From Abraham to Saul Bellow, from Moses Maimonides to Woody Allen, from the Baal Shem Tov to Albert Einstein, this comprehensive dictionary of Jewish biographies provides a first point of entry into the fascinating richness of the Jewish heritage. Modelled on the highly acclaimed Dictionary of Christian Biography (Continuum 2001) and with the advice of leading Jewish scholars, the Dictionary of Jewish Biography provides a rapid reference to those Jewish men and women who have, over the last four thousand years, contributed to the life of the Jewish people and the history of the Jewish religion. This dictionary will prove essential for general readers interested in the evolution of Judaism from ancient times to the present day, a perfect study aid for students and teachers. Designed as an accessible reference tool, this volume is an indispensable guide for anyone interested in the history of the Jewish people - the uninitiated will become initiated; the curious will become informed; the informed will now have a handy reference tool.

This reference examines the history of Jewish forenames and surnames, tracing the origin of each name and the changes that have occured over generations.

This concise, easy-to-use resource on the Holocaust is rich in factual and statistical information, and provides a comprehensive compilation of the people and terms that are essential for an understanding of the Holocaust. In 2,000 entries, it profiles major personalities, covers concentration and death camps, cities and countries, and significant events. Also included are important terms translated from German, French, Polish, Yiddish, and twelve other languages. Biographical entries give a brief history, the person's significance, and their historical context. Geographical entries pinpoint exact locations using other cities or countries as landmarks, and give the number of Jewish inhabitants before Nazi occupation, and the percentage of Jews killed. Historical background is provided for such events as Kristallnacht and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, and entries on concentration and death camps give details on the nationalities interned, the camp's specific location, and its history. This reference is impressive in its scope and includes major perpetrators, bystanders, collaborators, victims, rescuers such as Righteous Gentiles, Jewish ghetto fighters, and partisans. It also explores the role of women and the complicity of physicians and industrialists during the Holocaust more fully than any other reference. This dictionary provides the information needed by students whose understanding of the Holocaust is limited by the absence of a single accessible research text.

This authoritative and comprehensive guide to key people and events in Anglo-Jewish history stretches from Cromwell's re-admittance of the Jews in 1656 to the present day and contains nearly 3000 entries, the vast majority of which are not featured in any other sources.