Jewish History in Modern Times (review)

Book Reviews 121 Rubinstein, unfortunately, does not take advantage of much of this work. For example, the chapter on the Anglo-Jewish communitY from the middle ages to readmission does not take into account the work ofscholars such as R. Mundill, Robert Stacey, and Gavin Langmuir (to name but a few), all of whom have presented a more nuanced picture of English Jewish life, as well as of English antisemitism, than was available to Roth. A quick look at Rubinstein's notes, however, indicates that he did not consult much new research. The result is a rather stale examination ofthe significance of Anglo-Jewry to the development of English history that can best be called neoRothian in its outlook. Anglo-Jewish historians have moved from the "Rothian" school, which deemphasized English antisemitism, to a perspective that demonstrates the ubiquitousness ofantisemitism in English life. That later scholars might have gone too far is certainly an argument that Rubinstein is correct to raise. Yet, despite his complaints that the scholars too often overlook English philosemitism, Rubinstein makes no mention ofthe work of David Katz (Philo-Semitism and the Re-Admission ofthe Jews into England 1603-1656, 1982), which specifically addresses this issue for the seventeenth century. Furthermore, one may have reservations about the conclusions reached by scholars such as David Cesarani, who covers the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, yet Rubinstein periodically detracts from his narrative to engage in vitriolic attacks that are unnecessary. Cesarani, as well as many other contemporary Anglo-Jewish scholars, is a fme historian who does not deserve to be attacked in this manner. Ultimately, this book is disappointing. A new synthesis of the Anglo-Jewish experience is certainly needed to replace Roth. Yet Rubinstein seems to have reinvented many ofRoth's major arguments and focus without advancing our understanding in any significant way. Rubinstein may be trying to do too much alone. For example, The History ofthe Jewish People in America, published by Johns Hopkins University Press, not only took five volumes-for a historical period less than half of the one covered here-it took five separate authors to complete the project. One suspects a similar endeavor is necessary to synthesize Anglo-Jewish history. Frederic Krome Department ofHistory and Geography Northern Kentucky University Jewish History in Modern Times, by Joseph Goldstein. Sussex: Sussex Academic Press, 1995. 210 pp. $45.00. Joseph Goldstein has produced a fme synthesis of recent research on modern Jewish history which is readable and up to date. He begins with two premises: that the effects 122 SHOFAR Winter 1998 Vol. 16, No.2 ofmodernity were not widely felt until the 1880s, which should therefore be considered the beginning ofmodern Jewish history; and that five major developments defme the experience ofJews in the modern world: migration, emancipation, cultural revolution, antisemitism, and Zionism (including the creation ofthe State ofIsrael). Goldstein's quasi-revisionist periodization, which he regards as an important departure from previous, ideologically dictated delineations, is ultimately a way of saying that the presence of modern ideas does not defme modernity until it affects significant numbers ofpeople. Early modernists like myself may take issue with such a position, but its only significance in the context of the book is to limit its temporal scope. Goldstein's thematic approach, meanwhile, while it has certain minor drawbacks, generally provides a well focused framework for analysis. He displays familiarity with a great deal of recent research, and his lean writing style allows him to cover much material in a fairly short book. Indeed, in a work this length (149 pages of text) one cannot expect detailed treatment of all five of the processes the author considers essential, and he does an admirable job of condensing ideas from an enormous literature. The chapter on "Cultural Revolution" in particular, however, leaves the reader with little feeling for the nuances ofa highly complex subject. The thesis of this chapter is that from the 1880s until the beginning of the Second World War, Jewish . society evolved from being mainly traditional to mainly secular. This is true enough, but a 28-page discussion concerning the loss of a faith which had held out over rnillennia must by defmition leave out more than...