Yiddish civilization: the rise and fall of a forgotten nation

Abstract

Yiddish Civilization: The Rise and Fall of a Forgotten Nation, by Paul Kriwaczek. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005. 384 pp. $27.50. Reading about the history of the Yiddish civilization has never been so engaging, uplifting, and pleasurable. Paul Kriwaczek's book, Yiddish Civilization: The Rise and Fall of a Forgotten Nation, is a harmonious mixture of fact and folklore - as any history of the Jewish people should be. His writing is truly refreshing as it approaches this subject from a perspective that is determined not to let the past millennia of Jewish life on the continent be overshadowed by the events of the Shoah. This perspective is one that is too often absent from our schools, homes, and hearts. We often seem to forget the true riches of our history, riches that Paul Kriwaczek presents with depdi, wit, and creativity. I greatly appreciated the fact that he chose to begin by sharing his own personal and very humorous stories and memories of his childhood growing up in a Yiddish area of London after the war, thus allowing the reader to understand part of his motivation for dedicating such a great deal of time and effort into the research and writing of this book. In addition, the subsequent three chapters offer an enriching insight into the pre-history of the Yiddish people, such as the history of the Jewish presence and activity during the Roman period. His method of mixing narrative, history, and analysis on so many intriguing topics, including those most sensitive in Jewish history (such as money lending, or the connection to the rise of Islam on the continent) is remarkable. Kriwaczek's journalistic skills are exemplified by his ability to describe die Yiddish people with such vivacity, from the history of trade, travel routes, language and literature, to the lives, celebrations, and weekly Shabbat rituals. One almost feels as if one is participating in this colorful and intriguing and European medieval landscape. The fifth chapter begins widi the dawn of a new millennium, the birth of the Yiddish civilization, with Jews migrating north and east, searching for security, land, and the hope of a bright future. In it> we are led on a journey dirough the literary, religious, and cultural history of the Yiddish people, which at times feels slighdy rushed given the importance of this period for the new civilization. Although a full chapter is dedicated to presenting the diversity of characters and lifestyles of the Yiddish people living in Europe between 1200 and 1500, it feels somewhat bumpy. Readers would benefit from more elaboration upon the events of this period. And yet the descriptions of the tavern owners along the trade routes (who may have introduced vodka to the world), of those Jews living in larger cities, whether experts in trade or study, and of the rare few honored as court Jews living among the aristocracy are outstanding. …