Review by Choice Review
This elegantly produced, generously illustrated text attempts the impossible--the telling of 3,000 years of Jewish history in less than 400 pages. With no hope of treating the subject exhaustively, Brenner (Univ. of Munich, Germany) organizes his interpretation around the serviceable unifying theme of Jewish migration and the resulting "tension between home and exile." Each chapter deals with movement from one place to another, from biblical through modern times. Although usually an isolated minority among hostile majorities, Jews were never cut off completely, and a large part of this narrative deals with their complex adaptations to ever-changing surroundings. Brenner gives special attention to the relationship between Judaism and its sister religions, Christianity and Islam, the response to anti-semitism, and modernity's challenges to the survival of a Jewish identity. The tone is sober, avoiding both the triumphalist and mournful rhetorics that mar so many attempts to tell this story. Respectful of tradition and myth, the author always distinguishes them from verifiable fact. Excellent for college libraries and accessible to general readers. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. R. S. Levy University of Illinois at Chicago
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
As the title indicates, this is a compact survey of Jewish history, an introduction for general readers. Still, Professor Brenner manages to cover a great deal of ground while effectively explaining many of the key elements of the Jewish experience. From biblical times to the present, Brenner asserts, a recurring theme of Jewish history is migration, yet it is migration that constantly kept the land of Israel as the focus of Jewish emotions and aspirations. In the opening chapter, Brenner utilizes recent scholarly revelations to effectively glean fact from mythology regarding early wanderings of the Israelites and the supposed exodus from Egypt and conquest of Canaan, but these enduring myths continue to exercise profound influence on Jews. Subsequent chapters also emphasize Jewish movements, from the expulsion from Judea under the Romans to the Holocaust. Critics may object to the Eurocentric concentration of later chapters, which ignore the vibrant Jewish communities in North Africa and western Asia. But on the whole, this work serves as an excellent introduction.--Freeman, Jay Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this concise but all-encompassing account of the Jews, Brenner (After the Holocaust) does a remarkable job of escorting readers from the biblical narrative of Abraham's journey from Ur and idolatry through the treacherous, monotheistic course of Jewish history, concluding with modern-day Israeli society. A professor of Jewish history at the University of Munich, Brenner treats much of the biblical narrative as lore, accepting as fact only those stories and time lines corroborated by extra-biblical evidence. Wandering, tradition, and tragedy emerge as themes as the Jews, once exiled from their biblical homeland of Israel, spend much of history defending their religion, being coerced to forsake it, and yearning for the re-establishment of the Temple. Tragedies have followed the Jews: Crusades, expulsions, book burnings, the Holocaust; yet there have also been periods of efflorescence and development during which the Jews have thrived and produced works of great scholarship and innovation. Brenner's work successfully conveys, in a comprehensive and comprehensible fashion, the enduring history of the Jewish people. (July) Copyright 2010 Reed Business Information.
Review by Library Journal Review
The title reflects exactly what this is: in fewer than 500 pages, Brenner (Jewish history & culture, Univ. of Munich) covers nearly 4000 years of written and oral history. This particular history is neither new nor novel in its details, as Brenner transitions from the biblical Abraham, to exile, to Sephardic and Ashkenazic diasporas and modern Jewish concerns. What is interesting is the perspective: Brenner frames his historical perspective around migration. "Wandering has characterized [Jewish] history across all epochs and continents," he writes. This frame provides a solid ground from which to launch a history replete with stories of conquest and exile, accommodation and ghettoization. Brenner confesses that such a perspective results in a certain selectivity, with topics such as the Elephantine settlement, Gl ckel of Hameln, and Isaac Bashevis Singer receiving only passing mention. VERDICT As a basic introduction to Jewish history, with illustrations and ample indexing and bibliography, this will suffice for many readers, and is recommended.-Sandra Collins, Byzantine Catholic Seminary Lib., Pittsburgh, PA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
