Jewish History: The Big Picture

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.