Martin Jaigma

Making of Jewish Intelligentsia: Educated Jewish Elites of Estonia and Slovenia Before World War II Martin Jaigma

By and large, the books on Jewish demography and social relations are in short supply. It is even more true as to research dealing with the tiny Jewish communities in Eastern and South Central Europe, where either inaccessibility of the archives during the Soviet era or lack of scholarly tradition have impeded such studies for decades. This book provides the fresh gaze into Jewish history from the perspective of modern times and culture. It focuses on the social mobility of Estonian and Slovenian Jewish intelligentsia and doing that draws on the unique archival sources. Jews and education presents itself as one of the main motifs and thrust in Jewish culture during the Modern Era. Recurrently struggling against the various odds in history, many Jews availed themselves of a specific modus operandi ¿ early schooling and striving for educational excellence in higher learning institutions ¿ either to accomplish career related pursuits or find both social and political acceptance among the host societies. The study should have a positive value for the broad circle of people and academics alike who are interested in remarkable facets of Jewish history and European history in general.