Polin – The Jews of Eastern Europe: History and Culture

East European Jewry constituted the largest community in the Jewish world until the Holocaust, and had an impressive level of community and inter-community organization with a great deal of spiritual and cultural activity. Religious figures from eastern Europe were honored and respected throughout the Jewish world. In the mid-18th century, the Hasidic movement which developed in Polin gave rise to a widespread oppositional movement.

Beginning in the 19th century, spiritual and cultural activities expanded in new directions and encouraged the development of a secular Jewish culture. The existence of such a large and vibrant community calls for research on how it formed, grew and developed. This 6-volume series, written by experts in the field, follows the social and spiritual life of East European Jewry from the 13th century, when the first communities began to form in Polin, to World War I.

Volume 1: The Jewish community in Polin: Geographic, demographic and legal foundations (Moshe Rosman, 1991, 124 pp., cat. # 10265-1)

Volume 2 (1994, 156 pp., cat. # 10265-2)

Part 1: Jews in the economy of Polin (Moshe Rosman)

Part 2: The autonomous community: Patterns of organization and leadership (Moshe Rosman)

Volume 3: The world of the Torah in Polin (David Assaf, 1990, 116 pp., cat. # 10265-3)

Volume 4: Language, education and knowledge among East European Jews (Chava Tumiansky, 1994, 100 pp., cat. # 10265-4)

Volume 5: From “Polin” to “Eastern Europe”: the Polish Jews after the partitions (Gershon Bacon, 1998, 168 pp., cat. # 10265-5)

Volume 6: From esoteric circle to mass movement: The emergence of early Hasidism (Immanuel Etkes, 1991, 212 pp., cat. # 10265-6)

For additional information, contact the Rights and Permissions Department.