Delve into Jewish history through 100 objects from the YIVO Archives and Library. This gorgeously illustrated coffee table book highlights unique manuscripts, photographs, objects, and other ephemera. With accompanying essays by 57 scholars, including Hasia Diner, Jonathan Boyarin, Samuel Kassow, Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, and Gennady Estraikh, the book traces YIVO’s role in documenting key moments in modern Jewish history and culture through its 100 years of collecting.
"...a collage-like portrait of Jewish communities across eras and continents... often surprising... lavishly illustrated...Seem together, [the 100 objects present a vital history of Jewish communities across the centuries and around the world..."
— Wall Street Journal, Diane Cole
“The objects — grouped in categories such as “History,” “Performing Arts,” “Youth” — serve as fascinating windows, all the more tantalizing for the ordinary roles they once played in people’s lives… a book to dip in and out of repeatedly, humbled each time by the weight of history.”
— Washington Post, Book Club, Ron Charles
“Profusely illustrated… I urge those interested in all aspects of the European Jewish historical experience to take advantage of [YIVO’s] treasures.”
— PRINT, Steven Heller
“...a sweeping journey through Jewish life, memory, and survival, told through a carefully curated selection of artifacts… beautifully illustrated…”
— Mishpacha, Dovi Safier and Yehuda Geberer