Yiddish Civilisation: The Rise and Fall of a Forgotten NationPaul Kriwaczek begins this illuminating and immensely pleasurable chronicle of Yiddish civilization during the Roman empire, when Jewish culture first spread to Europe. We see the burgeoning exile population disperse, as its notable diplomats, artists and thinkers make their mark in far-flung cities and found a self-governing Yiddish world. By its late-medieval heyday, this economically successful, intellectually adventurous, and self-aware society stretched from the Baltic to the Black Sea. Kriwaczek traces, too, the slow decline of Yiddish culture in Europe and Russia, and highlights fresh offshoots in the New World.Combining family anecdote, travelogue, original research, and a keen understanding of Yiddish art and literature, Kriwaczek gives us an exceptional portrait of a culture which, though nearly extinguished, has an influential radiance still. |
Contents
| 3 | |
| 10 | |
| 18 | |
The Jews of Rome | 27 |
3 | 34 |
From the Mediterranean to the Baltic | 40 |
4 | 49 |
The Remaking of Western Europe | 58 |
The Reformation | 155 |
The Yiddish Renaissance | 181 |
Wide Horizons | 213 |
21 | 217 |
The Deluge | 230 |
Decline | 247 |
27 | 261 |
and Fall | 273 |
Other editions - View all
Yiddish Civilisation: The Rise and Fall of a Forgotten Nation Paul Kriwaczek No preview available - 2006 |
Yiddish Civilisation: The Rise and Fall of a Forgotten Nation Paul Kriwaczek No preview available - 2006 |
Common terms and phrases
Abraham Ashkenaz Austria became believe Bohemia called Catholic centre century Chassidic Chassidim Christian Church converted Cossack court Cracow culture David Gans Dovid East eastern Europe Emperor Empire Encyclopaedia Judaica English European expelled faith Gans Gaon gentile German Glikl Greek Hamburg Hebrew Holy Hussite Isaac Israel Isserles Jewish community Jewry Josel Josel of Rosheim Judaism Kabbalah Khazar King known kosher land language later Latin leaders Lithuania lived London lords Lublin Luther Maimonides medieval Messiah modern Moses Moses Isserles nation orthodox peasants Peretz pious Poland Polish political pope population Prague prayer Protestant Rabbi Rebbe recognised Reformation religion religious Roman Russian Sabbath scholars Sholom Aleichem shtetl sixteenth Slav Slavic social story Street Strzegom synagogue Talmud tion Torah town tradition translated village Vilna western words writing wrote yeshivah Yiddish civilisation Yiddish language Yiddish speakers Yiddish world Yiddish-speaking Jews