Yedidya Hatalgi - a historical novel written by Binyamin Feinstein
The book Yedidya Hatalgi was written by my father, Binyamin Feinstein, around 1966-1967, with the goal to publish it on the 20-year anniversary of Meir's death. The novel describes a group of utopian youngsters that lived in Jerusalem during the British Mandate in Eretz Israel. Yedidya Hatalgi, the leader of the group, was divinely brought to our world to make the world a better place for all humanity. My father hoped to make Yedidya Hatalgi into a triology; the first book beginning with the establishment of the state of Israel, and the third book ending with a united world. A young member of the group was Meir Feinstein. The story of his short life is skillfully embedded in the novel, and therefore, makes this book my father's detailed testament about his hero and brother.
Yedidya Hatalgi - Book Cover
In the dedication section my Father wrote:
“This book is dedicated
to the blessed memory of my dear brother Meir Z”L
on the 20 year anniversary of his thunderous ascent to heaven.”
The book was published in 1967 by Kiryat-Safer publishing company, Jerusalem. My father retained all copyrights, as he self-financed the book. [The copyrights for Yedidya Hatalgi are now jointly owned by Dubi's brother, Eliezer, and his sister, Bella.] Only about 2,000 copies were printed, making this Hebrew book extremely hard to find. As my father was one of the closest people to the story of Meir Feinstein, I have taken the efforts to translate all the chapters of his book that directly tell Meir's story. These include part of chapter 6, and all of chapters 27-29. The PDF Hebrew original (in a pdf format) of each of the translated chapters are also included in this site.
Side Cover Translation:
Yedidya Hatalgi is a historical novel that describes in detail the life in Eretz Israel
during the 25 years leading up to the establishment of the state of Israel.
After a short Biblical style opening, the author describes in the first few chapters the birth and
childhood of Yedidya, the main character, the son of David and Shulamit Hatalgi.
The Hatalgi family lived inside the Old City of Jerusalem until the
destructive Arab Riots of 1929.
The book faithfully describes the life in the Old City of Jerusalem during
that romantically and glamorous period.
Throughout the remainder of the plot, the author artistically describes many new souls,
among them the group of Yedidya’s friends who joined together to become
a group under Yedidya’s leadership.
The development of the country, in both the industrial and agricultural fronts,
is described over the background of various Jewish immigration waves from the
Diaspora, as well as in the background of the fight against the Arab attacks by the Haganah
and the Palmach organizations.
It continues with the development of the fight against the British resistance to the Zionist movement
by the the Irgun (IZL) and Lehi (FFI). Under this struggle, the book describes the
life of the Irgun soldier, Meir Feinstein, as well as the other underground fighters
who sacrificed their lives for the recreation of the Nation of Israel in Eretz Israel.
The description of this active and turbulent period includes the terrible days of the Hitler
regime and World War II, and ends positively with the establishment of the state of Israel.
Yedidya Hatalgi - Author's Disclaimer
Yedidya Hatalgi is a crucial first-hand document of the life of Meir Feinstein and is one of the foundations of this family memorial site. In the secondary title page, my father wrote the following author disclaimer:
All the characters in this book are the fictitious creations of the author, except for Meir Feinstein Z”L, his family members, the rest of the Irgun and Lehi martyrs mentioned in the book, Rabbi Aryeh Levin and all the politicians and public figures that are mentioned by name.
List of Characters Interacting with Meir in the Novel
I recognize that it is quite a challenge to read only four chapters from a full 30-chapter novel, but I ask the reader to make this effort for the benefit of learning more about who Meir Feinstein was. The following partial list of the novel's characters will give the reader a minimal context background to the story, allowing the reader to concentrate on my father's testimony of Meir's life.
- Yedidya Hatalgi - the main character, the leader of the “group” of Jewish youngsters that lived the events of the British Mandate in Eretz Israel.
- Yoram – Yedidya’s younger brother and Meir Feinstein's best childhood friend. Meir meets Yedidya and his utopian group via Yoram.
- Shoshana – Yedidya’s younger sister and the wife of Yaakov Silver, who is one of Yedidya's best friends.
- David and Shulamit Hatalgi - Yedidya's parents. David is a manufacturer of tools in Jerusalem.
- Korin - Yedidya's wife, the daughter of Kurt Morgenstern, the German-born business partner of Yedidya's father, David Hatalgi.
- Kurt and Helen Morgenstern – German-born parents of Korin, Yedidya's wife. Kurt is David Hatalgi's business partner.
- Yaakov Silver – American-born idealistic, young Jew who convinced his parents to make an aliya to Eretz Israel. He is Shoshana's husband.
- Yoachim and --- Silver – American-born parents of Yaakov Silver, Yedidya's close friend and Shoshana's husband. They live in Haifa.
- Gideon Marinov and his wife, Musiya – members of the “group.” Gideon was a Palmach commander. They are both Kibutz members, and represent the mainstream ideology of the Yishuv in Eretz Israel in this novel.
- Amikam and his wife, Tamar – members of the “group.” Amikam, a very close friend of Yedidya, is an Irgun commander and the one that connects Meir with the Irgun.
- Arnon and his girlfriend, Smadar – members of the “group.” Smadar and Arnon joined the Irgun.