From the prizewinning Jewish Lives series, a fresh, vivid look at
Disraeli's life, achievements, and temperament that casts doubts on
his much-touted commitment to Jewish rights Lauded as a "great
Jew," excoriated by antisemites, and one of Britain's most renowned
prime ministers, Benjamin Disraeli has been widely celebrated for
his role in Jewish history. But is the perception of him as a
Jewish hero accurate? In what ways did he contribute to Jewish
causes? In this groundbreaking, lucid investigation of Disraeli's
life and accomplishments, David Cesarani draws a new portrait of
one of Europe's leading nineteenth-century statesmen, a
complicated, driven, opportunistic man. While acknowledging that
Disraeli never denied his Jewish lineage, boasted of Jewish
achievements, and argued for Jewish civil rights while serving as
MP, Cesarani challenges the assumption that Disraeli truly cared
about Jewish issues. Instead, his driving personal ambition
required him to confront his Jewishness at the same time as he
acted opportunistically. By creating a myth of aristocratic Jewish
origins for himself, and by arguing that Jews were a superior race,
Disraeli boosted his own career but also contributed to the
consolidation of some of the most fundamental stereotypes of modern
antisemitism. About Jewish Lives: Jewish Lives is a prizewinning
series of interpretative biography designed to explore the many
facets of Jewish identity. Individual volumes illuminate the
imprint of Jewish figures upon literature, religion, philosophy,
politics, cultural and economic life, and the arts and sciences.
Subjects are paired with authors to elicit lively, deeply informed
books that explore the range and depth of the Jewish experience
from antiquity to the present. In 2014, the Jewish Book Council
named Jewish Lives the winner of its Jewish Book of the Year Award,
the first series ever to receive this award. More praise for Jewish
Lives: "Excellent" -New York Times "Exemplary" -Wall Street Journal
"Distinguished" -New Yorker "Superb" -The Guardian
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
