Review
"It's been a long and glorious -- and sometimes tragic -- 4,000-year run for the Jewish people. That magnificent panorama is on display in Eyewitness to Jewish History . This, however, is no ordinary history book. Instead of a historian telling the story, Rabbi Benjamin Blech ... allows the actors in this long-running play to speak for themselves." -- Washington Jewish Week


Book Description
The most dramatic moments of Jewish history through the eyes of those who were there, from biblical times to the present
Blending firsthand accounts, diaries, journals, and eyewitness reports with his own helpful introductions and explanations, Rabbi Blech has created a unique anthology. From a moving account of the burning of the Second Temple to a parent's letter to Lincoln asking that his son, a soldier, be allowed to rest on the Jewish Sabbath, the book captures the great themes of Jewish history as well as the texture of everyday Jewish life over the centuries. A perfect gift.
Rabbi Benjamin Blech (New York, NY) is Associate Professor of the Talmud at Yeshiva University and a tenth-generation rabbi. He is a frequent lecturer in Jewish communities around the world, has appeared on national television, and writes regularly for major newspapers and journals.
He is the author of nine other books, including If God Is Good Why Is the World So Bad?


From the Inside Flap
Throughout history, Judaism and Jewish culture have enriched the entire world with revolutionary conceptions of God, justice, freedom, learning, and, indeed, the very meaning of history. Eyewitness to Jewish History brings you face-to-face with the people, places, and events that have shaped and been shaped by the Jewish experience, from ancient times to the modern day. This unique chronicle transports you into the past through the vivid and passionate accounts of people who witnessed and took part in these pivotal moments in history. Drawing from diaries, journals, letters, newspaper accounts, public testimony, official communications, and ancient documents such as the Torah, Rabbi Benjamin Blech enables you to feel each historic moment as if it were happening to you. Traveling in this literary time machine, you’ll meet Abraham and witness the birth of the Jewish people, flee with Moses from Egypt and ascend Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments, and struggle with the prophet Samuel over the formation of the Kingdom of Judea. You’ll be there the first time the Torah is translated from Hebrew into another language, labor with Talmudic scholars to preserve and interpret Judaic Oral Law, and revel in Jewish accomplishments during the Golden Age of Spain. You will taste the bitter hatred, violence, and oppression that Jews have endured over two millennia–merciless Crusader attacks, the unspeakable persecution of the Inquisition, pogroms in Russia, countless expulsions from country after country, and, ultimately, the unimaginable horror of the Holocaust. In every period of Jewish history, however, great evils have been balanced by even greater good. You’ll witness the founding of the modern State of Israel, the remarkable accomplishments of Jews in every aspect of American life, and important steps in the ongoing effort to achieve peace in the Middle East. Supplemented with Rabbi Blech’s insightful comments, helpful clarifications, and thought-provoking questions, Eyewitness to Jewish History is must-reading for anyone who seeks a deeper and more immediate understanding of Jewish history and the Jewish experience through the ages.


About the Author
RABBI BENJAMIN BLECH is an internationally recognized educator, religious leader, author, and lecturer. He is the author of ten highly acclaimed books, including The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Jewish History and Culture as well as Understanding Judaism: The Basics of Deed and Creed. A recipient of the American Educator of the Year Award, he is an associate professor of Talmud at Yeshiva University and was recently ranked #16 in a national poll of the 50 most influential Jews in America.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Throughout history, Judaism and Jewish culture have enriched the entire world with revolutionary conceptions of God, justice, freedom, learning, and, indeed, the very meaning of history. Eyewitness to Jewish History brings you face-to-face with the people, places, and events that have shaped and been shaped by the Jewish experience, from ancient times to the modern day. This unique chronicle transports you into the past through the vivid and passionate accounts of people who witnessed and took part in these pivotal moments in history. Drawing from diaries, journals, letters, newspaper accounts, public testimony, official communications, and ancient documents such as the Torah, Rabbi Benjamin Blech enables you to feel each historic moment as if it were happening to you. Traveling in this literary time machine, you'll meet Abraham and witness the birth of the Jewish people, flee with Moses from Egypt and ascend Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments, and struggle with the prophet Samuel over the formation of the Kingdom of Judea. You'll be there the first time the Torah is translated from Hebrew into another language, labor with Talmudic scholars to preserve and interpret Judaic Oral Law, and revel in Jewish accomplishments during the Golden Age of Spain.

You will taste the bitter hatred, violence, and oppression that Jews have endured over two millennia -- merciless Crusader attacks, the unspeakable persecution of the Inquisition, pogroms in Russia, countless expulsions from country after country, and, ultimately, the unimaginable horror of the Holocaust. In every period of Jewish history, however, great evils have been balanced by even greater good. You'll witness the founding of the modern State of Israel, the remarkable accomplishments of Jews in every aspect of American life, and important steps in the ongoing effort to achieve peace in the Middle East. Supplemented with Rabbi Blech's insightful comments, helpful clarifications, and thought-provoking questions, Eyewitness to Jewish History is must-reading for anyone who seeks a deeper and more immediate understanding of Jewish history and the Jewish experience through the ages.

SYNOPSIS

Throughout history, Judaism and Jewish culture have enriched the entire world with revolutionary conceptions of God, justice, freedom, learning, and, indeed, the very meaning of history. Eyewitness to Jewish History brings you face-to-face with the people, places, and events that have shaped and been shaped by the Jewish experience, from ancient times to the modern day.

This unique chronicle transports you into the past through the vivid and passionate accounts of people who witnessed and took part in these pivotal moments in history. Drawing from diaries, journals, letters, newspaper accounts, public testimony, official communications, and ancient documents such as the Torah, Rabbi Benjamin Blech enables you to feel each historic moment as if it were happening to you.

Traveling in this literary time machine, you’ll meet Abraham and witness the birth of the Jewish people, flee with Moses from Egypt and ascend Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments, and struggle with the prophet Samuel over the formation of the Kingdom of Judea. You’ll be there the first time the Torah is translated from Hebrew into another language, labor with Talmudic scholars to preserve and interpret Judaic Oral Law, and revel in Jewish accomplishments during the Golden Age of Spain.

You will taste the bitter hatred, violence, and oppression that Jews have endured over two millennia–merciless Crusader attacks, the unspeakable persecution of the Inquisition, pogroms in Russia, countless expulsions from country after country, and, ultimately, the unimaginable horror of the Holocaust.

In every period of Jewish history, however, great evils have been balanced by even greater good. You’ll witness the founding of the modern State of Israel, the remarkable accomplishments of Jews in every aspect of American life, and important steps in the ongoing effort to achieve peace in the Middle East.