#SummerTime #History: The Windmill that Almost Wasn't by Miriam Drori #MurderMystery #Jerusalem @MiriamDrori @cathiedunn

The Windmill that Almost Wasn’t

by Miriam Drori

I was surprised to discover recently that it was only by serendipity that the famous windmill still exists. I’m talking about the one in Jerusalem, in the neighbourhood of Mishkenot Sha’ananim, which borders Yemin Moshe. Both of these neighbourhoods were founded in the nineteenth century by the British philanthropist Moses Montefiore. Mishkenot Sha’ananim was the first neighbourhood built outside the city walls.

The windmill, too, was built under the auspices of Sir Moses Montefiore in 1857 to enable the new residents to grind their own flour. It never functioned properly because its sails were too low down to catch the wind (which is often non-existent anyway), and because the machinery was designed to grind soft English wheat rather than the tougher local wheat. Nevertheless, the windmill functioned for eighteen years, until a steam-powered mill rendered it unnecessary.

zeevveez from Jerusalem, Israel, CC BY 2.0
<https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

During the first half of the twentieth century, the windmill was a famous landmark despite becoming derelict and deserted. On 29th November 1947, the UN adopted a resolution recommending a partition plan for Palestine. The Jews supported it; the Arabs did not. Since then, a civil war had been raging, and the British, who had ruled Mandatory Palestine since 1917, made plans to leave.

One Sunday in 1948, the British High Commissioner left a church following prayers there and noticed a military observation post on top of the windmill’s tower. Knowing it had been erected by the Haganah – the Jewish fighters, he ordered the whole tower to be blown up. By chance, the unit tasked with blowing up the windmill hailed from Ramsgate, the very town in England where Montefiore lived for almost fifty years. When the British soldiers saw the name of their town next to Montefiore’s name on the sign, they “re-interpreted” their orders to destroy the whole tower and instead blew up the new structure on top of the tower.

What a stroke of luck! This is the only reason why Montefiore’s windmill still stands and remains one of Jerusalem’s most famous landmarks.

Nathalie, the main character in my murder mystery, Style and the Solitary, loves to visit the old, traffic-free neighbourhood of Yemin Moshe with its old buildings and magnificent views and, of course, the old windmill. I wonder if she knows that it almost wasn’t there.

Style and the Solitary

A Jerusalem Murder Mystery

by Miriam Drori

An unexpected murder. A suspect with a motive. The power of unwavering belief.

A murder has been committed in an office in Jerusalem. Asaf, who works there, is the suspect. But is the case as clear-cut as it seems?

Asaf is locked in a cell and in his own protective wall, unable to tell his story even to himself. How can he tell it to a chief inspector or a judge? The fear would paralyse him.

His colleague, Nathalie, has studied Beauty and the Beast. She understands that staunch belief can effect change. As the only one who believes in Asaf’s innocence, she’s motivated to act on his behalf. But she’s new in the company – and in the country. Who will take her seriously?

She cajoles her two flatmates into helping her investigate. As they uncover new trails, will they be able to change people's minds about Asaf?

Will Nathalie’s belief in Asaf impel him to defeat his own demons and clear his name?

***

Not so much a whodunnit as a howdunnit and a whydunnit.

This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

International Buy Link

Miriam Drori

Passion and humour, shaken and stirred

Miriam Drori, author, editor and social anxiety warrior, worked as a computer programmer and a technical writer before turning her attention to full-time writing. Her novels and short stories cover several genres, including crime, romance and uplit. She has also written a non-fiction book about social anxiety. Style and the Solitary is the first in a series of cosy crime mysteries with poignant undertones. Cultivating a Fuji is the sad, humorous and uplifting tale of a guy who’s outside the social circle. Both of those novels are published through Ocelot Press.

Born and raised in London, Miriam now lives in Jerusalem, where the cosy crime mysteries are set. She has travelled widely, putting her discoveries to good use as settings in her writing. Her characters are not based on real people, but rather are formed from an amalgam of the many and varied individuals who have embellished her life.

Connect with Miriam:

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Instagram • Pinterest

Amazon Author Page • BookBub • LinkedIn • Goodreads