Tightrope: Six Centuries of a Jewish Dynasty - Hardcover

Karpin, Michael

4

9 ratings by Goodreads

9780470173732: Tightrope: Six Centuries of a Jewish Dynasty

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0470173734 ISBN 13: 9780470173732

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, 2008

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The 750–year epic tale of the extraordinary Backenroth family, this is at the same time an engaging, scrupulously researched narrative history of Jewish life since the Middle Ages. Throughout this time span, the Backenroths could be found at some of the most important events in Jewish history: the migration of their community from western to eastern Europe, the creation of the Hasidic movement, the birth of Zionism, and the loss of so many of their family during the Holocaust. As they struggle to survive, the Backenroths marry, find their fortune in oil, and spawn families with last names that are still widely known.

This sweeping family saga is shaped by real people –– talented and creative women and men swept by the dramatic tides of the history into distant regions and complex situations, where they were forced to display resourcefulness and courage in order to survive. Time and time again they slid from prosperity and opulence to profound poverty and distress, and time after time they managed to surmount crises by virtue of their personal abilities, their tenacious belief in their values, and family solidarity.

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Review:

"Michael Karpin has written a stirring Jewish saga, a rich and wrenching tale. I would praise this book ardently even if it were not the story of my own family." –– Leon Wieseltier

From the Back Cover:

Jewish history from the Middle Ages to the present, told through the captivating story of one family

Nearly twenty years ago, a chance meeting with a Backenroth family member spurred journalist Michael Karpin to years of research that spanned the globe and several centuries. In Tightrope, he shares the amazing tale of a family that was in many ways extraordinary and in many others typical of Eastern European Jews. Offering a unique portrait of Jewish life through such pivotal events as the migration from Western to Eastern Europe, the birth of Zionism, and the Holocaust, Tightrope tells an inspiring, compelling, and often surprising tale of faith, courage, loyalty, and resourcefulness through centuries of struggle, heartbreak, and triumph.

"Michael Karpin has written a stirring Jewish saga, a rich and wrenching tale. I would praise this book ardently even if it were not the story of my own family."
Leon Wieseltier

"What are authentic ′family values′? Tightrope provides an extraordinary answer for readers everywhere. An exciting human saga, skillfully researched and brilliantly portrayed on a vast canvas spanning six centuries. A richly textured guidebook of Jewish survival."
Rabbi James Rudin, Senior Interreligious Affairs Advisor, American Jewish Committee

"This epic story of six centuries in the lives of the Backenroths is, in manyways, the history of Galician Jewry writ small. Miracles and heartbreak,poverty and wealth, fervor and apostasy, hatred and love, death andrenewal all are displayed in these pages. An amazing, unforgettable, and gripping book."
Jonathan D. Sarna, Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History, Brandeis University, and author of American Judaism: A History

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