World War I and the Jews - by Marsha L Rozenblit & Jonathan Karp (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

World War I utterly transformed the lives of Jews around the world: it allowed them to display their patriotism, to dispel antisemitic myths about Jewish cowardice, and to fight for Jewish rights. Yet Jews also suffered as refugees and deportees, at times catastrophically. And in the aftermath of the war, the replacement of the Habsburg Monarchy and the Russian and Ottoman Empires with a system of nation-states confronted Jews with a new set of challenges. This book provides a fascinating survey of the ways in which Jewish communities participated in and were changed by the Great War, focusing on the dramatic circumstances they faced in Europe, North America, and the Middle East during and after the conflict.

Review Quotes

"The book is a powerful statement of the transformations that affected Jews, particularly the post-war settlement... it is highly recommended to anyone interested in Jewish history, to anyone interested in the war, and to those who study early twentieth century history in the areas covered." - European Review of History

"Any student or scholar of World War I, Jewish history, and twentieth-century nationalism will appreciate this impressive edited volume." - European History Quarterly

"This volume fills a crucial research gap in modern Jewish history, contains excellent essays by senior and junior scholars, and makes a convincing case why the 'Great War' marked a crucial turning point in modern Jewish history on both sides of the Atlantic." - Tobias Brinkmann, The Pennsylvania State University