Kiev, Jewish Metropolis

Populated by wealthy Jewish merchants and professionals as well as artisans, petty traders, and numerous other former shtetl dwellers barely able to make a living, Kiev was known for its opportunities for education, employment, and entrepreneurship, but notorious for frequent persecution of its Jews. Meir (Judaic studies, Portland State Univ.) documents and analyzes a complex history of Kiev Jewry. Part 1 explores the first decades of the mass Jewish migration to the city, while the second (major) part covers the crucial years 1881-1914, when Jewish Kiev was consolidated. The author explores the Jewish community's politics, leadership struggles, socioeconomic and demographic changes, religious and cultural sensibilities, and relations with the city's Christian population. Drawing on archival documents, the local press, and memoirs, Meir shows Kiev's Jews at work, at leisure, in the synagogue, and engaged in the activities of various Jewish organizations and philanthropies. The author attempted to and succeeded in doing two things: producing 'a history of late-imperial Kiev Jewry and an evaluation of the development of Jewish life in a Russian city under the last three tsars.' Summing Up: Recommended. All levels except two-year technical program students. - Choice