The Jew in the American World: A Source Book

Rabbi Marcus (United State Jewry, 1776-1995), known as ""the Dean of Jewish American Historians,"" completed this volume, a companion to his four-volume Jewry, just before his death in 1995 at age 99. This final Marcus work is the only extant one-volume comprehensive collection of original documents pertaining to Jewish life in the U.S. from colonial times to the present. It is also a remarkable work, destined to have the wide usage the Rabbi's other books have enjoyed. The documents are arranged chronologically, then subdivided according to subject matter. Each historical period has a brief introduction, displaying not only the editor's grasp of the flow of history but also his skill and wit. The result is an important book that offers scholars an excellent tool for research and, perhaps even more significantly, lay people an intriguing look at the many facets of the changing religious, domestic and political lives of Jews in this country. (Feb.)