The Jewish Eye - History

The Jewish Eye

Index - History Reviews & Book Excerpts

Back to Main Subject Index

For reviews of books on the Shoah, Click here.
All About Judaism
Three reference books on one CD - The Encyclopedia of Judaism, The Jewish Primer, and The Dictionary of Jewish Biography.
Antisemitism: Myth and Hate from Antiquity to the Present, by Marvin Perry and Frederick M. Schweitzer.
An overview on the history and consequences of antisemitism, offering an in-depth analysis of the myths and misconceptions that have developed concerning the Jews. Plus sketches of contemporary myth-makers from Henry Ford to Louis Farrakhan.
The Archaeology of Ancient Judea and Palestine, by Ariel Lewin.
A brief overview of the history and archaeology of ancient Judea and Palestine, written for the general reader.
Between Rome and Jerusalem: 300 Years of Roman-Judaean Relations, by Martin Sicker.
Sicker demonstrates how, and why, Judea played such a large role in Roman Politics, in Rome's expansionist goals, and why it was important that Rome subjugate Judea.
Between Thriving and Decline, Edited by Rami Tal.
The Jewish People Policy Planning Institute Annual Assessment 2004-2005.
The Brigade, by Howard Blum
A compelling history of the Jewish Brigade that chronicles why the British War Office finally gave its approval for the formation of the Brigade, plus details about the Brigades activities during, and after, World War II.
Conflicts in the Middle East since 1945, by Beverley Milton-Edwards and Peter Hinchcliffe.
A brief, up-to-date overview on the causes and consequences of the conflicts in the Middle East since 1945.
Cultures of the Jews: A New History , Edited by David Biale.
A three-volume edition of this outstanding book on Jewish cultural history and historiography. The three volumes are: Volume 1: Mediterranean Origins, Volume 2: Diversities of Diaspora, and Volume 3: Modern Encounters.
Eyewitness to Jewish History, by Rabbi Benjamin Blech
A concise history of the Jewish people from Biblical times to the modern day, told through the first hand accounts of the people who lived through the events chronicled.
Faith & Fate (Chapter 1), by Rabbi Berel Wein. (Book Excerpt)
The story of the Jewish people in the twentieth century.
Golden Jerusalem, by Menashe Har-El.
A completely updated and revised edition of Har-El's famed book, This is Jerusalem. This book describes the history, geography, and archaeology of Jerusalem from the Canaanite period onward.
The Great Escape: Nine Jews Who Fled Hitler and Changed the World, by Kati Marton.
A joint biography of Edward Teller, John von Neumann, Leo Szilard, Eugene Wigner, Michael Curtiz, Alexander Korda, Robert Capa, Andre Kertesz, and Arthur Koestler. All nine were Hungarian Jews who fled their homeland due to antisemitism and the looming threat posed by the Nazis, and all went on to make significant contributions in the respective fields.
A History of Israel , by Ahron Bregman.
A concise history of modern Israel, from the First Zionist Congress in 1897 through 2001.
A History of Israel from the Rise of Zionism to Our Time, by Howard M. Sachar.
This is a monumental history of Israel, covering the period from the rise of Jewish nationalism in the early 1800's to the end of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.
A History of the Jews in the Modern World, By Howard M. Sachar.
A general, comprehensive reference guide on Jewish history from the late 1700's through 2004.
A History of the Middle East, by Peter Mansfield.
This work provides a sweeping survey of Middle Eastern history from the time of Napoleon's invasion of Egypt, in 1798, until the start of the Gulf War in the 1990's.
The Indictment, by Sabina Citron.
The Arab - Israeli Conflict in Historical Perspective.
Israel: A History, By Martin Gilbert.
This book primarily concentrates on the first fifty years of Israeli statehood, Gilbert also details the events and figures that contributed to the formation of the state, including the pogroms in Russia that helped to foster the growth of Zionism, and the Holocaust which made the establishment of the state so vital as a safe harbor for the survivors.
Israel: Challenges to Identity, Democracy and the State, By by Clive Jones and Emma C. Murphy.
This book offers a brief overview of the state of Israeli politics and social cohesiveness, or lack thereof.
Israel: Past and Present, By D. Bahat.
A guidebook that shows, via the use of overlays, how various ruins throughout Israel looked when they were originally constructed, and how they look today.
Jewish Frontiers: Essays on Bodies, Histories, and Identities, by Sander L. Gilman.
This collection of essays looks at Jewish cultural identity from a non-diaspora centric viewpoint, by analyzing how Jews are portrayed in literature, film and history, by both Jews and non-Jews.
The Jewish People in Classical Antiquity, By John H. Hayes and Sara R. Mandell.
This book covers the turbulent period of Jewish history from 333 B.C.E. to 135 C.E. This periods covers a time frame begining with the conquest of Jewish Palestine by Alexander the Great and ends with the termination of the Second Jewish Revolt aginst Rome.
Jewish Life in the Middle Ages, By Israel Abrahams.
A sweeping social history of Jewish life in Europe during the Middle Ages.
Jewish Travellers in the Middle Ages, Edited by Elkan Nathan Adler.
19 firsthand accounts of Jewish travel during the Middle Ages that were written between 801 and 1755. The accounts touch upon Jewish life in Europe, Africa, and the Near East.
Jewish Women Pioneering the Frontier Trail, by Jeanne E. Abrams.
A History in the American West. This text chronicles the history of Jewish Women in the American West from the 1848 Gold Rush through the early 1900's.
The Jewish Writings: Hannah Arendt, edited by Jerome Kohn and Ron H. Feldman.
A complication of Arendt's Jewish related writings from the 1930-1960's, offering keen insights into her life, career, and what being Jewish meant to her.
Jews, G-d, and History, by Max I. Dimont
This text is organized chronologically, and covers 4,000 years of Jewish history.
Jews in a Graeco-Roman World, by Martin Goodman.
Unlike other minority groups which became intertwined with the Roman apparatus, the Jews not only maintained their own cultural identity and practices, but they also left behind written and archeological records of their existence and life under Roman rule. In Jews in a Graeco-Roman World, Martin Goodman, has brought together a series of essays on the topic of Jewish life in the Graeco-Roman world.
The Jews in Britain, by Raphael Langham.
An annotated timeline of Jewish history in Britain from the arrival of the first Jew in Britain (date unknown) through to May 6, 2002.
Jews in the Early Modern World, by Dean Phillip Bell.
A detailed and readable overview of Jewish history in the early modern world.
Jews in the Mediterranean Diaspora, by John M. G. Barclay.
From Alexander to Trajan (323 BCE - 117 CE). Academic study of Jewish history during the Graeco-Roman period is usually focused on Jewish life in Judea. Often overlooked are the far flung and substantial Jewish communities that were scattered around the Mediterranean. Until recently, if a reader had a desire to study this period of the Jewish diaspora, they quickly found that a basic text on this subject did not exist. This oversight has been corrected with the publication of Jews in the Mediterranean Diaspora.
Jews of Khazaria, by Kevin Alan Brook.
This is the second edition of Brook's ground breaking survey of Khazarian history and culture.
The Jews of the United States, 1654 to 2000, by Hasia R. Diner.
Offers a general survey of Jewish life in America, covering both historical, religious, and social milestones.
The Jews' Secret Fleet, by Joseph M. Hochstein and Murray S. Greenfield.
The Untold Story of North American Volunteers who Smashed the British Blockade. An overview of the post-World War II actions of the Aliyah Bet movement and their use of eleven 'secret' ships to transport Holocaust survivors to Israel.
Kindler of Souls: Rabbi Henry Cohen of Texas, by Rabbi Henry Cohen II.
An intimate portrait of one the foremost American Rabbis, one who influenced not only Jewish history, but also the history of Texas.
Lidingo, by Chana (Igell) Mantel.
Memories of the small Swedish haven which 120 girls called "home" after the Holocaust.
The Making of Western Jewry, 1600 - 1819, by Lionel Kochan.
Offers a general survey of Jewish history during this pivotal and turbulent time, with a special emphasis on the role of the kehillot (Jewish communal goverments) in various communities.
The Medici State and the Ghetto of Florence, by Stefanie B. Siegmund.
The Construction of an Early Modern Jewish Community. A comprehensive history of the creation, in 1570, of the Ghetto of Florence and the impact that it had on Jewish and Italian history.
Mordecai: An Early American Family , by Emily Bingham.
In this work, Bingham provides a fascinating glimpse of Jewish life in America, from Colonial times through the Civil War.
The Palestinians: Facts & Fables, by Rav Yaakov Weinberg.
This intriguing lecture, which explains the origins of the "Palestinian Issue" will make you take a new look at the events currently unfolding in Israel.
The Rape of Palestine and the Struggle of Jerusalem, by Lionel I. Casper
A concise, pro-Zionist history of the modern state of Israel, with a detailed analysis of the events that have laid the foundations of the current Arab-Israeli conflict.
The Rebbe's Army, by Sue Fishkoff.
A detailed look inside the world of Chabad-Lubavitch, and the Lubavitcher emissaries that have fanned out around the world to help bring non-orthodox Jews back to a Torah-centered life.
The Roman-Jewish Wars and Hebrew Cultural Nationalism, by Moshe Aberbach and David Aberbach.
This book covers two interrelated subjects - the Roman-Jewish wars and the development of Hebrew cultural nationalism. This is accomplished via a discussion the short and long term causes of the three revolts that erupted between the Jews and the Graeco-Romans, which occurred in 66-70, 115-17, and 132-35 C.E.
Sane in Damascus, by Amnon Sharon.
A memorable and inspirational account of Sharon's eight months in captivity as a prisoner of the Syrians after his capture during the Yom Kippur War of 1973.
Sliding to the Right: The Contest for the Future of American Jewish Orthodoxy, by Samuel C. Heilman.
In this timely and compelling book, Heilman looks at the causes and consequences of the shift of Orthodox Jewry toward the right, and what the future might hold in store for the American orthodox Jewish community.
They Called Me Mayer July, by Mayer Kirshenblatt and Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett.
Painted Memories of a Jewish Childhood in Poland Before the Holocaust.
Traveling with the Maggid, by Rabbi Paysach J. Krohn.
A Journey to Great Torah Centers of Yesteryear - Part history and part travelogue, this amply illustrated book takes readers on an inspirational tour of the great Yeshivot of pre-war Eastern Europe.
The Way Into the Varieties of Jewishness, by Sylvia Barack Fishman.
A lively, guided tour, into the realm of Jewish diversity and the various religious movements that have developed over time.
We Are Still Here, by Rebecca Liebermann Nissel.
Memoirs of a Child of Survivors - A series of essays that chronicles the history of five-generations of one family that concentrates on the experiences of the author's parents during the Holocaust and their life in post-war Austria.
The Worlds of S. An-sky, by Gabriella Safran and Steven J. Zipperstein.
A Russian Jewish Intellectual at the Turn of the Century. A collection of sixteen essays on An-sky, written by scholars in a diverse range of fields including history, literature, anthropology, Slavic and Jewish studies. Includes a music CD containing Russian and Yiddish songs.
The Yom Kippur War, by Abraham Rabinovich.
The Epic Encounter that Transformed the Middle East, offering a detailed analysis, and well-written history of the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

Back to top

Questions or Comments? Send an email to:

info@thejewisheye.com