Unbroken Spirit: A Heroic Story Of Faith, Courage and Survival
Yosef Mendelevich is a true hero of one of the most successful human rights struggles in history: the rescue of Soviet refuseniks and Prisoners of Zion from an antisemitic captivity.... This remarkable memoir must be read by all who love freedom and cherish the right to practice their religion. --Alan Dershowitz, Harvard Law SchoolA compelling personal story and an engrossing piece of historyScott Kirsner, Boston GlobeAn extraordinary testament. It tells us that nothing can kill the human spirit. Even living in a totalitarian regime, where his basic rights were denied, Mendelevich managed to rise to great heights of bravery and faith. He recounts his story beautifully and powerfully. It is impossible not to be moved by the resilience of his Jewish soul. --Gal Beckerman, author of When They Come for Us, We ll Be Gone: The Epic Struggle to Save Soviet Jewry, winner of the 2010 National Jewish Book AwardThe biography of Prisoner of Zion Rav Yosef Mendelevich, one of the shining examples of the struggle for Soviet Jewry against Communist rule, teaches us how the power of a single individual can change the world: how the power of faith and the uncompromising determination of the spirit can subdue an enemy s power. The book Unbroken Spirit tells the story of an extraordinary man whose whole life is a long treatise of Kiddush Hashem and great self-sacrifice for the sake of observing the Torah and its mitzvot in all situations in pain and crisis and also in peace and comfort.Rav Yisrael Meir Lau, Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv, Chairman of Yad VashemYosef Mendelevich was among the first to begin our struggle, paving the way for hundreds of thousands of Jews to leave the Soviet Union. His personal story teaches that even under difficult conditions man can overcome all obstacles, especially when he seeks out the spiritual significance of his Judaism within his life. --Avital Sharansky, human rights activist