Very spotty "update", basically a reprint of the 1973 edition:
This supposedly revised edition of the 1973 first edition is unacceptably sloppy. One example: it informs us under the entry "Russia" that the Russian city of Nizhni Novgorod is "now called Gorki". Well, two minutes on Google yield that Gorki went back to being Nizhni Novgorod in 1990 (!) But nobody bothered to update the 1973 text. Another example: the bibliography on Odessa doesn't contain a single title by Steven Zipperstein, one of the most prolific scholars on precisely the Jews of Odessa. Too bad for... more info
A New Encyclopedia Judaica - Modern Judaic Scholarship advances...:
The Encyclopaedia Judaica is a 22-volume English-language encyclopedia of the Jewish people, their faith, Judaism, History and Culture. It's a cumulative result of over three decades of prodigious study and research by about 2,200 contributors and 250 editors around the world and includes approximately 21,000 entries with 2,700 new entries by 1,200 new contributors. Its Scholarship, comprehensive scope, authority, and widespread availability make it a great first and often indispensable resource for Rabbis,... more info
A Series of Disappointments:
My first disappointment: The wealth of illustration of the first edition is virtually gone. You can still find a treatment of Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, of course, but you will not see the great picture of him with his wife Hemdah, taken in 1912. Nor will you find the many other similar pictorial treasures of the first edition. If you must buy this edition, be sure to find a place on your shelves for the old one as well. My second disappointment: The shoddy treatment of bibliographies. There are, to be sure,... more info
UNIQUE AND MONUMENTAL WITH ONE CAVEAT:
I bought EJ #1 when it was published about 30 years ago, and have now already bought #2. My problem with giving away (which I will probably soon donate to a large local university which just recently formed a Jewish Studies program), is the reason for witholding the last star: IT HAS NO ILLUSTRATIONS! The brochure for EJ 1 stated 'over 2000 photos, maps, diagrams and illustrations', while the description of EJ 2 states '600 maps and diagrams'. This is a tremendous loss -- just look up 'illustrated... more info
