Customer Reviews

A Short History of the Jewish People: From Legendary Times to Modern Statehood

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Raymond P. Scheindlin has managed to write, in 263 pages, an accurate, secular and very readable history of the Jewish people. He takes the reader, chronologically, from the period of the first known references to the Israelites outside the Bible, (1220 B.C.E.), an Egyptian inscription commemorating the victory of the pharaoh Marniptah over the wandering tribe, to the declaration of Israeli statehood in 1948, and further still to the present peace negotiations in the Middle East. This sweeping and highly informative work presents the major geographical, cultural and political forces that have determined the course of Jewish history. Scheindlin also discusses the many individuals, secular and religious, who have shaped the mindset and character of the Jewish people.

I am taking a course in Jewish history and asked my professor for "an excellent but readable book" on the subject. I told him I wanted to be able to "enjoy the reading process as well as study." He immediately suggested Rabbi Scheindlin's "A Short History of the Jewish People." I must say that if it is possible to call a history book "riveting" and "compelling" and still maintain credibility, I will say it. I could not put the book down! The text is beautifully written and the history itself, as well as the people who made it, are fascinating. The book also serves as an excellent outline of Jewish History and has assisted me in understanding the course's assigned texts. Highly recommended!
JANA

Although one can quibble over specific statements and interpretations (e.g. he writes that Yiddish is a dialect of modern German, when actually it derives from Middle German and is as much a dialect as English is, which also evolved from Middle German) or his inclusion or exclusion of certain figures, facts, etc.-- overall Scheindlin has created a superb work. It is concise, well written, and nicely complemented with clear historical timelines, maps, and small topical essays.

The book is well organized with sensitivity to the difficulty of understanding the tremendous amount of material being covered. The chapters break down as follows:
1) Israelite Origins and Kingdom [Biblical] (c1220 BCE - 587 BCE)
2) Judea and the Origins of the Diaspora [2nd Temple Period] (587 BCE - 70 CE)
3) Roman Palestine and Sassanid Babylonia [Classical Rabbinic Period] (70 CE - 632 CE)
4) Jews in the Islamic World: From the Rise of Islam to the End of the Middle Ages (632 CE - 1500 CE)
5) Jews of Medieval Christian Europe (9th century to 1500)
6) Jews in the Ottoman Empire and Middle East (1453 - 1948)
7) Jews of Western Europe (1500 - 1900)
8) Jews of Eastern Europe and the United States (1770 - 1940)
9) The Holocaust (appx. 1925 - 1946)
10) Zionism and the Origins of the State of Israel (appx. 1862 - 1948)
11) The Jewish People after 1948

This is an excellent historical primer and contains a good bibliography for further study.

This book serves as an excellent outline of Jewish History. If there is a time period you are not familiar with, this book will illuminate using the Jews as narators. An accurate, reliable telling, which can be used by the reader as a launching point for further study on a wide range of historical events and personalities.

Scheindlin has managed to write nearly the perfect book for a lower division course on Jewish history. He successfully spans the entire scope of Jewish history from legendary times to the modern State of Israel in a mere 263 pages of very readable prose. His writing is neither dry nor laden with jargon. He writes like Leon Uris or Herman Wouk.

Two issues of debate in the book should be supplemented with additional readings. The first is that the portrayal of the Jewish-Christian schism is only presented in the context of medieval Antisemitism, and a more balanced and informative view of the formative period of Rabbinic Judaism and Christianity is found in From Text To Tradition by Lawrence Schiffman. The second is the lachrymos portrayal of Jewish life in the Middle Ages. That should be balanced with Salo Baron's groundbreaking article "Ghetto and Emancipation," reprinted in The Menorah Treasury, ed. Leo W. Schwarz (Philadelphia, 1964).

With those two caveats, I would recommend this book for any introductory Jewish history or Jewish studies survey class.

I teach a survey of Jewish history course at the freshman/sophomore level, and this is a great text for a course of this sort. It is easily understandable, concise and has all the important information. The index is helpful. I would also recommend it for the non-student looking for a quick introduction to the basics of Jewish history. Scheindlin is particularly good with material from Jews in the Middle East. For my course I supplement it with primary texts.

In taking a "Survey of Jewish History" course this fall, which is a broad subject, a broad and sweeping primary textbook was needed. In the short space of 263 pages, Scheindlin covers equitably the history of world Jewry, balancing coverage of religious and sociopolitical elements.
Although accurately described as a secular book, Scheindlin is a practicing Jew and the book is certainly not irreligious. In most cases (esp. premodern situations,) Scheindlin approaches an event or a conflict as a neutral observer, a historian documenting causes and effects. Importantly, he explains the way Jewish societies around the world conceived of and reacted to their circumstances, without actually adopting their views in his writing. This allows both Jew and non-Jew to feel comfortable with the book.
Anyone who faults the book for its lack of detail misunderstands the point of the text and the feasability of what they are asking for. What Scheindlin does with stunning success is give an interesting, accurate depiction, albeit with broad brushstrokes, of the forces that have shaped Jewry throughout the ages.
(I especially recommend the chapter on the Holocaust as riveting and awe-inspiring. Scheindlin, in his understated tone, evokes the horror of "Shoah" (destruction) in a way that impresses even veteran readers with its vividness.)

This book is excellent in its readability as it provides a concise yet comprehensible history of the Jewish people. I strongly recommend it to anyone who wants to expand their knowledge, or who can make use of this outstanding sourcebook. Those who want more detail can use the book's bibliography for more advanced study.

This book is packed with information that is offered in a very readable manner. The author did an exceptionally fine job. I did not expect to learn so much or be so fascinated.

I can't praise this little book enough. I went to a predominantly Jewish high school, have attended Jewish weddings, funerals and Bar Mitzvahs, yahrzeit ceremonies, at least one Klezmer concert, Seders too numerous to count, and participated in sitting Shiva when my partner's parents died. For a recovering Catholic, I thought I had a reasonably broad knowledge of Jewish life and history. There was so much I never knew! Reading this book has immeasurably enriched my understanding of Jewish cultura and has given me perspectives and insights that I never had before. The major discovery for me was of the astonishing resilience of this people. The Jews continue to thrive despite over 2,000 years of persecution, outlasting their historical oppressors from the Babylonians and the Romans to the Nazis and the Stalinist communists, As my experience with and admiration of Jewish culture shows, they've also "conquered" a great many of us Christians--we, who have in many ways been their fiercest and most persistent persecutors. The writing is graceful and engaging and Rabbi Scheindlin does a wonderful job of making this complex history both comprehensive and comprehensible by covering one historical thread, usually the narrative of a single time and place, in each chapter. Anyone with even a passing interest in the heritage and history of their Jewish friends or relatives should read this book. I'm going to wait a month on two, and then read it again.

Jewish history spans about 3600 years, this book is about 250 or so pages long. You can imagine how brief it is, but it is not a bad thing, I liked the book, especially for an introduction.

I know it comes recommended by my rabbi for prospective jews-by-choice.