"Jewish history is often told not as a narrative of real people with human problems and interests but as an idealized national myth," writes Raymond Scheinlin, in the introduction to his excellent A Short History of the Jewish People. Scheinlin is an observant Jew, but his book is not a history of the Jewish religion. It is a history of Jewish tribes around the world and the ways "they have interacted with the nations and cultures among whom they have lived, adapting to their environment while retaining a variety of continuities." The book's brevity precludes exhaustiveness, but its focus on particular Jewish communities and its disciplined analysis of their political successes and foibles give readers a firm grasp on the movements in Jewish history that have shaped the Middle East, Europe, and America. Amply illustrated with maps and photographs, the fluid prose of Scheinlin's History make this book a useful starting point for anyone seeking a secular history of Judaism that is neither skeptical nor hostile to religion. --Michael Joseph Gross


Card catalog description
Where did the Jews come from? Why did they leave their homeland? How did they retain their strong sense of community through centuries of dispersion? How have the Jews of the present, with their proud ethnic identity and thriving national home, emerged out of the downtrodden Jews of the past? Such questions are echoed by countless Jews eager to rediscover their roots, by converts to Judaism - 200,000 a year in the United States alone, by students of cultural and religious history, and the simply curious among the public. In one concise, authoritative volume, A Short History of the Jewish People provides insights and answers.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Where did the Jews come from? Why did they leave their homeland? How did they retain their strong sense of community through centuries of dispersion? How have the Jews of the present, with their proud ethnic identity and thriving national home, emerged out of the downtrodden Jews of the past? Such questions are echoed by countless Jews eager to rediscover their roots, by converts to Judaism - 200,000 a year in the United States alone, by students of cultural and religious history, and the simply curious among the public. In one concise, authoritative volume, A Short History of the Jewish People provides insights and answers.

FROM THE CRITICS

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