A Chosen Few: The Resurrection of European Jewry

By Mark Kurlansky

Book Overview

A POWERFUL, DEEPLY MOVING NARRATIVE OF HOPE REBORN IN THE SHADOW OF DESPAIR Fifty years after it was bombed to rubble, Berlin is once again a city in which Jews gather for the Passover seder. Paris and Antwerp have recently emerged as important new centers of Jewish culture. Small but proud Jewish communities are revitalizing the ancient centers of Budapest, Prague, and Amsterdam. These brave, determined Jewish men and women have chosen to settle-or remain-in Europe after the devastation of the Holocaust, but they have paid a price. Among the unexpected dangers, they have had to cope with an alarming resurgence of Nazism in Europe, the spread of Arab terrorism, and the impact of the Jewish state on European life. Delving into the intimate stories of European Jews from all walks of life, Kurlansky weaves together a vivid tapestry of individuals sustaining their traditions, and flourishing, in the shadow of history. An inspiring story of a tenacious people who have rebuilt their lives in the face of incomprehensible horror, A Chosen Few is a testament to cultural survival and a celebration of the deep bonds that endure between Jews and European civilization. "Consistently absorbing . . . A Chosen Few investigates the relatively uncharted territory of an encouraging phenomenon." -Los Angeles Times "I can think of no book that portrays with such intelligence, historical understanding, and journalistic flair what life has been like for Jews determined to build lives in Europe." -SUSAN MIRON Forward

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345448146
• ISBN13: 9780345448149
• Release Date: March 2002
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 0.87 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Wonderful needed text on oft ignored subject

This is a wonderful book by a great author. It reads like a novel, from character to character from country to country surveying Europe from 1945 to present and the lives of the Jews who remained after the Nazi horror. Looking deeply into the lives of Jewish communities in the eastern block the author illuminates the still struggling Polish community, who suffered anti-Semitism either because they were communists or because they were not, usually simply as an excuse. The author deals with specific individuals and this is probably the greatest flaw of the text. Jews came to the very pinnacles of government in Poland and Czechslovakia(Slansky) and yet these pivotal government officials are all but ignored, because the author concentrates on the everyday lives of Jews who chose to either immigrate to or remain in Europe. So one is found wishing they could read more about Bruno Kriesky the Jew who led Austria in the 70s and was noted for being anti-Israel.The book is broken up into neat sections detailing the growth out of the rubble of the holocaust, 1968 and the rebirth of European anti-Semitism among other subjects. Good portions are devoted to large Jewish communities in France and Italy. One overlooked community are the Spanish Jews who supported Franco, but otherwise this book is a must read for anyone interested in modern Judaism or post WWII Europe. Seth J. Frantzman

A movie translated into written words.

More than typing a review , I want to deeply congratulate the author. I am 40 and it is the best book in the subject I have ever read. Eventhough English is not my native language I can feel the passion the writter used in describing us a real life movie in written words I should say BRAVO for his book.... ...I wish I can get in contact with the author and ask thousands of questions.......