Zvi Jonathan Kaplan and Nadia Malinovitch (eds.), The Jews of Modern France: Images and Identities. Leiden: Brill, 2016. 355 pp.

This chapter reviews the book The Jews of Modern France: Images and Identities (2016), edited by Zvi Jonathan Kaplan and Nadia Malinovitch. The Jews of Modern France situates the history of French Jews “within a comparative, transnational and post-colonial context.” The book explores the relationship between the Jews of metropolitan France and those of the colonies, and links the history of French Jewry with that of Jews of the colonies. Topics include the construction of synagogues and the central role of the French government in Jewish affairs or the allotment of cemeteries; the distribution of “patriotism” prizes for girls learning in Jewish schools; the status of religious and civil divorce; and the “Jewish Marshall Plan” aimed at strengthening local Jewish communities.