(IsraelNN.com) Shortly after the War of Independence, LEHI underground fighter Israel Eldad wrote The First Tithe about the fight for an independent Jewish state, but only recently has a translation into English been published.

Before the state of Israel was born, young Jews joined groups dedicated to pushing out the British occupier from the Jewish homeland. Among the commanders of one of these groups was Israel Eldad, father of Hatikvah party head Aryeh Eldad, who led LEHI (Lohamei Herut Yisrael). After independence, Eldad wrote The First Tithe detailing his role in the struggle against the British and Arabs leading up to the establishment of the state of Israel.

Recently, Zev Golan put out his translation of Eldad’s seminal work. While The First Tithe focuses on LEHI, it also touches upon the Irgun (ETZEL) and the Haganah partisan militias. During the struggle for freedom, LEHI and the Irgun had to contend not only with the British and Arabs, but even with the official leadership of the pre-State Jewish community (the Yishuv).

While not the primary focus of The First Tithe, Israel Eldad’s belief in the need for Malchut Yisrael, the Kingdom of Israel, is reiterated in his book.