On Modern Jewish Politics / Edition 1

by Ezra Mendelsohn

Overview

In this book Ezra Mendelsohn presents a concise guide to the complexities of modern diaspora Jewish politics. He divides the various Jewish political parties and organizations into a number of schools or "camps," provides a geography of Jewish politics, and analyzes the results of the competition among the different camps for hegemony in the Jewish world. He pays particular attention to the United States and to Poland, homes to the two dominant Jewish communities in the interwar period. In addition, the book discusses the sources of appeal of such forces in Jewish politics as nationalism and the left, and compares Jewish politics with that of other minorities in Europe and America, including American blacks.

Beautifully illustrated with the work of prominent Jewish artists, and based on a wide variety of sources, including literary material, On Modern Jewish Politics provides a new perspective on a remarkable period in Jewish history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	2900195083193
Publication date:	11/04/1993
Pages:	184
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 1.25(h) x 9.00(d)

About the Author

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Table of Contents

1	Varieties	3
2	Geography	37
3	Dynamics	63
4	Appeal	93
5	Success?	115
6	Comparisons	127
7	Conclusions: Then and Now	141
	Notes	147
	Index	161

Editorial Reviews

"Mendelsohn's fine overview of Jewish politics...fills a conspicuous vacuum, often brilliantly....All in all, this is an impartial, highly competent, and instructive book."—American Historical Review

"Very spirited and controversial...A first-rate book."—Jewish Chronicle

"An invaluable history of the reaction of Europe's Jews to the vast changes brought about by 20th-century political upheavals."—CHOICE

"Ezra Mendelsohn's dissection of modern Jewish politics is immensely informative and clear, and it is enriched with abundant supportive examples from the spheres of literature, art, and music. Although political history is one of the most developed areas in the study of other European peoples, only lately has Jewish political behavior begun to be analyzed in analogous terms, and in this field Mendelsohn is one of a small number of pioneering scholars."—Commentary

From the Publisher