Pogrom: Kishinev and the Tilt of History - Softcover

Steven J. Zipperstein

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1631495992 ISBN 13: 9781631495991

Publisher: Liveright, 2019

Synopsis

"...impressive, heart-wrenching new book on the subject...Zipperstein gives us a strong, clear narrative as well as appalling details...masterly work..." The International New York Times

So shattering were the after-effects of Kishinev, the rampage that broke out in Russia in April 1903, that one historian remarked that it was "nothing less than a prototype for the Holocaust itself". In three days of violence, 49 Jews were killed and 600 raped or wounded, whilst more than 1,000 Jewish-owned houses and stores were ransacked and destroyed. Recounted in lurid detail by newspapers throughout the Western world, the pre-Easter attacks seized the imagination of an international public, quickly becoming the prototype for what would become known as a "pogrom" and providing the impetus for efforts as varied as The Protocols of the Elders of Zion and the NAACP.

With new evidence from Russia, Israel and Europe, Steven J. Zipperstein brings historical insight and clarity to a much-misunderstood event.

About this title

Review:

"Pogrom is an outstanding mix of detailed social history, close readings of texts and historical storytelling. It is never dry or merely academic. Zipperstein moves between the details of what happened in Kishinev but always has an eye for the bigger story, especially for what it tells us about both modern Russian and Jewish history, and what pogroms came to symbolise for generations of American immigrants, Zionists and socialists. It is a superb work." --New Statesman

"Zipperstein deserves praise for the detail, balance and originality of his book. His unwinding of the events, his careful analysis of the evidence and his sensitive description of the actors are commendable. Pogrom comes as close as we shall ever get to an authoritative account of one of the most awful chapters in modern times." --Literary Review

"This book is fascinating..." --The Jewish Chronicle

About the Author:

Steven J. Zipperstein is the Daniel E. Koshland Professor in Jewish Culture and History at Stanford University. A contributor to the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Jewish Review of Books and coeditor of the "Jewish Lives" series for Yale University Press, he lives in Berkeley, California.

About this edition

• Publisher: Liveright
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 1631495992
• ISBN 13: 9781631495991
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288