are turned away, the Arab Revolt and the outbreak of the Second World War.

For Jordan and her childhood friends, this burgeoning country was not just the land of their birth, but the fulfilment of a dream nurtured by countless generations. Her beautifully observed recollections are never defensive, apologetic or accusatory. Instead, she paints an affectionate, humorous and always empathetic portrait of a child and nation growing up side by side.

Originally published in 1982, Daughter of the Waves depicted a nation in its formative years, its struggle for survival, and its transformation into statehood. Today, some forty years on, this compelling account is more timely than ever.

A pioneering journalist in the 1950s, Ruth Jordan was one of the first women to achieve a senior post at the BBC. As the first woman news presenter and producer in the Hebrew Section, she specialised in politics, current affairs, and the arts. The author of six books, Jordan was hailed by the British press as ’’one of our best modern biographers.’’ She died in 1994, and her memories of growing up in pre-war Palestine are an enduring legacy that speaks to generations past, present and future.