Paul Johnson says that writing A History of the Jews was like writing a history of the world "seen from the viewpoint of a learned and intelligent victim." Johnson's history begins with the Bible and ends with the establishment of the State of Israel. Throughout, Johnson's history is driven by a philosophical interest: "The Jews," he writes, "stand right at the centre of the perennial attempt to give human life the dignity of a purpose. Does their own history suggest that such attempts are worth making? Or does it reveal their essential futility?" Johnson's history is lucid, thorough, and--as one would expect of almost any project with such a broad scope--a little wrong-headed. By the end of the book, readers will be grateful for Johnson's questioning of the Jews' confidence in their cosmic significance. However, readers may also be a little annoyed by his energetic inquiries as to whether this significance was man-made or providentially provided. Either way, it's a given: for a historian of Israel, this should adequately settle the question. Johnson's 600-page history is probably the best we've got by a living gentile--which is no small accomplishment at all.

Power and Powerlessness in Jewish History

David Biale

PB £15.99

In this radical interpretation of Jewish history, Biale tackles the myth of Jewish political passivity between the fall of an independent Jewish Commonwealth in 70 C.E. and the rebirth of the state of Israel in 1948. He argues that Jews throughout history demonstrated a savvy understanding of political life; they were neither as powerless as the memory of the Holocaust years would suggest nor as powerful as the contemporary state of Israel would imply.

Eyewitness to Jewish History

Rabbi Benjamin Blech

HB £16.99

Come face-to-face with the major figures and events in Jewish history. '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". Prepare to feel the joy and pain of the Jewish experience as you never have before.In "Eyewitness to Jewish History", Rabbi Benjamin Blech takes you aboard a literary time machine in which you'll do more than read about major events in Jewish history - you'll witness them, take part in them, and feel their deep and lasting impact.

Under Crescent and Cross

Mark R. Cohen

PB £15.50

Did Muslims and Jews in the Middle Ages cohabit in a peaceful "interfaith utopia"? Or were Jews under Muslim rule persecuted, much as they were in Christian lands? This text offers a systematic comparison of Jewish life in the medieval Islamic world and Christendom. It shows that, contrary to traditional beliefs, medieval Islamic-Jewish relations, though not utopic, were less confrontational and violent than those between Christians and Jews in the West .

  History of the Jews in Modern Times

  lloyd P. Gartner

  PB £18.00

Lloyd Gartner presents, in chronologically-arranged chapters, the story of the changing fortunes of the Jewish communities of the Old World (in Europe and the Middle East and beyond) and their gradual expansion into the New World of the Americas. The book starts in 1650, when there were no more than one and a quarter million Jews in the world (less than a sixth of the number at the start of the Christian era). Gartner leads us through the traditions, religious laws, communities and their interactions with their neighbours, through the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, and into Emancipation, the dark shadows of anti-Semitism, the impact of World War II, bringing us up to the twentieth century through Zionism, and the foundation of Israel. Throughout, the story is powerful and engrossing - enlivened by curious detail and vivid insights. Gartner, an expert guide and scholar on the subject, writing from within the Jewish community, remains objective and effective whilst being careful to introduce and explain Jewish terminology and Jewish institutions as they appear in the text. This is a superb introductory account - authoritative, in control, lively of the central threads in one of the greatest historical tapestries of modern times .