In Broadening Jewish History Todd Endelman
seeks to expand the horizons of modern Jewish historiography by focusing on
‘ordinary’ rather than exceptional Jews, arguing that what ordinary people did
or felt can do more to deepen our understanding of Jewish history than what a
few exceptional individuals thought and wrote. He also makes a strong case for
comparative history, showing convincingly that only a comparison across
national borders can identify the Germanness of German Jewish history or the
Englishness of English Jewish history, and thereby reveal what is unique about
each. This innovative collection of historiographical essays and case studies
redefines the area under consideration and deftly restates the need for Jewish
social history to counterbalance the current focus on cultural studies.



The essays offer an important
examination of the major trends in the writing of modern Jewish history and the
assumptions that have guided historians in their narration of the Jewish past.
Professor Endelman shows in particular how the two watershed events of
twentieth-century Jewish history—the Holocaust and the establishment of the
State of Israel—influenced Jewish historiography for decades thereafter. He
also demonstrates how progressive integration into the scholarly framework of
American academia has shaped both the form and the content of Jewish historical
research.



Each of the case studies focuses
on a largely unknown figure whose career illustrates the often tortuous paths
of integration and acceptance that Jews faced. Some achieved fleeting fame but
many of the people who populate the volume remain altogether unknown, their
histories recoverable only as statistics.



In its
wide-ranging analysis of trends in recent historical writing and its treatment
of key themes and issues, this book is essential reading for professional
historians, students, and indeed all those with an interest in Jewish history.