Letters to Auntie Fori : The 5,000-Year History of the Jewish People and Their Faith

Rating:
Summary: A masterful introduction to Jewish history
Review: Martin Gilbert's series of letters to Auntie Fori the Indian friend who at the age of ninety revealed to him her Jewishness is a masterful introduction to Jewish history and to the Jewish religion.

Rating:
Summary: Details provide inspiration
Review: Overall, Gilbert's comprehensive history is dense, yet readable, with the biggest rewards for me coming in the small details. He clearly proves that Jewish history takes place on a much larger stage and with a much grander scale than some might realize. His synopses of Biblical stories are masterfully interwoven with connections to Jewish traditions and practices, contemporary history and people, and even archeology, so that it is never a dry, 'facts only' history. Indeed, one of the most fascinating elements of this book is Gilbert's references to lesser-known Jewish communities, including Chinese Jews, Indian Jews, and my own personal favorite'the Alaskan Jews of Congregation Beth Shalom in Anchorage, who call themselves the Frozen Chosen. Also fascinating are references to Jewish individuals such as many Olympic medallists, other historical figures such as Mahatma Gandi's secretary in South Africa, and his personal reflections on Jewish holidays and worship. These sorts of details are inspirational, fascinating, and compelling.

While comprehensive, this book does have a weakness in that it is not always forthright about the differences between Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and other branches of Judaism regarding faith and practice. Gilbert only occasionally points out those differences, and therein lies the biggest question that this book would raise for a reader who is unfamiliar with the various movements and their traditions. Sometimes, Gilbert simply says 'observant Jews,' but never quite explains what he really means by that, or what the different movements'Orthodox vs. Reform, for example'would mean by that. Other questions may arise because of Gilbert's writing style'syntax is often awkward (perhaps due to this British historian writing in the Queen's English rather than in the English we Americans are used to) to the point of some paragraphs seeming to contain what are surely unintended errors. Finally, one wishes Gilbert had included Auntie Fori's reaction to this history; that omission makes her quest to learn more of her people's history seem to be only half fulfilled.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful concise history
Review: This book provides the missing link to the full 5000 years of history--- A kind of "Cliff notes" but wonderful in terms of the ground covered.
I recommend it highly to anyone wanting to get a good overview of 5000 years of Jewish history and traditions.

Rating:
Summary: A CLIFF NOTES OF JEWISH HISTORY
Review: This is a great book, a kind of Cliff Notes of Jewish history from bibical times through to the modern world. No tpoic takes over a few pages and as written by Gilbert it is a pleasure to read.