A Short History of the JewsA Short History of the Jews is the story of the Jewish people told in a sweeping and powerful historical narrative. Michael Brenner chronicles the Jewish experience from Biblical times to today, tracing what is at heart a drama of migration and change, yet one that is also deeply rooted in tradition. He surveys the latest scholarly perspectives in Jewish history, making this short history the most learned yet broadly accessible book available on the subject. Brenner takes readers from the mythic wanderings of Moses to the unspeakable atrocities of the Holocaust; from the Babylonian exile to the founding of the modern state of Israel; and from the Sephardic communities under medieval Islam to the shtetls of eastern Europe and the Hasidic enclaves of modern-day Brooklyn. This richly illustrated book is full of fascinating and often personal stories of exodus and return, from that told about Abraham, who brought his newfound faith into the land of Canaan, to that of Holocaust survivor Esther Barkai, who lived on a kibbutz established on a German estate seized from the Nazi Julius Streicher as she awaited resettlement in Israel. Brenner traces the major events, developments, and personalities that have shaped Jewish history down through the centuries, and highlights the important contributions Jews have made to the arts, politics, religion, and science. Breathtaking in scope, A Short History of the Jews is a compelling blend of storytelling and scholarship that brings the history of the Jewish people marvelously to life. |
Contents
From Ur to Canaan | 1 |
From Czernowitz to Cernăuţi | 18 |
From Exile Back Home | 19 |
From Modiin to Jerusalem | 39 |
From Jerusalem to Yavneh | 55 |
From Medina to Baghdad | 69 |
From Sura to Cordoba | 83 |
From Lisbon to Venice | 117 |
From the Ghetto to Civil Society | 189 |
From Posen to New Orleans | 209 |
From the Shtetl to the Lower | 223 |
From Budapest to Tel Aviv | 255 |
From Tétouan to Teheran | 273 |
From Everywhere to Auschwitz | 319 |
From Julius Streichers Farm | 349 |
Jewish History in Numbers | 389 |
From Khaybar to Rome | 137 |
From West to East | 151 |
From Dessau to Berlin | 167 |
Picture Credits | 401 |
| 415 | |