THE POSEN LIBRARY OF JEWISH CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION

This fifth book in a series about Jewish history and culture, edited by Kaplan, covers the years 1500 to 1750.

The “early modern period” discussed here was a time of many upheavals in Jewish history. Expulsions from various European locales (Vienna in 1670, for example) and communities in the New World and outbreaks of the plague are just a few of the occurrences that shaped Jewish life. This was a time of great thinkers, like Baruch Spinoza, and men who claimed to be the messiah, like the Portuguese-born Solomon Molkho (while the former was exiled for his controversial views, the latter was executed in 1532). Such is the wealth of information the reader encounters in the writings, visual arts, and miscellanea referenced here. The Chantilly Haggadah, from an unknown artist in the 1500s, includes the rules for a Passover seder as practiced by “Greek-speaking Jewish communities of the eastern Mediterranean.” Yom Tov Lipmann Heller, a rabbi born in 1578, writes of his experience being arrested for blasphemy against Christianity. Visual material includes images of a Torah ark from a synagogue in Urbino, Italy, and of ceremonies such as a wedding at a synagogue in Germany in 1705. With over 1,000 pages of content, even a cursory glance requires commitment, which pays off in unexpected ways. The reader may be surprised at just how contemporary many of these early modern period writers may seem. A brief guide written in Yiddish for traveling to Jerusalem includes the practical advice to “buy Turkish-style travel garments” during the journey. Other entries surprise in different ways: Excerpts from confessions from the Spanish Inquisition include statements from some who were enticed into “serving the Law of Moses” at the behest of a girl who was eventually burned at the stake. Though the length of the book may be daunting, it is filled with enticing subject matter.

A robust collection that sheds light on multiple aspects of Jewish history.