The Making of Western Jewry, 1600-1819

ISBN-13: 9780333625972 / Angielski / Twarda / 2004 / 390 str.

Lionel Kochan

Opis

In a broad sweep from central Europe to Ireland and from the 16th to the early 19th century, this unusual work puts the Jewish community and its rabbinic and "lay" leaders at the center of Jewish history. Of surpassing value is Kochan's treatment of the community not only as a religious but also as a political unit. It shows the community at grips with the Reformation and the introduction of the ghetto system in the Italian states. Kochan's analysis of the clash of interests between the few wealthy and the multitude of poor Jews raises doubts about the whole notion of "community." The later chapters critically examine the policy of emancipation as pursued by the Jewish leadership in France and the German and Italian states during the wars of the French revolution and the Napoleonic period. This section discusses the failure of Jewish diplomacy at the Congress of Vienna. A final chapter expounds the emergence of Orthodoxy in terms of the tumultuous changes in Jewish society over these two centuries.

Recenzje

'One of the most significant Jewish historians since the Second World War. The Making of Western Jewry uses a staggering variety of sources to analyse and to bring to life the workings of Jewish kehillot in Germany, Holland, Italy and Britain. This work will probably be influential for many years and will not only establish his lasting reputation but also encourage other scholars to imitate his demanding but extremely rewarding approach.' - Michael Pinto-Duschinsky, The Independent

'Lionel Kochan is one of Britain's neglected academic treasures...his erudition and linguistic range is staggering. Now he has poured decades of accumulated knowledge into this, his magnum opus...Kochan analyses Jewish society with pitiless clarity... while soaked in an appreciation of Jewish tradition, he has given us an unapologetically modern history of the Jews. ' - David Cesarani, Times Higher Education Supplement

Spis treści

Introduction Central Europe in Peace and War 1600-1648 'A Little Jerusalem' and 'A Great Jerusalem' On French Soil Resettlement in London At Peace in the Post-War World Prague and Bohemia: From Recovery to Reduction Early Decades in Brandenburg-Prussia: The Last Resettlement Amsterdam, from Turmoil to Decline In London Expulsion from Prague (1745-48) The Old and the New Kehillah 'Jerusalem' in Berlin On the Eve, in France The Rabbi and the Emperor Revolution and War, 1789-1805 Beyond the Rhine and Over the Alps Another Rabbi, Another Emperor From Paris to Vienna Epilogue: 1819 Glossary Abbreviations Index

O autorze

LIONEL KOCHAN was formerly Bearsted Reader in Jewish History at the University of Warwick, UK. In retirement, he became a research associate of Manchester University, a member of Wolfson College, Oxford and senior associate of the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, and a visiting fellow at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (1991-92). One of Britain's leading experts on the history of Central and Eastern Europe, he died on September 25, 2005.