Book Notes

Book Notes BOOK NOTES 169 Annotations of books in Gennan were written by Walter Hirsch of Purdue University. Reference materials in all fields are listed under "Reference.» American Jewish Life A Double Bond: The Constitutional Documents ofAmericanJewry, edited by Daniel]. Elazar,Jonathan D. Sarna, and Rela G. Monson. Lanham, MD: University Press ofAmerica,.Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, 1992. 492 pp. $62.50. ISBN 0-8191-8586-8. A Double Bond examines the constitutional framework of American Jewry. The essays by Hannah Kliger and Nitza Druyan illuminate key parts of American Jewish .history through their analysis of the constitutional document of major Jewish institutions. Excerpts from the actual documents themselves are included in Part III. Jewish Hometown Associations and Family Circles in New York, edited by Hannah Kliger. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1992. 163 pp. $35.00. ISBN 0-253-33128-5. A portrait of family and community life among Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe, prepared in the 1930s through the WPA Federal Writers' Project. The WPA Yiddish Writers' Group, headed by I. E. Rontch, conducted an ambitious study of some 2,500 landsmanshaftn , associations ofJewish immigrants from the same hometown that played an important role in helping newcomers adjust to life in America. The WPA study, here in an abridged English version, discusses the social and benevolent activities of hometown associations , their constitutions and souvenir journals, the East European background of the Jewish family, preferences in reading and recreational activities, standards of living, occupations, schooling, and personality sketches of three generations. The book includes an introduction recounting the history of the Yiddish Writers' Group, an afterword describing the evolution ofJewish immigrant associations since World War II, and a bibliographic guide to literature on immigrant organizations. 170 Ancient World and Archaeology SHOFAR Fall 1992 Vol. 11, No. 1 A Century of Biblical Archaeology, by P. R. S. Moorey.· Louisville, KY: Westminsterl.John Knox Press, 1992. 208 pp. $14.99 (P). ISBN 0-66425392 ·X. This historical survey of the relationship between archaeology and biblical studies in the archaeological excavations in Palestine at Tell elHesi from 1840 to 1990 concentrates on the work of major excavators and scholars. It is an overview of the methods and theories that served to illuminate the archaeology of the Holy land, beginning with an introductory chapter that covers the early pioneering years. Roger Moorey examines the collaborations and conflicts between archaeologists and biblical theologians with different views of the purpose of biblical archaeology. People of the Sea: The Search for the Philistines, by Trude Dothan and Moshe Dothan. New York: Macmillan, 1992. 276 pp. $25.00. ISBN 0-02532261 -3. Trude and Moshe Dayan, archaeologists and historians, have written both an account of their archaeological work and a portrait of the real Philistines that overturns many traditional beliefs about a culture that has long been synonymous with cruelty. The Dayans argue that the Philistines, far from being the savage tribe depicted in the Bible, were an advanced civilization made up of artistic potters, metal workers, and prosperous traders who played a pivotal role both in influencing the culture and political organization of the Greeks and Israelites and in initiating the Iron Age. The book contains drawings, maps, and color photographs. Roman Palestine 200-400: Money and Prices, by Daniel Sperber. RamatGan : Bar-Ilan University Press, 1991. 401 pp. n.p.1. ISBN 965-226-147-5. The third ·century C.E. was a period of monetary devaluation and general economic decline. Politically and militarily it was a period of anarchic instability. The fourth century showed a marked improvement in these fields, but with it came radical changes in the political, economic, and social structure of the Empire. This volume attempts to bring new evidence to bear upon this period from the vast corpus of Rabbinic literature. Texts of economic significance have been analyzed and fitted into a chronological framework. Book Notes Art and Music 171 The Jews: A Treasury of Art and Literature, edited by Sharon R. Keller. Southport, CT: Hugh Lauter Levin Associates, 1992. Distributed by Macmillan Publishing Co. 384 pp. $75.00. ISBN 0-88363-892-4. This anthology of Jewish art and literature reveals the depth and breadth of the Jewish experience...