Reviews

The sophisticated method, the humane subject matter, the bold interpretations and the careful historical research all make Dust of the Earth a potent model for contemporary scholarship—in Yiddish Studies and beyond. In a moment when an increasing number of people across the globe find themselves in a political and social state of hefkeris, up for grabs and abandoned by their allies and leaders, Murav shows us that literature offers one small, but powerful path back to humanity.

Oct 30, 2024

With a focus on Russian Jewish race scientists, Mogilner traces how biology informed notions of Jewish difference mobilized by communal organizations and political activists in imperial Russia and the early Soviet period.

Jun 02, 2023

Created out of necessity as a response to Tsarist repression, Hillis argues that circles of Russian emigre groups, or “colonies,” represented a crucial space in the development of Russian politics.

Oct 12, 2022

Masha Gessen’s new book explores the history of the Jewish Autonomous Region of Birobidzhan through the story of David Bergelson and Simon Dubnow, whose thought and writing influenced its development.

Jun 26, 2017