This book makes accessible-for the first time in English-declassified archival documents from the former Soviet Union, rabbinic sources, and previously untranslated memoirs, illuminating everyday Jewish life as the site of interaction and negotiation among and between neighbors, society, and the Russian state, from the beginning of the nineteenth century to World War I. Focusing on religion, family, health, sexuality, work, and politics, these documents provide an intimate portrait of the rich diversity of Jewish life. By personalizing collective experience through individual life stories-reflecting not only the typical but also the extraordinary-the sources reveal the tensions and ruptures in a vanished society. An introductory survey of Russian Jewish history from the Polish partitions (1772-1795) to World War I combines with prefatory remarks, textual annotations, and a bibliography of suggested readings to provide a new perspective on the history of the Jews of Russia.
Reviews
Der hier vorgestellte Band stellt kurzum eine materielle und gedanklich-argumentative Fundgrube zum Alltagsleben des osteuropaischen Judentums dar und sollte als Inzentiv fur weitere Forschung verstanden werden. * Redaktion JUDAICA *



Book Information
ISBN 9781611684551
Author ChaeRan Y. Freeze
Format Paperback
Page Count 648
Imprint Brandeis University Press
Publisher Brandeis University Press