A History of the Jewish People

I highly recommend this book. It's very comprehensive, covering Jewish history from their entrance to the Land of Canaan until just after the Yom Kippur War. I found it to be informative and balanced, giving fair treatment to a wide range of topics.

It is the Jewish year 5766. It is a long time for one group of people to stay together following their religion through one era after another and still survive as a group - even without a homeland until recently in 1948 when Israel was founded as a formal Jewish state and democracy. So Jews are a fascinating group of people and frankly have made contributions to the arts and sciences well in excess as one might expect to their small numbers relative to other groups. I found this to be an excellent and detailed book over 1000 pages long and going backing time to the first tribes of Israel. The book seems to have a few gaps but for the most part is a detailed and comprehensive review of the history of the Jewish people. I think it is equally weighted in terms of secular and religious Jewish ideas and culture. A lot of effort is made to connect the history with various Jews that have made important social and scientific contributions. That pulls the book together and makes it a more interesting read. Do not be put off by the length (thickness) of this epic book. It is well written without any slow spots and reads almost like a novel. Four or five stars.

This is a scholarly history of the Jewish people edited by H.H. Sasson. There are six sections, the first dealing with the Origins and Formation of the People is by A.Malmat. The second section deals with the first Temple Period and is by H.Tadmor.The third dealing with the Second Temple Period is by Menachem Stern. The fourth concerned with the Mishnaic and Talmudic Period is by S.Safrai. The Medieval Period is by the General Editor H. H. Sasson. And the distinguished sociologist Shmuel Ettinger covers the modern period. Because this work is done by a number of different scholars it has a certain narrative choppiness. But instead it is a rich informative volume especially in regard to social and economic history.

This is a very thick book of the history of the Jewish people. It's actually written like a college textbook. You can read the chapters covering what you find the most interesting, put the book away and read more another time, keep it on hand as a reference, whatever. But it's a really good book!

a fiend of mine studin Judaism has asked me to buy the book. me bein not an Xpert in the field i've just pop'd in the book - but loox like an ultimate refference to the topix. if YuR lookin for a guide on the topic - this is YuR pick!