Review:
"Drawing on the best recent scholarship and wearing his formidable learning lightly, Michael Brenner has produced a remarkable synoptic survey of Jewish history. His book must be considered a standard against which all such efforts to master and make sense of the Jewish past should be measured."--Stephen J. Whitfield, Brandeis University
"With his characteristically deft touch, Michael Brenner has produced a sweeping and riveting account of Jewish history from Biblical times until the present day. This slender volume is lively, engaging, and a pleasure to read."--John M. Efron, University of California, Berkeley
"Brenner is a proven author with a broad competence in Jewish history, which makes him one of the few Jewish historians able to handle a volume of such large scope. His book has a novel approach that sets it apart from other one-volume histories. It is intended as a first book in Jewish history for readers with little knowledge of the subject. The style is extraordinarily readable."--Michael A. Meyer, author of Judaism within Modernity
"As the title indicates, this is a compact survey of Jewish history, an introduction for general readers. Still, Professor Brenner manages to cover a great deal of ground while effectively explaining many of the key elements of the Jewish experience. From biblical times to the present, Brenner asserts, a recurring theme of Jewish history is migration, yet it is migration that constantly kept the land of Israel as the focus of Jewish emotions and aspirations. . . . On the whole, this work serves as an excellent introduction."---Jay Freeman, Booklist
"In this concise but all-encompassing account of the Jews, Brenner (After the Holocaust) does a remarkable job of escorting readers from the biblical narrative of Abraham's journey from Ur and idolatry through the treacherous, monotheistic course of Jewish history, concluding with modern-day Israeli society."--Publishers Weekly Religion Book Line
"This is an excellent overview of Jewish history--a well-written, up-to-date survey for college students and the general reader. Considering the scope of the coverage, the book is remarkably concise. The explanations under the attractive illustrations aptly point to their relevance in the period being discussed."---Robert Seltzer, H-Net Reviews
"Brenner offers a digestible, interesting, complex history, in an accessible format."--Jewish Book World
"Recommended."---Sandra Collins, Library Journal
"A Short History of the Jews is well-written and Jeremiah Riemer's translation from the German is quite readable. All in all, an excellent source for the reader, Jewish or otherwise."---Ed Sizemore, Denton Record-Chronicle
"This elegantly produced, generously illustrated text attempts the impossible--the telling of 3,000 years of Jewish history in less than 400 pages."--Choice
About the Author:
Michael Brenner is professor of Jewish history and culture at the University of Munich. His books include Zionism: A Brief History and After the Holocaust: Rebuilding Jewish Lives in Postwar Germany (Princeton).
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