“The strength with which Yishay Ishi Ron channels his pain towards deep introspection, has allowed his scars to fortify his artistry rather than define his identity, leading him to his through his compelling writing, Ishi succeeds in anchoring the Holocaust in hearts and minds of generations to come, as a critical turning point in human history. This is a duty we share, and a solemn lesson we are all compelled to relearn.”

—Isaac Herzog, President of the State of Israel, Jerusalem 2025

“Inspired by an astonishing and little known, yet true, story of rescue of Jews in a circus in Nazi Germany, Ron’s novel of survival and search holds in suspense until the last page. Here, curiosity about an object and an animal culminates in an international chase for truth in which desire, revenge, and memory drive actions, decisions, and human connections. With diary snapshots switching between the Holocaust and the postwar period, the story dissects the complexities of people’s behavior as witnesses, victims, rescuers, and perpetrators, and instills a universal message about how emotions can become tools for destruction or salvation. This book will absorb and amaze.”    

 —Joanna Sliwa, co-author of The Counterfeit Countess: The Jewish Woman Who Rescued Thousands of Poles during the Holocaust

“Reading The Girl Who Rode the White Lion feels like stepping inside a vivid dream you do not want to end. Page after page its mix of suspense tenderness and wonder sweeps you away from the terror of Kristallnacht to the spell of a traveling circus and the mystery of 1950s New York. It is not just a novel it is an unforgettable journey of beauty courage and survival.” 

—Ido Gefen, Author of Jerusalem Beach and Debby’s Dream House, Winner of the Sami Rohr Prize 

"In a sweeping historical novel, Yishay Ishi Ron has crafted a wondrous and imagined tale of pursuit and rescue during one of humanity’s darkest hours. Ron touches on the profound moral dilemmas of the Holocaust and tells a story of humanity, courage, and hope, in a time when obedience was deadlier than anything else." 

— Ruth Linn - Professor Emerita, University of Haifa; scholar of moral psychology, obedience, conscientious objection 

“Yishay Ishi Ron has succeeded, in a breathtaking novel, in drawing us into the heart of the moral dilemmas of the Holocaust era, between Jewish identity and survival, between self-risk and saving others. 

The Girl Who Rode the White Lion is a living reminder that the strength of the Jewish spirit, mutual responsibility, and the moral compass are our greatest assets as a people, then and now, and they obligate us to continue building a future of hope for the Jewish people both in Israel and in the Diaspora.” 

Yaakov Hagoel, Chairman, World Zionist Organization 

“No reader can resist falling in love with this book, which glides between tenderness and compassion and the fierce storm of revenge. A masterful historical novel, one that will linger with you long after the final page.”

—Sarai Shavit Author of the novel Figures of Speech