Farewell Espana: The World Of The Sephardim Rememb (Hardcover)

~ Howard M. Sachar (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The Jews of Spain, integrated into Arab culture since the 10th century, flourished under Islamic and subsequent Christian rule, becoming scientists, poets, merchants and farmers despite periodic outbursts of Christian fanaticism and conversionary pressure. Expelled from Spain in 1492, Sephardic Jews sought refuge in the Ottoman empire, North Africa, Italy and elsewhere. Noted historian Sachar's (A History of Israel) vibrant odyssey charts Sephardic Jewry's dispersal, acculturation and achievements, informed by his own visits to Madrid, Lisbon, Athens, Belgrade and Tel Aviv. The narrative features luminaries such as Beatriz Mendez, who built a trading empire in 16th-century Antwerp and Venice and ran an underground rescue network for Marrano refugees; and Dutch rabbi Menasseh ben Israel, emissary to London, who successfully pressured Oliver Cromwell to grant England's Jews rights of residency, worship and trade. In modern times, Sachar portrays the violence Jews faced in Turkey under Mustafa Kemal, Jewish resistance to Mussolini and the political activism of Sephardim in Israel, where they have encountered discrimination by Ashkenazic Jews of middle or northern European ancestry. A feast for students of Jewish culture and history.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Sachar (A History of the Jews in America, LJ 7/92) has written a history of the Sephardim (Iberian Jews) that illuminates the personalities and achievements of those doyens of the Jewish world. The Sephardim were an important element of Moorish society, serving as artisans, doctors, and government employees. During the period of Christian reconquest, they found new vocations as intermediaries between the Islamic and Christian worlds, often translating legacies of the Islamic world as well as classical works unknown to the Christian West. The year 1492 saw the conquest of Grenada, the voyage of Columbus, and the expulsion of the Sephardim from Spain. The sultan of Turkey lost no time in welcoming large numbers of this productive community to his domain. Sachar traces the history of this tragic diaspora from Turkey to Brazil. Recommended for academic libraries and public libraries with strong reader interest in this area.
Robert J. Andrews, Duluth P.L., Minn.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 439 pages
• Publisher: Knopf; First Edition edition (October 4, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679409602
• ISBN-13: 978-0679409601
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.8 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,978,274 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic introduction to Sephardic History, June 18, 2003

By	Joaquin Tomas (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Farewell Espana: The World of the Sephardim Remembered (Paperback)

If you are at all interested in the history of the Sephardic people this is the book to get. Sachar takes you on a journey from the plains of Al-andalus to the deserts of the Ottoman Empire, the thriving metropolis of the Dutch, to the modern state of Israel. The book is utterly readable and reads less like a dry history book and more like a novel where the central character is an entire nation. There is relatively little in the way of books about the Sephardic experience, and those that do exist for the most part are stiff and scholarly. Sachar makes it palatable while at the same time showing an incredible breath of knowledge and research that went into this book. BUY IT NOW!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Farewell Espana, November 18, 2007

By	Valerie Perales, Brussels, Belgium - See all my reviews

This review is from: Farewell Espana: The World of the Sephardim Remembered (Paperback)

This fascinating book depicts a history of the oddyssey of Spanish Jews all over the world following the enforced exile of the Spanish Inquisition. It is written with passion by an erudite historian yet, although filled with historical facts, at no time does it appear to be an academic lecture. Quite the contrary, it is a moving tale of the trials and tribulations of a people whose quest for surivival led them all over the globe and who made a worthwhile contribution wherever they went.
I have purchased this book several times to give as a gift and all my friends have enjoyed it as much as I did.
Valerie Perales, Brussels, Belgium

17 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Half a Story, January 4, 2000

By	Jacky Delmar (Rio de Janeiro Brazil) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Farewell Espana: The World of the Sephardim Remembered (Paperback)

The lack of information on Sefaradim in Arab Lands is deplorable. The author perhaps lacks knowledge of these languages to adequately research the matter. His assesment of these people seems to be limited to those today in Israel. What about those that went to Canada,the US, France, Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina?