The Jews of Europe after the Black Death

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Summary: western european jewish history
Review: I enjoyed this book because my family is of eastern European Jewish stock and I never knew very much about Jewish history in western Europe. The Jews of Europe After the Black Death is a fascinating overview of six hundred years of Jewish life in England, France,Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Germany. It has a chapter on the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Jews that explains the origins of the Church's age-old position on the Jews. Another chapter talks about Jewish identity: what makes everyday Jewish life different from that of Christians. A short afterword discusses Zionism and the Holocaust. For someone interested in European history, Jewish history, of Church history, this is the one book to read.

Rating:
Summary: Foa's masterpiece illuminates...
Review: So many fine works of European history are lost to English speakers, either through poor translations or no translations at all. Not so with Anna Foa's panoramic sweep of 5+ centuries of Jewish life in Europe. A densely-packed treat for the general reader and scholar alike, with a marvelously light and fluent translation from the Italian by cultural historian Andrea Grover.

A real treasure for any history buff!