Jewish life eaasassmsnt

jan peczkis|Tuesday, August 16, 2016

A thought-provoking assessment of Jewish life in the Middle Ages that eschews persecutions and expulsions to concentrate on the remarkable growth in the number of Jews living under Christian rule between 1000 and 1500." - Anna Sapir Abulafia, Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge

"A thought-provoking assessment of Jewish life in the Middle Ages that eschews persecutions and expulsions to concentrate on the remarkable growth in the number of Jews living under Christian rule between 1000 and 1500." - Anna Sapir Abulafia, Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge

"Was there any place for Jews in medieval Europe after western Christianity reconceptualized itself as Christendom, thereby excluding all non-Christian 'others'? Were they just 'outsiders,' the product of Christian 'Judeophobia'? In Reassessing Jewish Life in Medieval Europe, Robert Chazan provides a fascinating overview of Jewish life in medieval Western Christendom. He argues that although Jewish communities had to face grave difficulties, they were nevertheless successful in adapting themselves in an environment rich in opportunities, growing in number and wealth, and fashioning new forms of life and culture. A stimulating book, extremely useful for reconsidering the Jewish legacy in the post-medieval world." - Dominique Iogna-Prat, CNRS, University of Paris 1- Panthéon Sorbonne

"This study provides an intriguing interpretation of Jewish history in the Middle Ages and across the divide between the medieval and the modern. Writing with great authority and building on his own invaluable studies and a magisterial knowledge of others' scholarship, Robert Chazan argues that the negative experience of Jewish life in medieval Christian Europe was alloyed with much more that was positive, though traditionally undervalued by scholars. Together, they informed a broad set of practices and beliefs that were instrumental in the Jews' survival and prosperity long into the present. No student of medieval Jewish history or of the medieval legacy of Jewish life can ignore this wide-ranging and vigorous study." - William Chester Jordan, Princeton University

"Chazan's patient presentation and understated writing gently encourages the kind of historical rethinking that his work intends, even on the part of those who may not think they need it.  In this sense, it offers a valuable read for academic specialists with any interest in Jewish history and a promising resource for university teaching at all levels.  Its appeal for a non-specialist audience will be aided by its exceptionally clear, if occasionally slightly repetitive, structure and its concise, accessible prose.  The potential for this broader readership stands among this book's greatest strengths, since as the author himself argues, Jewish history is one area in which non-academic interest has significant potential to affect ongoing work in the field." --Pamela Patton, The Medieval Review

"...a fast moving survey that draws upon material published in several of his earlier books." -Jewish Book World   Book Description This book reevaluates the prevailing notion that Jewish life in medieval Christian Europe was characterized by unremitting restriction and suffering. The Jews of medieval Europe overcame obstacles, grew in number, explored innovative economic options, and fashioned enduring new forms of Jewish living, laying the foundation for impressive Jewish successes in the modern world.