From Publishers Weekly
A half-century after the Holocaust, Paris has again become a major Jewish center, and traditional Jewish life is thriving in Antwerp and Budapest. Jewish communities in Berlin, Prague and Amsterdam, however, are struggling, and Poland is almost devoid of Jewish life. Kurlansky (A Continent of Islands) visited numerous Jewish communities that had been decimated during the war, interviewing camp survivors, rabbis, atheists, professional people, political activists and writers. Stitching together their personal stories with history and reportage, this keenly observant narrative charts a traumatized people's experiences in rebuilding their lives after unimaginable horrors and the loss of their homes and businesses. Many of Kurlansky's respondents voice anxiety over the resurgence of anti-Semitic and nationalist violence.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Kurlansky (A Continent of Islands: Searching for the Carribean Destiny, LJ 1/92) presents an insightful look at European Jewry today. He has interviewed Jews of all ages and occupations throughout Europe. After the devastation of the Holocaust, it may come as a surprise that Jews continue to live in countries with tragic histories of anti-Semitism. Kurlansky chronicles the determined efforts of these Jews to survive. Europe will never be the focal point of Jewish life as it was before the Holocaust, but Kurlansky shows how Jews are writing new chapters in the European Jewish experience. Indeed, in the democratic countries of Western Europe, Jews can actually thrive. This unusual book is informative and easy to read. Libraries serving Jewish clientele and those seeking to bolster their current affairs section will want to add.
Paul Kaplan, Lake Villa Dist. Lib., Ill.Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
