New Books Network The Jews in Poland-Lithuania and Russia: 1350 to the Present Day
Mar 23, 2026
Antony Polonsky, historian and author of a multi-volume history of Jews in Poland and Russia, guides a grand sweep of Eastern European Jewish life. He traces medieval settlement and shtetl culture. He explores the rise of Hasidism, the Haskalah, urbanization, migrations, pogroms, and 20th century catastrophes. He also discusses postwar revival, memory, and museum efforts.
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Twentieth Century Devastation And Diaspora Shift
- The 20th century collapsed Eastern Europe's Jewish world: nationalism, Nazi genocide, and communist repression caused dramatic decline.
- In 1914 two-thirds of world Jewry lived in Eastern Europe; today 80% are in the US or Israel and regional communities are small.
Holocaust Implementation And Comparative Responses
- The Holocaust was planned and executed by Nazi leadership with participation incentives and brutal penalties for helpers; local responses varied across national groups.
- Polonsky emphasizes comparative analysis of Poles, Lithuanians, Ukrainians, and Belarusians to understand differing behaviors under Nazi genocide.
Soviet Survival Then Suppression Of Jewish Life
- The Soviet Union saved many Jews from Nazi annihilation yet later repressed Jewish culture and purged Jewish intellectuals under Stalin.
- Initial wartime leeway to Jewish bodies reversed into postwar purges (notably August 1952) and growing second-class status tied to Cold War suspicions and Israel's founding.
