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.
#968326 in Books Princeton University Press 2007-02-25 2007-02-25Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.10 x .57 x 6.10l; .74 #File Name: 069113054X224 pages
Review
6 of 9 people found the following review helpful. The Handless MaidenBy J.W.Mary Elizabeth Perry concentrates on the Morisco experience in Granada. From her book it is possible to conclude that the unwritten history is far more dangerous than the written. With few personal accounts to draw from; we are left to examine the Moriscos based on a sample population who may or may not have represented the majority. Many of those who did keep records were trying to save their Muslim heritage. With those records; Perry concludes that the Moriscos in Granada were closet Muslims.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Hiding in Plain SightBy Robert LeblingThis is a rare; sympathetic look into the lives of the Moriscos -- those Muslims and their descendants who remained in Spain after the completion of the Spanish Christian "Reconquest" of the Muslim kingdom of Granada in 1492 and who were then forcibly baptized.Their status as "New Christians" made them - like converted Jews or "conversos" in earlier years - subject to the Spanish Inquisition. Old Christians often suspected the Moriscos were secretly clinging to their Muslim faith. As it turned out; the suspicions were accurate.Perry has delved deep into the little-consulted Aljamiado literature (Romance language written with Arabic letters) along with a wealth of myths and legends. One of these legends is that of the Handless Maiden; a princess who remains devoted to Allah despite having her hands amputated by her unbelieving father - an enduring metaphor for the Morisco experience.The author found that it was Morisco women who most often preserved what they could of Muslim belief and practice; and passed it on to their children. Perry is the first author to devote a book to Morisco women. She succeeds in this by letting the women speak for themselves.She traces their lives through the fall of Granada; the Muslim rebellion of 1499; the forced conversions of 1502; subsequent decades of repression; the Alpujarras revolt of 1568 and the expulsion of Moriscos from Spain in 1609.Most Moriscos fled to Muslim lands after the expulsion. For many the suffering did not end there; as many North African Muslim communities had their own suspicions about the Moriscos; who seemed precariously balanced between two faiths. Moriscos were best received in Tunisia; where the Ottomans protected them as a minority; allowing them to retain their identity as Hispano-Muslims.[A version of this review appeared in Saudi Aramco World; Mar/Apr 2008.]0 of 26 people found the following review helpful. Great ExperienceBy Jeffrey David HarrisI liked the buying experience; book was in great shaoe and showed up very fast
