Why read On Middle Ground?

Book cover of On Middle Ground: A History of the Jews of Baltimore

Book description

A model of Jewish community history that will enlighten anyone interested in Baltimore and its past.

Winner of the Southern Jewish Historical Society Book Prize by the Southern Jewish Historical Society; Finalist of the American Jewish Studies Book Award by the Jewish Book Council National Jewish Book Awards

In 1938,…

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American history

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Why read it?

1 author picked On Middle Ground as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Deborah Dash Moore

Author

Goldstein’s and Weiner’s history of Jews of Baltimore is an unconventional account of this border city. Jews in Baltimore were definitely located in the middle between white Christians on the one hand and Blacks on the other. The book does not flinch from uncovering just what this middle ground meant, how the antisemitism that pervaded Baltimore propelled some Jews toward conservatism (including the support of slavery) and others toward progressivism (including abolition). At the same time, the book explores the rich diversity of Jewish religious life in the city that parallels Jewish participation in building important elements of Baltimore’s economy.…

From Deborah's list on Jewish lives in urban America.