Jewish Communities in Exotic Places

Jewish Communities in Exotic Places examines seventeen Jewish groups that are referred to in Hebrew as edot ha-mizrach, Eastern or Oriental Jewish communities. These groups, situated in remote places on the Asian and African Jewish geographical periphery, became isolated from the major centers of Jewish civilization over the centuries and embraced some interesting practices and aspects of the dominant cultures in which they were situated.

“Most educated readers, including even those who are interested in Jewish history, usually know only about the two major branches of Judaism: the Ashkenazic Jews in the West and the Sephardic Jews in the East. Very few, if any, are familiar with the history of less known, geographically remote Jewish communities such as the Jews of Afghanistan, the Atlas Mountains, China, Ethiopia, India, Kurdistan, and Yemen, which is not only quite fascinating by itself, but it also shows us the amazing and colorful diversity of the Jewish people, contrasting the stereotypic and monolithic image of the Jews in the West. In recent decades much research has been done on these communities by scholars in Israel and elsewhere. However, this research is usually published in esoteric scholarly periodicals, often in Hebrew, and very little of it reaches the general educated English reader. Ken Blady has very wisely and judiciously collected much of this material from numerous not easily accessible sources, thoroughly digested it, and offers it to the general educated reader in one volume. Even though the book is aimed at the non-scholarly reader, Mr. Blady provides many notes and an impressive list of references that can serve students and scholars as well. Ken Blady deserves o”

Most educated readers, including even those who are interested in Jewish history, usually know only about the two major branches of Judaism: the Ashkenazic Jews in the West and the Sephardic Jews in the East. Very few, if any, are familiar with the history of less known, geographically remote Jewish communities such as the Jews of Afghanistan, the Atlas Mountains, China, Ethiopia, India, Kurdistan, and Yemen, which is not only quite fascinating by itself, but it also shows us the amazing and colorful diversity of the Jewish people, contrasting the stereotypic and monolithic image of the Jews in the West. In recent decades much research has been done on these communities by scholars in Israel and elsewhere. However, this research is usually published in esoteric scholarly periodicals, often in Hebrew, and very little of it reaches the general educated English reader. Ken Blady has very wisely and judiciously collected much of this material from numerous not easily accessible sources, thoroughly digested it, and offers it to the general educated reader in one volume. Even though the book is aimed at the non-scholarly reader, Mr. Blady provides many notes and an impressive list of references that can serve students and scholars as well. Ken Blady deserves o -- Yona Sabar, UCLA
Most educated readers, including even those who are interested in Jewish history, usually know only about the two major branches of Judaism: the Ashkenazic Jews in the West and the Sephardic Jews in the East. Very few, if any, are familiar with the history of less known, geographically remote Jewish communities such as the Jews of Afghanistan, the Atlas Mountains, China, Ethiopia, India, Kurdistan, and Yemen, which is not only quite fascinating by itself, but it also shows us the amazing and colorful diversity of the Jewish people, contrasting the stereotypic and monolithic image of the Jews in the West.In recent decades much research has been done on these communities by scholars in Israel and elsewhere. However, this research is usually published in esoteric scholarly periodicals, often in Hebrew, and very little of it reaches the general educated English reader. Ken Blady has very wisely and judiciously collected much of this material from numerous not easily accessible sources, thoroughly digested it, and offers it to the general educated reader in one volume. Even though the book is aimed at the non-scholarly reader, Mr. Blady provides many notes and an impressive list of references that can serve students and scholars as well. Ken Blady deserves our gratitude for making the history of little known Jewish communities more familiar. -- Yona Sabar, UCLA

Ken Blady, Jewish educator, writer, and Yiddish translator was born in Paris, France, and grew up in Chassidic Brooklyn, where he attended yeshiva and rabbinical seminary. A San Francisco Bay Area resident since 1972, Ken has a B.A. in History from the University of California at Berkeley, and an M.A. in Clinical Counseling from California State University, Hayward. He is the author of The Jewish Boxers' Hall of Fame and translator of The Journeys of David Toback. Ken is a popular lecturer on a variety of Jewish themes at colleges, synagogues, elder hostels, and adult educational institutions. He has been featured on local cable TV and on radio talk shows including "The Voice of Israel."

Jewish Communities in Exotic Places examines seventeen Jewish groups that are referred to in Hebrew as edot ha-mizrach, Eastern or Oriental Jewish communities. These groups, situated in remote places on the Asian and African Jewish geographical periphery, became isolated from the major centers of Jewish civilization over the centuries and embraced some interesting practices and aspects of the dominant cultures in which they were situated.

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