In a broad sweep from Central Europe to Ireland and from the Sixteenth to the early Nineteenth-century, this work puts the Jewish community and its rabbinic and 'lay' leaders at the centre of Jewish history. Of surpassing value is Kochan's treatment of the community not only as a religious but also as a political unit. It shows the community at grips with the Reformation and the introduction of the ghetto system in the Italian states. Thence to the great maritime centre of Venice, Amsterdam, Hamburg and London, under the dominance of the Sephardi exiles from Spain and Portugal; and also to the metropolitan centres of Prague, Vienna and Berlin and the liaison of their court-Jews with the Hapsburgs, Bourbons and Hohenzollerns. This was not achieved without severe tension inside the communities and, whilst eschewing the concept of class-struggle, Kochan's analysis of the clash of interests between the few wealthy and the multitude of poor Jews raises doubts about the whole notion of 'community'.
By:
L. Kochan
Imprint: Palgrave Macmillan
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 216mm,
Width: 140mm,
Spine: 25mm
Weight: 635g
ISBN: 9780333625972
ISBN 10: 0333625978
Pages: 390
Publication Date: 19 November 2004
Audience:
College/higher education
,
A / AS level
,
Further / Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Introduction Central Europe in Peace and War 1600-1648 'A Little Jerusalem' and 'A Great Jerusalem' On French Soil Resettlement in London At Peace in the Post-War World Prague and Bohemia: From Recovery to Reduction Early Decades in Brandenburg-Prussia: The Last Resettlement Amsterdam, from Turmoil to Decline In London Expulsion from Prague (1745-48) The Old and the New Kehillah 'Jerusalem' in Berlin On the Eve, in France The Rabbi and the Emperor Revolution and War, 1789-1805 Beyond the Rhine and Over the Alps Another Rabbi, Another Emperor From Paris to Vienna Epilogue: 1819 Glossary Abbreviations Index
LIONEL KOCHAN is an Honorary Research Fellow and Senior Research Associate at the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies. His books include Pogrom, November 10, 1938 (Deutsch, 1957), The Jew and his History (Macmillan, 1997, 2nd ed., 1985), Jews, Idols and Messiahs (Blackwell, 1990), The Jewish Renaissance and Some of its Discontents (Manchester University Press, 1992), and Beyond the Graven Image - a Jewish View (Macmillan, 1996).
Reviews for The Making of Western Jewry, 1600-1819
'One of the most significant Jewish historians since the Second World War. The Making of Western Jewry uses a staggering variety of sources to analyse and to bring to life the workings of Jewish kehillot in Germany, Holland, Italy and Britain. This work will probably be influential for many years and will not only establish his lasting reputation but also encourage other scholars to imitate his demanding but extremely rewarding approach.' - Michael Pinto-Duschinsky, The Independent 'Lionel Kochan is one of Britain's neglected academic treasures...his erudition and linguistic range is staggering. Now he has poured decades of accumulated knowledge into this, his magnum opus...Kochan analyses Jewish society with pitiless clarity... while soaked in an appreciation of Jewish tradition, he has given us an unapologetically modern history of the Jews. ' - David Cesarani, Times Higher Education Supplement
