Yamna’s Secret

In the shadowy world of Israeli intelligence, Noam is a dedicated officer whose emotional scars run as deep as the secrets he protects. When he discovers his grandmother Yamna’s hidden Arabic manuscripts after her death, he uncovers a family mystery that spans nearly a century.

Meanwhile in Halhul, a Palestinian village near Hebron, young Imad Shitrit stumbles upon evidence that challenges everything he knows about his identity. A deathbed confession and a mysterious letter hint at forgotten connections to the Jewish community of Hebrona community nearly destroyed in the massacre of 1929.

As Imad begins questioning his Muslim upbringing and secretly exploring Judaism, fate brings him into Noam’s orbit through unexpected circumstances. Neither man realizes how their lives are intertwined through the choices made by their ancestors—choices born of survival, separation, and silence.

Ory Hadassah Kallush masterfully weaves between past and present, taking readers from the vibrant Moroccan port of Essaouira to the ancient stone alleyways of Hebron. Through Yamna’s eyes, we witness a reluctant immigrant girl transformed by her connection to the Holy Land, only to face unimaginable tragedy that will echo through generations.

Yamna’s Secret explores the complex tapestry of identity, faith, and belonging in a land where history and memory are contested ground. As layers of family secrets are peeled away, both Noam and Imad must confront difficult truths about themselves and their heritage—truths that could either heal old wounds or create dangerous new ones in a region where the past is never truly buried.

A profound reflection on how we define ourselves and what it means to return to one’s roots, this novel illuminates the enduring power of family ties across seemingly unbridgeable divides..