Gr 10 Up-This comprehensive set encompasses the time from the beginning of the Diaspora, in around 135 C.E., to the present. The first volume, "Themes and Phenomena of the Jewish Experience," contains 100 fascinating scholarly articles such as "Jews and Judaism in Ancient World Literature" and "The Lost Tribes of Israel." The other volumes, covering "Countries, Regions, and Communities," are what will most likely be useful for high school reference. The dozens of articles are listed by region, and then country (e.g., "Jews in Thailand"), and each one includes a few pages of accessible information. The statistics preceding each country entry are extremely useful, as are the three- to four-page historical and contemporary overviews. Some countries are covered more extensively than others through additional essays, such as "Holocaust Art in Belgium," "Jewish Women in the Early American West," and "Intermarriage in Scandinavia." The inclusion of relatively few black-and-white photographs and maps is a slight drawback; the failure to list the affiliations of the contributors is a more serious oversight. Still, the full scope of the Jewish experience outside Israel has never been so thoroughly organized. The excellent bibliography, glossary, and index help make this much-needed set a fine choice for browsers and report writers alike.-Lisa Silverman, Sinai Temple Library, Los Angeles (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

This three-volume work, edited by Jewish scholar Ehrlich (Shandong Univ., China) includes over 400 essays from more than 120 expert contributors. Volume 1, "Themes and Phenomena of the Jewish Diaspora," includes sections covering diaspora themes (symbols, liturgy, the diaspora concept from various historical and Jewish perspectives); history; persecution; languages; music/culture; Jewish ethnic and contemporary diasporas; relations with Christians and Muslims and with Israel; genetics and genealogy; Jewish women in the diaspora; and migrations and wanderings. Volumes 2 and 3 address countries, regions, and communities worldwide and in various historical periods. Of particular note is the thorough treatment of many lesser-known Jewish communities from Africa, Central and East Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. Included are communities in Sudan, Armenia, and Kaifeng, China, and the Benei Menashe of India. However, this work overlooks the traditional communities of the Kurdish Jews. Essays in each section run from two to seven pages and include selected bibliographies, along with many illustrations, maps, and visual aids. Each volume has a comprehensive glossary and index. Summing Up: Recommended. Informed general readers; lower-level undergraduates through faculty/researchers in Jewish and ethnic history. D. Mizrachi University of California, Los Angeles

Those looking for information on Jews in Israel or Jerusalem will not find it here. This is a set focused on Jews and Jewry from practically everywhere in the world except the Holy Land. In other words, it deals with the diaspora the worldwide dispersion of Jews from their homeland since the sixth century BCE. The volumes function together without the traditional A-Z encyclopedic format, showing a preference for essays rather than entries. Volume 1 covers overarching themes and phenomena, whereas volumes 2 and 3 cover countries, regions, and communities. The topics dealt with in the 1,250 signed essays seem overly eclectic at times, but all fit comfortably under the larger umbrella of diaspora studies. The average essay is 4 to 5 pages in length, offering just enough material to aid serious researchers without burdening the casual reader. More than 150 experts composed the essays, which range from Contemporary Jewish Music in America to Intermarriage in Scandinavia. Potentially surprising topics await readers on virtually every page of volume 1, fitting within a dozen larger sections (e.g., History of the Diaspora, Women in the Diaspora, Persecution of Diaspora Jews ). In the remaining two volumes, focus stays almost entirely on the country level (e.g., Jews in Venezuela, New Zealand, Iran, Finland, etc.). Entries like History of Jewish wealth in Britain and Jews in Kaifeng, China are exceptions to the rule. The average country essay includes a summary of facts (Jewish population by city, languages spoken, etc.), a historical overview, and a contemporary overview, followed by a selected bibliography. Western Europe understandably receives the most attention, with 32 essays, while North America receives 21. The index and 29-page glossary are repeated in all three volumes. This set is a perfect fit for academic collections but is also suitable for larger public libraries, particularly those with a moderate-sized Jewish patron base. Also available as an e-book.--Osburn, Wade Copyright 2009 Booklist

Edited by a professor of Judaic studies at the Centre of Judaic and Inter-Religious Studies of Shandong University in the People's Republic of China, this work presents 265 articles by 168 international experts. Volume 1 focuses on themes and phenomena of the Jewish Diaspora, including history, languages, music and culture, and contemporary Diaspora, as well as persecution, religious fusion and interaction, genetics, medicine, genealogy, and Israel and migration. Also covered in Volume 1 are Sephardi, Oriental, and Ashkenazi ethnicities and cultures. The other two volumes cover countries, regions, and communities, with Volume 2 encompassing Africa, Australasia, the Americas, the Caribbean, and the Middle East and Volume 3 focusing on Europe, Russia, the Baltic states, Caucasus, Asia, India, and Pakistan. Structured to provide general overviews of regions and communities of Jews around the world, the set comes complete with historical chronologies, information about major events, community organizations, and statistics, along with coverage of themes and phenomena related to specific regions and other aspects such as music, language, science, and politics. Focusing largely on regions with less coverage in other materials, this set also includes brief overviews of topics that the editor deemed to have sufficient coverage in other materials. Each volume begins with the same overview, a brief contents for the set, and an in-depth contents for that volume. The entries are well researched and well documented, both in the liturgy and in scholarly fields, with in-text citations and selected bibliographies. BOTTOM LINE Written for college and advanced high school students, as well as Judaic and history scholars, this work is an excellent overview of the Jewish Diaspora, particularly those parts often overlooked or ignored. Recommended for all academic and most public libraries. [Ebook version available via ABC-CLIO as well as Ebook Library, MyiLibrary, ebrary, or NetLibrary.]-Sara Marcus, Queensborough Community Coll. Lib., Bayside, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.