Paul Kriwaczek begins this illuminating and immensely pleasurable chronicle of Yiddish civilization during the Roman empire, when Jewish culture first spread to Europe. We see the burgeoning exile population disperse, as its notable diplomats, artists and thinkers make their mark in far-flung cities and found a self-governing Yiddish world. By its late-medieval heyday, this economically successful, intellectually adventurous, and self-aware society stretched from the Baltic to the Black Sea. Kriwaczek traces, too, the slow decline of Yiddish culture in Europe and Russia, and highlights fresh offshoots in the New World. Combining family anecdote, travelogue, original research, and a keen understanding of Yiddish art and literature, Kriwaczek gives us an exceptional portrait of a culture which, though nearly extinguished, has an influential radiance still.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
A most enjoyable and informative historical review:
Paul Kriwaczek's survey of the history of the Yiddish Civilization in Eastern Europe was a most informative and eye-opening text for me to read. It has answered many questions about that phase of Jewish history that had puzzled me for a long time. Why did the Jews migrate to the banks of the Rhine and the Danube in the first place and in what phase of history? And why did they move into the east after having lived in German lands long enough to have adopted the German language? How did that linguistic... more info
well-written, but seriously flawed:
Dr. Kriwaczek, in fascinating and well-chosen detail, begins with the little-told story of the Jews as a substantial and multi-ethnic population of well-assimilated Roman citizens. He tells of the dawn and rise of Europe, in parallel with the dawn and rise of what becomes a vast Yiddish "state" east of the Rhine. In fact, the thesis of the book is that because of their well-structured and highly effective system of self-government, these Jews constituted a true state within and across the ever-shifting... more info
Good intentions:
This book was difficult for me. I first of all found its subtitle misleading. There was not a Yiddish 'nation' A nation as I understand it has a specific territory of its own. The Jews really had in the Disapora no territory of their own , and certainly no means of defending it. The term 'civilization' seems to be better but here too the great limitations placed on Jews in terms of livelihood and profession raise the question of how it is possible to see their world as a civilization.
As for the... more info
A great book:
This is a wonderful book that gives a wide berth to both Yiddish civilization and Jewish history from the Roman period to the present. The author begins with a commentary on the loss of tradition among Yiddish speaking English Jews and the fake heritage of many of ape Yiddish by enjoying its music as an instant pass to heritage without 'ties' to religious observance. Then the book begins a whirlwind tour of Jewish history and the movements and diversity of the Jewish people in the Roman empire and Spain. It... more info
