Unsettled - An Anthropology of the Jews

Unsettled

An Anthropology of the Jews

In this far-reaching and passionately written history, renowned anthropologist Melvin Konner takes all of Western civilization as his canvas and onto it places the Jewish people and faith. Drawing on archaeological findings, census data, religious texts, diaries, poetry, oral histories, and more, Konner shows how the Jews shaped the world around them, taking their place among the writers, philosophers, traders, and warriors in antiquity, and how they have continued to make their mark throughout history. In turn, Konner charts the way a largely hostile but at times accepting world has affected Jewish practice, culture, and success. A rich, in-depth account, Unsettled reveals how the facts of oppression and ongoing diaspora actually led to the rise of Jewish trade, learning, and influence.

With historical insight and vivid storytelling, Konner takes us from the pastoral tribes of the Bronze Age to enslavement in the Roman Empire, from the conversos fleeing the Spanish Inquisition to eighteenth-century eastern European villages, from the darkness of the Holocaust to the creation of Israel and the flourishing of Jews in America. The result is a unique and comprehensive portrait of the major events, people, traditions, and turning points of the Jewish people and faith. With its fresh interpretations of those events, Unsettled gives us a new view of the antecedents of pressing conflicts in today's world - from historical debates about assimilation versus Zionism and liberal versus Orthodox Judaism, to anxieties about supposed Jewish superiority and influence, to the question of Israel, which continues to preoccupy us. Rendered with authority, Unsettled is an important addition to studies of the ongoing legacy of jewish culture and a book whose modern-day reverberations could not be more timely.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments Introduction		ix xv
1.	Genesis How the Jews Were Born in Israel	p. 1
2.	Kingdom Come How the Israelites Became a Nation	p. 17
3.	Babylon How the Kingdom Fell and the Culture Changed	p. 37
4.	Roman Ruin How the Jews Lost Their Land	p. 58
5.	Diaspora How the Jews Dispersed Among Their Enemies	p. 82
6.	Crossed Swords How Christian Power Vanquished the Jews	p. 103
7.	Under the Minaret How Islam (Partly) Tolerated the Jews	p. 125
8.	Spain and Beyond How the Sephardic Jews Found Romance	p. 145
9.	Brightness How Jewish Genius Changed and Grew	p. 174
10.	Ends of the Earth How Jews Thrived in Exotic Places	p. 200
11.	Yidn How the Jews Helped Create Modern Europe	p. 223
12.	Mameh-Loshn How the Ashkenazic Jews Spoke and Thought	p. 247
13.	Smoke How the Germans Gave the Jews Graves in the Air	p. 268
14.	Fire How the Jews Fought Back	p. 293
15.	The Golden Land How the Jews Helped Make America	p. 318
16.	Ha'Aretz How the Jews Came Home	p. 352
17.	Women of Valor How Jewish Women Broke the Patriarchal Bonds	p. 385
18.	Conclusion: A Drop of Red Wine How the Jews Will Face the Future	p. 412
A Jewish Time Line Notes For Further Reading Index		p. 439 p. 445 p. 473 p. 477

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