Monumental carved wooden Torah arks were an outstanding feature of east European synagogues between the seventeenth and the nineteenth centuries, yet virtually none survived the Second World War. Bracha Yaniv therefore breathes a new life into a lost genre with this extensively researched, meticulously documented, and richly illustrated book. She is the first to paint a vivid portrait of their history and to offer a detailed explanation of the motifs that adorned them.

A richly illustrated volume celebrating Jewish carving traditions from the Old World to the New

Moshe Rosman's revolutionary approach has become a cornerstone of Polish Jewish historiography. Challenging conventions, he asserts that the 'marriage of convenience' between the Jews and the Polish--Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dynamic relationship that, though punctuated by crisis and persecution, developed into a saga of overall achievement and stability. With that fundamental message this book forges a thematic survey of Jewish history in early modern Poland. These essays, written by Rosman over the course of a distinguished career, have all been updated and enhanced with new detail and nuanced arguments, taking account not only of new archival material and research but also of the ongoing evolution of the author’s own knowledge and perspectives. Some appear here in English for the first time. The volume's structure highlights key topics for understanding the Polish Jewish past: relations between Jews and other Poles; Jewish communal life; Polish Jewish women; and hasidism. One section analyses how this past has been presented in both scholarly and popular modes. The essays are crafted to place them in dialogue with each other. Analytical introductions weigh their significance in the light of modern and postmodern Jewish and Polish historiography. An extensive general introduction sets the context of the history portrayed here, while a thoughtful conclusion elucidates the larger motifs that emerge.

Though the Holocaust has been documented in depth, historians and the public know very little about the experience of Eastern European Jews during the preceding world war. A Nation of Refugees tells the story of how ordinary Jewish people in the Russian Empire survived World War I as refugees and civilians. It focuses on the resilience and organized campaigns of humanitarian war relief that countered violence and victimization. Above all, it captures the voices and experiences of refugees at a time of upheaval and war through first-hand accounts.

A richly illustrated and documented survey of the evolution of synagogue textiles spanning fifteen centuries, offering a detailed analysis of the design and production of mantles, wrappers, Torah scroll binders, and the Torah ark curtain and valance, including the text of inscriptions marking the circumstances of donation.

The book explores the patronage, formation, and symbolism of the Renaissance Torah ark in Polish synagogues.

This book highlights the Holocaust-related research of the historian, archeologist, and professor, Rabbi Richard A. Freund. Richard was a pioneering force in non-invasive archaeology, wherein geophysical techniques adapted from the oil and gas industry are used at Holocaust sites to collect data used in concert with testimony and archival research to write or rewrite the history of the Holocaust. The chapters’ authors span the breath of Holocaust studies and science, and include geophysicists who are experts in applying geophysical techniques in a historical context, geographers skilled in mapping and spatial analysis, filmmakers and film students, archaeologists that focus on the Holocaust, and academics specializing in Judaic studies, Jewish life and the Holocaust. It is comprehensive but non-technical and is a resource for anyone interested in melding science with history and uncovering the often lost or hidden aspects of the Holocaust.