The Jewish Bund in Russia from Its Origins to 1905

Abstract

Stephen Birmingham chose for his book a good title (The Grandees) and a fine subject (America's Sephardim) but, unfortunately, it is far greater in promise than performance. It is clever, witty, even racy, but less than precise when it comes to factual material, and the truth becomes so distorted on occasion as to be almost unrecognizable. An author who is serious in his craft should seek to distinguish between hearsay, fact and fiction and should be wary of lumping them all together, even though the jacket may read fascinating history spiced with gossip. There should be a clear separation between fact and fiction. The Sephardim in America trace their ancestry to the great poets, philosophers, scholars and teachers who together constituted an out standing period of creativity in early medieval Spain. Solomon ibn Gabirol, Yehudah Halevi, Bahya ibn Pakuda, Moses and Abraham ibn Ezra, Moses Maimonides — these were great luminaries who fashioned a beautiful and impressive tradition that, to this day, is reflected in the services of Congregation Shearith Israel. Their poetry is part of the