The Making of Western Jewry, 1600-1819 - by L Kochan (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

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.

Review Quotes

'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

About the Author

LIONEL KOCHAN was formerly Bearsted Reader in Jewish History at the University of Warwick, UK. In retirement, he became a research associate of Manchester University, a member of Wolfson College, Oxford and senior associate of the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, and a visiting fellow at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (1991-92). One of Britain's leading experts on the history of Central and Eastern Europe, he died on September 25, 2005.