This book, the first full-scale biography of Israel Friedlander, sheds new light on the life and times of this scholar-turned activist. It follows him through the six major turning points of his brief life: his choice of Semetics as the focus of his scholaraly study, his joining the newly reorganized Jewish Theological Seminary, and his triumphs and disappointments in the academic and public arenas. It attemps to unravel the mysteries surrounding his appointment during World War I to an abortive Red Cross Commission to Palestine, and the subsequent mission of mercy which ended with his murder.

Essays examining the emergence of Jewish scholarship during the period 1818 - 1919, concentrating on the Wissenschaft des Judentums movement.

In 1818, with a single essay of vast scope and stunning detail, Leopold Zunz launched the turn to history in modern Judaism. Despite unending setbacks, he persevered for more than five decades to produce a body of enduring scholarship that would inspire young Jews streaming into German universities and alter forever the understanding of Judaism. By the time of his death in 1886, his vision and labor had given rise to a historical discourse and intellectual movement that devolved into vibrant sub-fields as it expanded to other geographic centers of Jewish life.

Yet Zunz was a...