The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe

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2 Volumes

Editor in Chief Gershon David Hundert

YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe

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Price: $450.00

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This unprecedented reference work systematically represents the history and culture of Eastern European Jews from their first settlement in the region to the present day. More than 1,800 alphabetical entries encompass a vast range of topics, including religion, folklore, politics, art, music, theater, language and literature, places, organizations, intellectual movements, and important figures. The two-volume set also features more than 1,000 illustrations and 55 maps.

With original and up-to-date contributions from an international team of 450 distinguished scholars, the Encyclopedia covers the region between Germany and the Ural Mountains, from which more than 2.5 million Jews emigrated to the United States between 1870 and 1920. Even today the majority of Jewish immigrants to North America arrive from Eastern Europe. Engaging, wide-ranging, and authoritative, this work is a rich and essential reference for readers with interests in Jewish studies and Eastern European history and culture.

Published in cooperation with YIVO Institute for Jewish Research

Gershon David Hundert is professor of history and of Jewish Studies at McGill University in Montreal.

The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research is dedicated to the history and culture of Ashkenazi Jewry and to its influence in the Americas. It is the world’s preeminent resource center for East European Jewish Studies; Yiddish language, literature, and folklore; the Holocaust; and the American Jewish immigrant experience.

Visit the official site of the YIVO Institute of Jewish Research for information on the organization's library and archives.

"This splendid encyclopedia is a major resource for all those interested in the history and culture of East European Jewry. Exceedingly readable and carried out with the utmost professionalism."—Paula E. Hyman, Lucy Moses Professor of Modern Jewish History at Yale University

"Absolutely first rate . . . All of the leading scholars of East European Jews in North America, Israel, and Europe have written for the Encyclopedia, as have many excellent and exciting mid-career and junior scholars. As a result, the articles reflect the most recent scholarly consensus on many issues."—Marsha Rozenblit, Professor of History at the University of Maryland

"There has not been such an encyclopedia for several generations. This is an encyclopedia for the 21st century, a landmark of scholarly collaboration and editorial accomplishment."—Deborah Dash Moore, Director of the Frankel Center of Judaic Studies at the University of Michigan

"A massive, two-volume work—2 million words in 2400 pages, seven years in the making. Although hundreds of books have been written on various aspects of Jewish life in eastern Europe, this work is considered an unprecedented reference on the history and culture of the civilization decimated by Nazi Germany and, to a lesser extent, by Soviet Communism."—Irwin Block, Montreal Gazette

"Draws on the most current scholarship in all relevant fields as it traces 1000 years of Jewish history."—The New York Observer

"For the first time, the history, culture, religion, and intellectual movements of the Jews of Eastern Europe are documented in this impressive and important two-volume reference work. . . . The vast array of topics covered here is dazzling. A landmark, authoritative reference work, this will be of interest to both scholars and readers with interests in Jewish studies and Eastern European history and culture. Highly recommended."—Library Journal

"The scope and comprehensiveness of the work is to be admired. . . . Written for both researcher, student and for anyone else with an interest in the topic, I recommend that this important work should be on everyone's desk."—Yiddish Forward

"Beautifully published. . . . More than accessible, the YIVO Encyclopedia is so compulsively browsable that you can disappear within its pages for hours without a trace. . . . [It] accomplishes exactly what it set out to do, providing the most complete picture of this world we are ever likely to get. Anyone with an interest in culture, language, religion and politics will be fascinated by what's between its covers; if your family comes from that part of the world, this is as close as you will ever come to truly possessing your past."—Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

"This two-volume set is invaluable not only for its quality and depth of coverage, but also for its uniqueness. As the first encyclopedia specifically intended to represent the Jew of Eastern Europe, it should be welcomed by all libraries whose readers have an interest in the subject. . . . Essential."—Choice

"The YIVO Encyclopedia is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the history and culture of Jews in Eastern Europe. The entries are accessible, written so that nonspecialists can benefit. Ten years in the making, it is the definitive work of its kind, carefully conceived and edited and a most reliable portal into the rich landscapes of Jewish life and loss in Eastern Europe."—Jewish Book World

"The YIVO Encyclopedia preserves a rich culture and makes it accessible to the world. It is highly recommended for academic libraries and large public libraries serving Jewish communities."—Booklist

"This treasure trove of information gives new life to bygone worlds."—Zelda Shluker, Hadassah Magazine

"This encyclopedia . . . is truly a treasure of information. It presents the life of this vanished culture, as dispassionately and as accurately as possible, without nostalgia and without undue celebrating. . . . An invaluable resource for anyone interested in the history and culture of Jews in Eastern Europe. The entries are accessible, written so that nonspecialists can benefit. Ten years in the making, it is the definitive work of its kind, carefully conceived and edited and a most reliable portal into the rich landscapes of Jewish life and loss in Eastern Europe."—Michael Dobkowski, Jewish Book Council (blog)

"This remarkable encyclopedia provides a veritable cornucopia of information compiled by distinguished scholars from sixteen countries. . . .[We must thank Gershon Hundert and his editorial staff for creating a major addition to scholarly reference works." —Alexandra S. Korros, The Russian Review

‘Yale University Press has produced the work to exemplary standards…Some [articles]…are not only clear introductions, but also lead the reader gently into contemporary scholarly debates…[A] magnificent work of collective scholarship.’

"An accessible resource for researchers, family historians, and interested browsers."—Reform Judaism

Selected by Choice magazine as an Outstanding Academic Title from 2008.

Recipient of the 2009 Dartmouth Medal Honorable Mention, sponspored by the American Library Association.

Received Honorable Mention for the 2008 PROSE Award in the Multi-volume Reference/Humanities & Social Sciences category, sponsored by the Association of American Publishers.

Winner of the 2008 Judaica Reference Award, given by the Association of Jewish Libraries.

ISBN: 9780300119039
Publication Date: May 28, 2008
Publishing Partner: Published in cooperation with YIVO Institute for Jewish Research

2448 pages, 8 1/2 x 10 7/8
57 color illus. + 1104 b/w illus. and maps

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