Abstract
<jats:p>This is the story of Julia Sharhon, which begins in 1910 with her birth in Rhodes. The days are the end of the Ottoman Empire, and in them the Jews can still live in prosperity even in Arab countries. Reuben Sharhon, the head of the family, decides to try his luck in Beirut — the "City of Lights" of the Middle East, hoping to find a better future for his family. After Reuben falls ill, his resourceful wife, Rachel, joins him with their children in the vibrant and diverse city, a step that begins a saga of about three decades, at the heart of which stands the beautiful and strong Julia and the scents and flavors of exotic Beirut and spiritual Jerusalem where she ends her life. Colonel (Ret) Dr. Jacques Neriah served in a senior position in the Intelligence Division of the General Staff and was the IDF attaché in France, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Upon his release from the IDF, he was appointed as the political advisor to the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. His book, Julia, is a fascinating and moving reconstruction of his conversations with his mother during her final years, in which he documents and voices the Jewish communities that prospered in Rhodes and Lebanon and disappeared never to return.</jats:p>