Joseph Roth once wrote: "Nowhere are the Eastern Jews at home, but they have graves in every graveyard". They are not just the Jews of Eastern Europe, although it is there that they originated. They were scattered all over the world; they left their dead behind. One of the roots of Eastern Jews can be found where Jewry began in the 18th century: in Poland. For this reason, the book centers on this area - an area that suffered many political changes and manipulations after the various divisions of the country between 1772 and 1815. Anti-Semitism in Eastern Europe as a whole is also outlined. The book describes the pre-history of Eastern Jewry, its expansion and its encounters with Western Jewry. It is meant as an introduction to the history of and the world surrounding Eastern Jews.
Heiko Haumann is Professor for Modern and Eastern European history at Basle University. He has published many books, also on the history of the Soviet Union.
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