Understanding Jewish History

Provides a first hand exposure to the breadth and diversity of the Jewish experience. Drawing upon the author's 20 years of experience in college teaching and adult education, this book will stimulate the reader to search not only for information and historical context, but also for a personal encounter with Jewish teachings and traditions, asking what claims, if any, does the past have upon our lives today. Organized into 34 chapters, this volume surveys the range of the Jewish experience from the biblical covenant to contemporary relations between Israel and world Jewry. Each chapter contains both primary source materials and extensive historical content and analyses, as well as biography.