Peace Rebel: Young Teen “Promise of Zion” Continues

Robert Elmer’s Peace Rebel picks up the exciting story begun in Promise Breaker, this time focusing more directly on Dov Zalinski and Emily Parkinson. Dov is finally in Palestine, having been pushed off his ship and rescued from the waters by Emily Parkinson. Before long, the two children are gathered and sent with other refugees to a kibbutz (Jewish farm).

Emily is quite upset at being separated from her father and having to suffer the humiliating experiences of illegal Jews. Indignant and impatient, she tries to take matters into her own hands when it seems no one else will help take her back to her parents. However, she soon gets more than she expected and finds her life in danger.

Dov quickly becomes restless with life at the kibbutz, and also seeks a way out, to find his long-lost parents in Jerusalem. His anger and stubbornness often get the best of him, pulling him away from those who try to help him. Dov’s and Emily’s experiences pull them together, to friendship in spite of their differences.

Peace Rebel introduces new characters while omitting several main characters from the previous book, such as Emily’s parents and other relatives. Henrik Melchior, a Danish boy about 15 or 16, enjoys life on the kibbutz. A friendly, outgoing boy who tries to help Dov and Emily, Henrik is a Jewish Christian with a heart for Jewish refugees, desiring to tell them of the “Peace Rebel,” Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus). Readers of Robert Elmer’s previous children’s series, “The Young Underground,” will enjoy this follow-up about Henrik, one of the main characters in that World War II series.

Other interesting characters in Peace Rebel include a group of American tourists, an event based on an actual visit by such tourists to the Holy Land in 1947. This story includes more background about the Jewish terrorists of the time, who sought violent means to force Britain’s hand and allow Jews to come to Israel. Along the way, Dov is tempted. Should he follow the way of peace, or the way of war and violence?

Peace Rebel brings another exciting action-packed episode to the “Promise of Zion” series, with another cliff-hanging end to be picked up in a third book. Currently the first four books in this series have been published, with a 5th one due out in March 2002.