Books by Victor Sasson

Elijah the Tishbite is a drama about one of the most zealous, charismatic, and fearless prophets in the Hebrew Bible. Elijah, the ultimate anti-establishment man, often risked his life denouncing King Ahab and his foreign wife, Jezebel, who brazenly sought to establish her Sidonian Ba''al cult in Samaria. The play dramatizes major episodes succinctly narrated in the book of Kings. Among these are Elijah''s despair at his people''s wavering faith, his flights and wanderings, the devastating drought ravaging the country, the contest between Adonai and Ba''al on Mount Carmel, the heinous conspiracy and murder of Naboth the Jezreelite, the rise of the revolutionary Jehu, and the assassination of Jezebel. The play also touches on Jehu''s eventual liquidation of Omri''s dynasty and the measures he had to take to eradicate idol worship in the Northern Kingdom.

Destined to Die takes place in occupied East Jeruselem, the West Bank, and Lebanon (1979). Nabeel, a student at Bir Zeit University, is arrested on unsubstantiated charges of terrorism. Interrogated and tortured by Major Rosenberg, he is held in solitary confinement for weeks. Released, he decides to go to Lebanon to join the PLO. His devoted girl-friend, Samira--a fellow student--insists on going with him.Earlier, Dr. Johnson--the American director of an archaeological institution where Nabeel's father works--attempts to get Nabeel released from prison. Troops storm his offices, everybody is searched, and he is investigated by Major Rosenberg. Accusations and coercions eventually lead to Johnson's downfall from office.The scene shifts to war-torn Beirut and, later, to the "security belt" zone in South Lebanon. Nabeel spearheads an attack on an Israeli post and is killed just as he captures it. To avenge his death, Samira undertakes a suicide mission which destroys a landed Israeli commando unit in Beirut about to assassinate two top PLO officials.Through its Palestinian, Israeli, and American characters, Destined to Die explores, or touches on, themes such as personal and national identity, racism, terrorism, detention without trial, victimization, loyalty, and self-sacrifice.