The Great Synagogue: A History of Sydney’s Big Shule is a beautifully designed illustrated history of Australia’s oldest synagogue and its congregation. Written by its emeritus rabbi, Raymond Apple, and members of the congregation, it spans the fascinating history of the Jews in Sydney, from their arrival on the First Fleet--sixteen of them as convicts--through to the construction of the synagogue in 1878 and up to the present day. Illustrated with numerous historical documents, paintings and photographs, this book brings to life the history of the most visited and visible Jewish building in Australia and its congregation.

In the English-speaking world, it is generally believed that there are very few Jews living and thriving in Germany. Yet, there has been an unlikely postwar history 1945-2001 that has been somewhat repressed in North America and the United Kingdom. While most people are well-informed about the Holocaust and the consequences that this tragic event has had for the world, very few people know that there has been a steady increase in the population of Jews in Germany since 1945 and that there is a flourishing 'Jewish' culture, certainly a relatively strong Jewish presence, in Germany today. Does this development mean that Jews are playing a significant role in German social life? Does this mean that the great German-Jewish relationship, often referred to as a kind of symbiosis, has re-emerged despite the odds against it? The sixteen essays in this book written by the leading critics in the field cover the fascinating changes that have been made in German society since 1945 in the Jewish communities, literature, theater, film, architecture, and other areas of interest including an examination of the resurgence of anti-Semitism in Austria. For anyone interested in reading about the unpredictable transformations in German-Jewish relations since 1945, Unlikely History will provide information and insights into a history that needs to be told to bring about greater understanding of Jews and Germans in contemporary Germany.

A collection of essays and articles translated from the revised edition of "Les Juifs, la mémoire et le présent" (Paris: La Découverte, 1991), with some changes. The following deal with antisemitism or the Holocaust:

Includes bibliographies and index. Jews - Soviet Union - History - 1917-Jews - Russia - History. Jews in Russia - History - 1917- - Addresses, essays, lectures. Soviet Union - History. Russia - History - 1917- - Addresses, essays, lectures. Soviet Union - Jews - 1917-1977 Jews - Soviet Union, 1917-1977.

What has given the Jewish people their resilience, their power of survival, and their ability to adapt to radically new conditions without losing their identity? What combination of religious faith, social organization, intellectual toughness, and poetic imagination constitutes Jewishness? Eighteen eminent scholars address these questions in this richly illustrated survey of Jewish history from its earliest days to the foundation of Israel. Equal weight is given to Judaica and to the ways in which Judaism has coped with the challenges of modernity. This unparalleled work of scholarship is enhanced throughout by a plethora of superbly reproduced illustrations, from manuscript illuminations and liturgical objects to medieval prints and popular art. 436 illustrations, 135 in color. Edited by Elie Kedourie, a distinguished historian and political philosopher, the book includes essays by Haim Beinart, T. Carmi, Amnon Cohen, S. Ettinger, Shelomo Dov Goitein, A. Grossman, Oscar Handlin, Arthur Hertzberg, Arthur Hyman, Lionel Kochan, Hyam Maccoby, Jacob Neusner, H. W. F. Saggs, Amnon Shiloah, Ezra Spicehandler, David Vital, R. J. Zwi Werblowsky, and Zvi Yavetz.

Rekindling the Torch: The Story of Canadian Zionism begins with the long and troubled history of the Jewish people that informed the nineteenth-century idea of Zionism: the search for a homeland. After surviving anti-Semitic laws and pogroms, Jewish refugees faced not only the ultimate crime against humanity, but also the shocking indifference of the West when they were turned back from safe havens. Far from weakening the spirit, these combined tragedies strengthened their collective will. In Canada, Jewish immigrants created communities, pooled their resources, and rose to become captains of industry, among them the Bronfmans, the Batshaws, and the Hayes. They organized and actively pursued the goals of nationhood in Palestine. Richly illustrated and extensively researched, Rekindling the Torch celebrates the struggle of the Canadian Jewish people and their contributions to the state of Israel.

This textbook aims to provide, in accessible form, a full history of Jewish religion and tradition. Within a broad outline of the history and religion of the Jewish people, this volume highlights cultural and spiritual developments which have shaped Jewish self-consciousness through the centuries. Beginning with an account of the history and religion of the ancient Near East, the book focuses on the influence of ancient Near Eastern civilization on the Hebrew scriptures. This discussion is followed by an outline of ancient Israelite history, emphasizing the role of the patriarchs, the exodus from Egypt, the rise of monarchy and the emergence of prophecy. The book then examines later biblical history, the development of Judaism in Hellenistic times, and the emergence of classical Rabbinic literature and theology. The Medieval period in Islamic and Christian lands is also investigated, giving special attention to the rise of Jewish philosophy, theology and mysticism. Turning to the modern period, the rise of Hasidism is examined as is the emergence of religious reform. Finally, the study concentrates on the development of Jewry in the 19th and 20th centuries, and concludes with a discussion of the future of Judaism as a living faith. Through this overview of the Jewish heritage, the reader is asked to approach Judaism in an appreciative spirit - to examine sympathetically its beliefs, doctrines and ideals in an historic context. The book aims to provide both factual information about the development of the Jewish tradition and a survey of a range of Jewish issues through the centuries to the present day.

Gibraltar has been a haven for Jews since it was captured by the British in 1704 - Catholic Spain having expelled them in 1492. By the mid-18th century, a third of the population was Jewish, adding to the rich cosmopolitan mix of the free port. Today Christians, Muslims, Jews and Hindus, from England, Spain, Portugal, Italy, North Africa and India, live there side by side. The Gibraltar Jewish community is some 600 strong and its four historic synagogues are all still in use. They form a rare legacy, untouched by the ravages of the Second World War. Discover Jewish heritage in Gibraltar with this first-ever authoritative guidebook featuring colour photographs, drawings and an architectural heritage trail.

How well integrated were Jews in the Mediterranean society controlled by ancient Rome? The Torah's laws seem to constitute a rejection of the reciprocity-based social dependency and emphasis on honor that were customary in the ancient Mediterranean world. But were Jews really a people apart, and outside of this broadly shared culture? Were the Jews a Mediterranean Society? argues that Jewish social relations in antiquity were animated by a core tension between biblical solidarity and exchange-based social values such as patronage, vassalage, formal friendship, and debt slavery. Seth Schwartz's examinations of the Wisdom of Ben Sira, the writings of Josephus, and the Palestinian Talmud reveal that Jews were more deeply implicated in Roman and Mediterranean bonds of reciprocity and honor than is commonly assumed. Schwartz demonstrates how Ben Sira juxtaposes exhortations to biblical piety with hard-headed and seemingly contradictory advice about coping with the dangers of social relations with non-Jews; how Josephus describes Jews as essentially countercultural; yet how the Talmudic rabbis assume Jews have completely internalized Roman norms at the same time as the rabbis seek to arouse resistance to those norms, even if it is only symbolic. Were the Jews a Mediterranean Society? is the first comprehensive exploration of Jewish social integration in the Roman world, one that poses challenging new questions about the very nature of Mediterranean culture.

Zwi was born in Mexico in 1928 but spent most of her life in South Africa. She moved to Australia in 1988. Her family came from Zhager, a small town on the Lithuanian-Latvian border, where over 3,000 Jews were massacred on 2 October 1941 by members of the Lithuanian Militia, and lie in a mass grave in Naryshkin Park, formerly the heart of the shtetl. Zwi recounts her quest to discover the fate of her father's family, that perished in the Holocaust, and that of her uncle Leib Yoffe, a communist idealist. Includes interviews and her own observations based on trips to Zhager (Zagare in Lithuanian) in 1991 and 1993.

The author uses linguistic, ethnographic, and historical evidence to support his theory that the origins of Sephardic Jews are predominantly Berber and Arab.

"Based on new oral sources, carefully analyzed, this book explores the relationships between Jewish subjects and their tribal chieftains in Kurdistan, focusing on the patronage and justice provided by the chieftains and the financial support provided by the Jews to endure troubles and caprices of chieftains. New reports and vivid tales unveil the status of Jews in the tribal setting; the slavery of rural Jews; the conversion to Islam and the defense mechanisms adopted by Jewish leaders to annul conversion of abducted women. Other topics are the trade and occupations of the Jews and their financial exploitation by chieftains. The last part explores the experience of Jewish communities in Iraqi Kurdistan between World War I and the mass-migration to Israel (1951-52)."--Jacket.

Deals with attitudes of the white population of South Africa towards Jews between 1885-1940. Contends that antisemitism in South Africa in that period did not come from Europe, nor was it a result of Nazi propaganda. White South Africa had anti-Jewish stereotypes of its own. Popular aversion was directed primarily against the Eastern European immigrant, who was depicted as a dirty peddler, shunning menial work and trying to outwit farmers and city workers. Later, this image was supplemented by stereotypes of cosmopolitan financiers, and was characterized by a sense of "otherness" on both the physical and cultural levels; in a later period Jews were cast in an essentially racial mold. The 1930s added to this kind of antisemitism a new, programmatic one, whose exponents were the extremist Malan wing of the National Party and some extremist organizations. In the 1940s-50s antisemitism in South Africa subsided; it never played a significant role in the country's inner life and politics.

Focusing on the cultural invention of Zionism, Michael Berkowitz explores how and why the Jewish nationalist movement was embraced by assimilated Jews of Western Europe before World War I. He pays special attention to the symbolism, artistic representations, and mythology that attracted European Jews to Zionism, which coexisted equally with the nationalisms of their home countries. The book was originally published in 1993.

A collection of articles published previously. The following deal with antisemitism:

Pt. 1 (pp. 9-74) describes the German attitude toward aliens, and antisemitism amongst the bureaucracy. Unlike Polish immigrant workers, the Jews were considered economically useless and politically subversive. The organized antisemitic movement vilified the immigrants and characterized all German Jews as aliens and parasites. They did not succeed in banning Jewish immigration through legislation, but many of their demands for restrictions were accepted. Emphasizes the influence of Prussia in formulating anti-Jewish policy, with mass expulsions, strict border controls, and naturalization of Jews only in exceptional circumstances. The rest of the book deals with the attitudes of German Jews who, in contrast to the popular view, provided legal aid, political support through self-defense organizations, and welfare. A few individuals were hostile, perhaps fueled by self-hatred, but most were ambivalent. Concludes that Germany's use of administrative measures directed specifically at Jews demonstrates the fragility of the emancipation.

In Sparks Amidst the Ashes, Byron Sherwin demonstrates how the unprecedented works of intellect and spirit produced during the Jewish "Golden Age" in Poland can provide contemporary Jews with the spiritual and intellectual resources required to ensure Jewish continuity in the present and future. Sherwin introduces us to the vast range of mystical speculation, evocative stories, talmudic dialectics, theological ideas, and social realities that were muted by the destruction of Polish Jewry during the Holocaust. Sherwin critiques the tendency among contemporary Jews to disregard the precious legacy bequeathed by Polish Jewry, and presents a plan for re-creating contemporary Jewish life that draws from the wisdom of the spiritual maestros and from the rich communal experience characteristic of Jewish life in pre-World War II Poland. Sherwin concludes with a controversial proposal for the future of Polish-Jewish relations.