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Klappentext The most dramatic moments of Jewish history through the eyes of those who were there! from biblical times to the presentBlending firsthand accounts! diaries! journals! and eyewitness reports with his own helpful introductions and explanations! Rabbi Blech has created a unique anthology. From a moving account of the burning of the Second Temple to a parent's letter to Lincoln asking that his son! a soldier! be allowed to rest on the Jewish Sabbath! the book captures the great themes of Jewish history as well as the texture of everyday Jewish life over the centuries. A perfect gift.Rabbi Benjamin Blech (New York! NY) is Associate Professor of the Talmud at Yeshiva University and a tenth-generation rabbi. He is a frequent lecturer in Jewish communities around the world! has appeared on national television! and writes regularly for major newspapers and journals.He is the author of nine other books! including If God Is Good Why Is the World So Bad?
List of contents
Introduction.
BOOK I: The Biblical Period: 2000-538 B.C.E.
1. In the Beginning.
2. Welcome to the Promised Land.
3. In the Days of the Kings.
4. A Kingdom Divided, a Temple Destroyed.
BOOK II: The Second Temple Period: 515 B.C.E.-70 C.E.
5. "These Bones Shall Rise Again".
6. The Hebrews and the Hellenists.
7. Religious Ferment: Different Visions of Service to God.
8. "Veni, Vidi, Vici": Rome and Jerusalem.
BOOK III: The First Millennium: 70 C.E.-1000 C.E.
9. Struggling to Survive.
10. The Age of the Talmud.
11. The Challenge of Islam: Mohammed and the Caliphs.
12. Different Kinds of Jews: The Karaites and the Khazars.
BOOK IV: Late Medieval Times: 1000-1700s.
13. "It Was the Best of Times": The Golden Age of Spain.
14. "It Was the Worst of Times": The Church and the Jews.
15. "Get Out and Stay Out": The Decrees of Expulsion.
16. The Renaissance: New Beginnings.
17. The Three Spiritual Revolutions.
BOOK V: The Age of Emancipation: 1700s-1800s.
18. America the Beautiful.
19. "Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité": The Winds of Change Buffet Western Europe.
20. The Lingering Curse of Anti-Semitism.
21. Zionism: "To Dream the Impossible Dream".
BOOK VI: Modern Times: The Twentieth Century to the Present.
22. "Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor . . .": The American Melting Pot.
23. The Horrors of the Holocaust.
24. Welcome Home: Israel Reborn.
25. War--and Peace? Hopes for the Future.
Further Reading.
Permissions Acknowledgments.
Index.
