Customer Reviews

The Routledge Atlas of Jewish History: 7th Edition (Routledge Historical Atlases)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book gave me a visual perspective on the movement, persecution and historical events of Jewish history that I had struggled to gain from pure text sources. It brought names and places to light and enhanced my understanding of events. It is a worthwhile addition to the collection on this subject.

These excellently done maps when taken together provide an excellent overview of Jewish history. They provide a tremendous amount of information and food for thought. Moving from one to another new perspectives open up on Jewish history. Maps of course can be no substitute for the story and the text, but this is truly a wonderful tool for helping one understand Jewish history more deeply.

This fascinating Atlas traces the history of the Jewish people, from the early Jewish migration from Ur to Canaan, in about 2000 BC, up to developments in the modern State of Israel.
He traces the migration of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt back to the Promised Land, and the conquest of the Promised Land by the Israelites, the whereabouts of the Twelve Tribes of Ancient Israel, the kingdoms of David and Solomon 1000 to 925 BC, as well as the destruction of Jewish independence by the Assyrians and Babylonians and the subsequent deportations and dispersions of the Israelites.
The book shows us maps revealing the Hasmonean Kingdom and the Jewish revolts against Roman Rule.
Gilbert outlines the development of ancient Jewish communities in Iraq, Persia, India and China, as well as Europe, the persecutions, pogroms, expulsions and different places of settlements of the Jews throughout the world.
The book deals with some lesser known facts such as the whereabouts of the Karaite Jews, 10 000 of whom were murdered by the Nazis in Crimea, in 1943, the fact that in 1805 Napoleon formed a Jewish battalion that fought at Waterloo, while in 1799 the Jews of Jerusalem joined the Turks in preparing to defend the city, and in 1812, the Jews of Russia, supported their Russian overlords against Napoleon, as they feared that Napoleon's liberalization would be a threat to their orthodoxy.
A fascinating map shows the possible whereabouts of the ten lost Tribes of Israel, and the intriguing possibility that their descendants could include the Ibos of Nigeria, the Masai Tribe of East Africa, the Berbers of North Africa, the Khazars, the Bnei Menashe of Eastern
India, the Karens of Burma, and the Shinadai Tribe of Japan.
Other maps show the development of Jewish life in the Americas, Jewish military activity from from 1794 to 1967, the return of the Jews to the Land of Israel, the numbers of Jews in Europe at the outbreak of World War II, and those that perished in the Holocaust, the numbers of Jews who fled Europe for Palestine, during the Holocaust, Jewish resistance against Nazis persecution in Europe, and against Arab pogroms in Palestine, and Israel's War of Independence in 1948, the Suez War of 1956 and the Six Day war of 1967, describing the balance on the eve of that war of Arab and Israeli forces:
The total Arab strength was 547 000 troops, 2 504 tanks and 957 combat aircrafts, while Israel's strength consisted of 264 000 troops, 800 tanks and 300 Combat aircrafts.
While the author is correct about persecution in Europe, of the Jews, by Christians, he underestimates and does not fully describe the many massacres and pogroms against Jews in Moslem-ruled lands, as well as the severe dhimmni status under which they lived.
Nevertheless Gilbert succeeds, in illustrating the vast panorama of the Jewish people, through the ages.
He makes obscure periods in Jewish history better known, if only in outline, leaving the reader the task of embarking on deeper research.
Finally the book leaves the reader amazed at the endurability of a people who survived thousands of years of hostility and attempts to destroy it, and were gathered together once again in their ancient homeland, having to defend their homeland against 100 million Arabs, and a very large chunk of hostile world opinion.

I expected the maps inside this book to be in color. I wish I had known that they were not.

This atlas is on par with the best written histories. Used in conjunction with a written account it elucidates the complex history of the Jewish people from Biblical through modern times. It presents the the trade routes, settlements and life under the rule of various forces, illustrating the Jewish interface with other cultures.

A must for every Jewish school and library.

This is a surprisingly good reference on the elements of Jewish history, given that it is pretty much all maps.

We see the extent of the Kingdom of David and Solomon. The Hasmonean Kingdom. Jews of India and China. There is some good material about Jews under Muslim rule. We learn about the Khazars. The Karaites. Jews of Europe. Forcible conversions and expulsions. Blood Libels. The emancipation of some European Jews. The rise of Zionism. Birobidjan. World War Two. Jewish immigration to Israel. Jewish populations in the 21st century. Anti-Semitism in the 21st century. And much more.

What's missing? Well, there are a few places where I think Gilbert should have included a little more material. First, I think it would be good to see a little more on the history of early Christian oppression and hatred of Jews, from around 300 AD to around 600 AD. I also think there should have been more about the Israeli war of independence from Great Britain (especially since Gilbert himself is British), including the infamous 1939 White Paper and the ships that tried to break the British blockade of the Levant. I think the excellent map showing Jewish land ownership in the Levant in 1942 is misleading, because it fits right in with lies about the Arabs owning all the rest of the land (in fact, the majority of the land was state land). And I think there should have been more about the history of the Jews of Ethiopia.

I recommend this short but very informative book.

A bright panoramic history of Israel, a supercinerama of the culture, and events that molded the Jewish psyche and the character of Israel. It depicts the various phases of foreign occupations and their influence and/or lack of influence on the Jewish people. An atlas of the multiple cultural and historical faces of Israel, its people and historical development. Reliable and enchanting. I do recommend this work.

This Atlas is easy to read yet very informative of the entire history concerning the Jewish people and the world history that comes into contact with God's chosen people.

This is one of three atlases I am reviewing today, but instead of reviewing the twelve or so in my library, a couple of which I did long ago, I am creating a list of atlases as substantive visualization of inquality and relative status.

The other two I am reviewing:
The Penguin Atlas of Women in the World: Completely Revised and Updated
The Water Atlas: A Unique Visual Analysis of the World's Most Critical Resource

General comment: I remove one star from all atlases I am reviewing for the same generic reasons:

1) Each volume lacks an overview, in the case of women, "the difference women make." You will not find in this volume the fact that the single best investment for any charitable or foreign assistance dollar is in the education of a woman--from that follows all else that is good in society.

2) Each volume lacks a website where one can rapidly "see" changes for any given chart, or compare and contrast different charts. These atlases, regardless of publisher, are "state of the art" visualization for the INDUSTRIAL era, not the information era.

3) The publishers are not keeping the publications up to date. This one, for example, by Penguin, is copyrighted 2003. All of these need ANNUAL updates as well as a live interactive website where women can interact, add data, and generally create new value from an end-user perspective.

Wish list: that the publishers come together and agree to work together to create a series of atlases on the ten threats and twelve core policy areas, that I list below for convenience.

Ten threats from A More Secure World: Our Shared Responsibility--Report of the Secretary-General's High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change [LtGen Dr. Brent Scowcroft, USAF (Ret) as USA representative):

- Poverty
- Infectious Disease
- Environmental Degradation
- Inter-State Conflict
- Civil War
- Genocide
- Other Atrocities
- Profileration
- Terrorism
- Transnational Crime

Twelve policies (of my own making, after studying the Mandates for Leadership from the last 4-5 presidential campaigns in USA):

+ Agriculture
+ Diplomacy
+ Economy
+ Education
+ Energy
+ Family
+ Health
+ Immigation/Emigration
+ Justice
+ Security
+ Society
+ Water

Concluding comment: Peter Drucker said, writing in Forbes ASAP on 28 August 1998, that we have spent 50 years on the T in IT, and now need to spend 50 years on the I in IT. Visualization such as this book provided, but interactive and connected to both "true costs" and to real-world budgets at all levels of governance across all organizations (government, corporate, non-profit).

Other notable atlases of great import:
The Penguin Atlas of War and Peace: Completely Revised and UpdatedOxford Atlas of the World, 14th Edition
Zones of Conflict: An Atlas of Future Wars
The State of the Middle East: An Atlas of Conflict and Resolution
An Atlas of Poverty in America: One Nation, Pulling Apart, 1960-2003
Color Atlas of Diseases and Disorders of Cattle
The Atlas of Endangered Peoples (Environmental Atlas)

If you are curious about the migrations of Jews over three thousand years you won't be satisfied with this miserable book. It is based on conjecture about where Jews migrated from and to -- not based on any real evidence. For example, the whole Khazar question is worthlessly dealt with.