PDF The Jews of Spain A History of the Sephardic Experience Jane S Gerber 9780029115749 Books
PDF The Jews of Spain A History of the Sephardic Experience Jane S Gerber 9780029115749 Books
Download As PDF : The Jews of Spain A History of the Sephardic Experience Jane S Gerber 9780029115749 Books
The history of the Jews of Spain is a remarkable story that begins in the remote past and continues today. For more than a thousand years, Sepharad (the Hebrew word for Spain) was home to a large Jewish community noted for its richness and virtuosity. Summarily expelled in 1492 and forced into exile, their tragedy of expulsion marked the end of one critical phase of their history and the beginning of another. Indeed, in defiance of all logic and expectation, the expulsion of the Jews from Spain became an occasion for renewed creativity. Nor have five hundred years of wandering extinguished the identity of the Sephardic Jews, or diminished the proud memory of the dazzling civilization which they created on Spanish soil.This book is intended to serve as an introduction and scholarly guide to that history.
PDF The Jews of Spain A History of the Sephardic Experience Jane S Gerber 9780029115749 Books
"This is a wonderful history of the Sephardim. I was particularly interested in the history of the epoch in Spain; but the book follows the history of the Sephardim after the expulsion and relates the story of the resettlements in Holland, Italy, and among the Ottomans. Sephardic history has become obscure. This volume deals in a lively manner with the principal personalities in Islamic Spain, the re-conquest, and eventually the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella. This history is a good addition to the accounts of the Sephardic experience provided by Ben-Zion Netanyahu's "The Origins of the Inquisition in 15th Century Spain". and Mark Angel's account of the Sephardic experience among the Ottomans."
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The Jews of Spain A History of the Sephardic Experience Jane S Gerber 9780029115749 Books Reviews :
The Jews of Spain A History of the Sephardic Experience Jane S Gerber 9780029115749 Books Reviews
- The utter destruction of a Jewish community with ancient roots presaged and defined future such devastations that occurred with all too regular frequency. The resilience and determination of the straggling survivors to pass on their religious legacy, poignantly documented in this work, became an inspiration to future hapless victims of unending anti-Jewish bigotry elsewhere. When one travels through Spain, the broad erasure of its "other" past is so complete that one needs to remind oneself of the true diverse historical legacy. The author's work is wonderfully encompassing, fleshing out many of the principle historic figures involved, though it meanders a bit in the first few chapters, gaining intense focus in the decades just before and during the Expulsion, illuminating the causes of mass conversions that predated the formal order in 1492 by a century. The conclusions and epilogue, especially in regards to French Jews are dated as the book was written in the '90's and so too don't reflect the distasteful recent legacy of the blatantly anti-Israel and anti-Jewish attitudes cultivated by the long-serving Socialist Prime Minister of Spain, Jose Zapatero. He single-handedly poisoned much of the goodwill and early rapprochement achieved by King Juan Carlos and later, Prime Minister Jose Aznar. A sad, ironic postscript to the book's extensive discussions on the role of Turkey as a safe haven is the present-day exodus of its Jews, lineal descendants of the Sephardim who sought refuge there. In its demographic decline, Turkey has itself become a hotbed of religious intolerance as toxic to diversity as late medieval Spain was.
- Having recently traveled to Spain and visited some several sites where these important historical events occurred, I wanted to read some more on this topic. Some of my previous readings seemed to be part myth and part reality. This book seems to be based on sound research. The few centuries when people of three religions and cultures were able to live together in peace, to collaborate and the incredible achievements that resulted provide an important lesson for a world that is rushing toward religious, ideological and racial purity and fanaticism.
- Gerber takes us on the journey of Sephardic Jews, starting with settlement in what is now Spain around 200 CE, detailing their development there among pagans, then Christians, then Muslims, and then back to Christians. Then, with the expulsion of 1492, we follow them around the world wherever they settled all the way up to the modern State of Israel.
While I'm certainly no expert, this is the most interesting book I've read on the subject. Easy to read and well organized. I've spent more time reading Ashkenazi history, but Gerber has drawn me to the Sephardic side. Thanks to her and another author, I've decided to read Stillman as well.
I was a little frustrated at first as I have an older copy with some mistakes, like listing the expulsion as "1942" and destruction of the First Temple in "586 CE". I checked these mistakes against a more recent printing, and they have been corrected. Therefore, I do not want to detract from the review. I also found it strange there was no mention of the interaction with the Basques at all (see Mark Kurlansky).
My biggest gripe is the bibliography which is almost non-existent. There are a few references here and there, but many many numbers, facts, and statistics are listed without a single citation. There is a section on recommended reading in the back, but proper references would be much preferred. This is primarily reason I'm giving the book 4 instead of 5 stars. If this isn't important to you, it is a 5 star book.
If you can trust all the material without references, this book is a wealth of information and about as interesting as it gets on Jewish history. - While I have not finished reading this book, I am impressed with the writing. Gerber provides a wide perspective of Spanish Jewish history
with insightful descriptions of key factors. Personalities, places and periods are presented as a flowing commentary that enables the reader to understand how Spanish Jewry evolved, developed and ultimately ended in forced evacuation. The impact of their eviction on Jewry in Europe is covered as well as the first Jews to settle in what would become the U.S. being a small group of Spanish Jews seeking refuge in a hospitable setting. Gerber's writing is easy reading. If you like history and/or a knowledge of Spanish Jewry this book is well worth the reading. - A phenomenal amount of information to absorb but worth the effort. I has changed my perspective on Sephardi Judaism and its intellectual contribution to Jewish culture, thought and teachings..It has seated the religious leaders from that part of the world at a far higher level than formally appreciated as a result of reading this book. It is impossible to avoid an always occurring theme of persecution which in addition tho the Inquisition and its consequences, I am once again filled with grief in reading about pogroms, slaughters and displacement which so pervaded Spanish Jewish history, most of which were unknown to me.
- This is a wonderful history of the Sephardim. I was particularly interested in the history of the epoch in Spain; but the book follows the history of the Sephardim after the expulsion and relates the story of the resettlements in Holland, Italy, and among the Ottomans. Sephardic history has become obscure. This volume deals in a lively manner with the principal personalities in Islamic Spain, the re-conquest, and eventually the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella. This history is a good addition to the accounts of the Sephardic experience provided by Ben-Zion Netanyahu's "The Origins of the Inquisition in 15th Century Spain". and Mark Angel's account of the Sephardic experience among the Ottomans.
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