This text explores the transformation in Europe from 1750 to 1870, looking at the lives of European Jews who experienced the shift from segregation on the margins of early modern society to integration in the modern nation state. The lives of men, women and children from all social and Jewish spheres are presented, and examined, with emphasis on social experience and attitudes, including cultural outlook and ambition, marriage and family life, and occupations and residence.

Zalkind Hourwitz lived during one of the most pivotal periods in history. A Polish Jew born in 1752, Hourwitz moved to France in 1774 and entered the intellectual and political life of ancien regime Paris. Frances Malino provides a vivid description of this compelling and exotic figure who fits none of the traditional portraits of eighteenth-century Jews. An investigation of his experiences in the French capital during this period challenges our previous understanding of Jewish emancipation, provides an additional perspective on revolutionary Paris (from that of both Jew and foreigner) and...