A Short History of the Jews

Michael Brenner

Published by Princeton University Press 2010

A Short History of the Jews

Michael Brenner
Translated by: Jeremiah Riemer

https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400834266

Overview
Contents

About this book

A concise narrative history that brings the story of the Jewish people marvelously to life

This is a sweeping and powerful narrative history of the Jewish people from biblical times to today. Based on the latest scholarship and richly illustrated, it is the most authoritative and accessible chronicle of the Jewish experience available. Michael Brenner tells a dramatic story of change and migration deeply rooted in tradition, taking 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. The book is full of fascinating personal stories of exodus and return, from that told about Abraham, who brought his newfound faith into 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. Describing the events and people that have shaped Jewish history, and highlighting the important contributions Jews have made to the arts, politics, religion, and science, A Short History of the Jews is a compelling blend of storytelling and scholarship that brings the Jewish past marvelously to life.

Author / Editor information

Michael Brenner is professor of Jewish history and culture at the University of Munich. His books include Zionism: A Brief History and After the Holocaust: Rebuilding Jewish Lives in Postwar Germany (Princeton).

Reviews

"Brenner is a proven author with a broad competence in Jewish history, which makes him one of the few Jewish historians able to handle a volume of such large scope. His book has a novel approach that sets it apart from other one-volume histories. It is intended as a first book in Jewish history for readers with little knowledge of the subject. The style is extraordinarily readable."—Michael A. Meyer, author of Judaism within Modernity

"With his characteristically deft touch, Michael Brenner has produced a sweeping and riveting account of Jewish history from Biblical times until the present day. This slender volume is lively, engaging, and a pleasure to read."—John M. Efron, University of California, Berkeley

"Drawing on the best recent scholarship and wearing his formidable learning lightly, Michael Brenner has produced a remarkable synoptic survey of Jewish history. His book must be considered a standard against which all such efforts to master and make sense of the Jewish past should be measured."—Stephen J. Whitfield, Brandeis University

"[A]n interesting survey and good place to start for any reader curious about the history of the Jewish people in their societies."---Jay Howard Geller, Canadian Journal of History

"Michael Brenner's lavishly illustrated and authoritative A Short History of the Jews is not exactly short, given its 421 pages with the index. But since he is dealing with about 3,000 years, Brenner's feat of condensation is commendable."---Sheldon Kirshner, Canadian Jewish News

"This elegantly produced, generously illustrated text attempts the impossible--the telling of 3,000 years of Jewish history in less than 400 pages."

"A Short History of the Jews is well-written and Jeremiah Riemer's translation from the German is quite readable. All in all, an excellent source for the reader, Jewish or otherwise."---Ed Sizemore, Denton Record-Chronicle

"Recommended."---Sandra Collins, Library Journal

"Brenner offers a digestible, interesting, complex history, in an accessible format."

"This is an excellent overview of Jewish history--a well-written, up-to-date survey for college students and the general reader. Considering the scope of the coverage, the book is remarkably concise. The explanations under the attractive illustrations aptly point to their relevance in the period being discussed."---Robert Seltzer, H-Net Reviews

"In this concise but all-encompassing account of the Jews, Brenner (After the Holocaust) does a remarkable job of escorting readers from the biblical narrative of Abraham's journey from Ur and idolatry through the treacherous, monotheistic course of Jewish history, concluding with modern-day Israeli society."

"As the title indicates, this is a compact survey of Jewish history, an introduction for general readers. Still, Professor Brenner manages to cover a great deal of ground while effectively explaining many of the key elements of the Jewish experience. From biblical times to the present, Brenner asserts, a recurring theme of Jewish history is migration, yet it is migration that constantly kept the land of Israel as the focus of Jewish emotions and aspirations. . . . On the whole, this work serves as an excellent introduction."---Jay Freeman, Booklist

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Foreword Publicly Available Download PDF	xi
1. From Ur to Canaan A Wandering People Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
2. From Exile Back Home Priests and Prophets Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	19
3. From Hebrew into Greek Disdain and Admiration Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	31
4. From Modiin to Jerusalem A Jewish State Stands and Falls Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	39
5. From Jerusalem to Yavneh The Diaspora Legitimates Itself Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	55
6. From Medina to Baghdad Under Islamic Rule Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	69
7. From Sura to Cordoba Sepharad—Jewish Culture on the Iberian Peninsula Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	83
8. From Lucca to Mainz Ashkenaz—The Roots of Central European Jewry Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	95
9. From Lisbon to Venice Expulsions and Their Aftermath Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	117
10. From Khaybar to Rome Messianic and Mystical Movements Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	137
11. From West to East A New Center in Poland Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	151
12. From Dessau to Berlin Rural Jews, Court Jews, and Enlightenment Philosophers Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	167
13. From the Ghetto to Civil Society Political Emancipation and Religious Reform Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	189
14. From Posen to New Orleans Starting Over in America Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	209
15. From the Shtetl to the Lower East Side East European Jewish Dreams and American Realities Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	223
16. From Budapest to Tel Aviv An “Old New Land” in Zion Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	255
17. From Tétouan to Teheran The Europeanization of Jews in the Islamic World Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	273
18. From Czernowitz to Cernauti Political Crisis and Cultural Florescence between the Wars Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	287
19. From Everywhere to Auschwitz Annihilation Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	319
20. From Julius Streicher’s Farm to the Kibbutz The Jewish World after the Holocaust Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	349
Appendix: Jewish History in Numbers Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	389
Further Reading Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	393
Picture Credits Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	401
Index of Names Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	405
Index of Place Names Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	415