“The recent radical changes in German politics make Michael Brenner’s handbook on the history of post-war Jewry in German the essential text for scholars and students. Written by the preeminent specialists from the USA, Israel, and Germany it presents in clear and accessible language the complex and contradictory trajectory of Jewish life reestablishing itself in the German states and then in a united Germany. The reappearance of radical right-wing xenophobia makes this history of Jews in Germany an even more important addition to our book shelves and classroom reading lists.”
— Sander L. Gilman, author of, Cosmopolitanisms and the Jews
“In Michael Brenner’s exceptional overview of Jewish history in Germany, some of the most renowned experts in the field tell the compelling tale of what happened after the Holocaust – from the first days of the post-war era, when some Jews remained, apprehensively, on Germany’s "blood stained soil," until today, when they are there to stay. Chapters describe the plight of the survivors and Displaced Persons, the consolidation of a small Jewish community, and the immigration-driven growth of a new, larger, and increasingly diverse one. Never overlooking the abyss of the Holocaust, the authors sensitively analyze how Jews reacted to, acted in, and interacted with an ever-evolving Germany.”
— Marion Kaplan, editor of 'Jewish Daily Life in Germany, 1618-1945'
“Written by internationally renowned scholars, this book is poised to become a standard work in the field. . . . Altogether, this is an eminently readable work of history that addresses an important gap in the scholarship and will appeal to specialists and interested lay readers alike.”
— Reading Religion
“Brenner…and other renowned scholars created a comprehensive, meticulously researched, and beautifully translated history…Essential.”
— CHOICE
“A lot of archival work was necessary (for the first chapter). Thus, there is a huge amount of information already on the first 140 pages of this excellent work. This first part clarifies the difficult situation of Liberal, Orthodox, and Zionist Jews, who were looking for a new home.”
— Süddeutsche Zeitung
“This volume, which illuminates a multi-faceted panorama of Jewish life after 1945, will remain the authoritative reading on the subject for the time to come.”
— Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
“This very readable book edited by Michael Brenner deals with the continuities and changes in the history of Jews in Germany after 1945 and for the first time constitutes a systematic history of the Jewish community in postwar Germany until the present time. Together with eight modern historians, Brenner presents a thoroughly researched chronicle and always differentiated interpretations of the events.”
— Neue Zürcher Zeitung