This book offers an account of the 4,000-year history of the Jews, from the ancient Patriarchs and Kings through to modern times. It also explores the Jewish faith, its traditional beliefs and practices, its festivals and celebrations, and the way of life of Jewish people today. Divided into two volumes, The History of the Jews, details how the Jewish people flourished over time, creating the Hebrew Bible, before enduring centuries of persecution, culminating in the mass migration from Europe to America, and the eventual return to the Promised Land of Israel. The second volume, Judaism, explores the variety of religious forms of Jewish existence. The central tenets of Jewish belief are outlined and all aspects of religious life are described including the Sabbath, festivals, and home ceremonies.

We may think of churches, mosques, synagogues and temples as ordered places for organized religion. But what happens when the congregation moves away? Or when shifting borders or persecution mean that people can no longer reach them? And, in the absence of humankind, what happens when nature's unceasing efforts invade the hallowed walls? Abandoned Sacred Places is a brilliant pictorial exploration of both ancient and modern temples, synagogues, churches, mosques and stone circles that have been left behind. From the mysteries around Stonehenge in England and Carnac in France constructed thousands of years ago to crumbling inner cities churches and synagogues in present-day Detroit and Chicago, from ancient Roman temples to Mayan pyramids in Mexico, and from Hindu temples lost in the Indian jungle to Buddhist shrines in the Chinese desert, the book shows what happens when humanity retreats and nature is allowed to reclaim the land. With 200 outstanding colour photographs exploring hauntingly beautiful locations, Abandoned Sacred Places is a moving examination of more than 100 lost worlds.

The history of the Jews is the tale of a wandering tribe that set down roots and became a nation. This is an in-depth history of the Jewish faith and development of Jewish peoplehood. It opens in the time of Abraham and the 12 tribes, covers the destruction of the Temple, the Exile and the Diaspora. The book chronicles the Golden Age of Spain, the flowering of Yiddish culture in Eastern Europe, the Holocaust and the founding of the modern state of Israel and Judaism today. Newly updated for 2021, the book shows how the Jews survived centuries of anti-Semitism, and how this ancient faith and people flourish in modern culture.