Patterns in Jewish History is Rabbi Berel Wein's masterful, thematic exploration of the history of the Jewish people. Through the prism of timeless themes: education, customs, anti-Semitism, assimilation, the role of women, teachers and rabbis, the land of Israel and more, Rabbi Wein examines the values that have enabled the Jewish people to survive and thrive for three thousand years. Patterns in Jewish History explains how Jewish practice, traditions and responses to historical forces have varied over time and place, but how, more importantly, Judaism's unchanging ideals have united the Jewish people throughout history from its very beginnings at the foot of Mount Sinai through modern times; from Europe to Africa, the Middle East and America. With characteristic depth of research, accessibility of language, and love of Torah, Rabbi Wein presents a remarkable history of a unique people.

Just as the moon waxes and wanes, so too civilizations pass through stages of birth, growth, and decline. But only the Jewish nation has continued this cycle from generation to generation, mimicking the eternal cycles of the moon. This fact-filled volume explores the history of the Jewish people in a unique and readable way, taking us from Biblical times to the present. Each of the phases deals with 500 years of history and depicts not only the political, economic and social forces that kept the Jewish people alive and vibrant, but also the leading figures who significantly affected the course of Jewish history. The authors take us from the period of the Patriarchs through Moses, David, and the birth of the Jewish People, then on to the period of the prophets and kings, Ezra and the Great Assembly, the Talmudic period, the Geonim, Rishonim, the Inquisition, Achronim, the two World Wars, and the State of Israel.

The Slaters bring to life events that have, over the past 4,000 years, shaped the Jewish people and determined the course of their history. Photos throughout.

Adult readers will appreciate this epic story of the Jewish people rendered as a concise, accessible, and engaging narrative. This lively and accessible volume presents the full range of Jewish history, from biblical to contemporary times. Adapted from the two-volume award-winning work, The History of the Jewish People by Professors Jonathan Sarna and Jonathan Krasner, this single volume treats readers to a fast-paced account of Jewish history that is grounded in scholarship and brimming with information on topics as diverse as the development of Christianity beyond its Jewish roots into a new religion and the revival of Hebrew as a spoken language. The text is filled with colorful anecdotal detail about Jewish communities throughout history and around the world, such as how Passover was celebrated on the Civil War battlefield and the origins of Beta Israel, the Ethiopian-Jewish community. The broad array of graphics-16 maps, 12 charts, 27 timelines, and more than 100 photographs--is sure to engage readers and enrich their appreciation and understanding of Jewish history.

Organized in 34 units, this volume is aimed at the general reader desiring a core course covering the main contours of Jewish history. Each unit is accompanied by textual readings, questions for discussion, and additional bibliography. The following chapters relate to antisemitism: The Church and the Jews [About the Early Church.] (115-125); Jewry and Islam (126-139); The Crusades and the Jews (164-175); Jews and Christian Spain (188-197); East European Jewry [Relates, also, to the Chmielnicki pogroms.] (223-232); Modern Anti-Semitism [In the 19th century.] (307-320); Reaction in Eastern Europe [On the extent and impact of the pogroms and the persecution of Jews in Russia between 1881-1914.] (321-331); The Holocaust [Discusses the Nazis, the victims, and the bystanders.] (383-403).