The Jews of Kurdistan

by Eric Brauer, Raphael Patai (Editor)

Overview

The Jews of Kurdistan is a unique historical document in that it presents a picture of Kurdish Jewish life and culture prior to World War II.

Following World War II, members of the sizable Jewish community in what had been Kurdistan, now part of Iraq, left their homeland and resettled in Palestine where they were quickly assimilated with the dominant Israeli-Jewish culture.

The Jews of Kurdistan is a unique historical document in that it presents a picture of Kurdish Jewish life and culture prior to World War II. It is the only ethnological study of the Kurdish Jews ever written and provides a comprehensive look at their material culture, life cycles, religious practices, occupations, and relations with the Muslims.
In his preface, Raphael Patai offers data he considers important for supplementing Brauer's book, and comments on the book's values and limitations fifty years after Brauer wrote it. Patai has included additional information elicited from Kurdish Jews in Jerusalem, verified quotations, and completed the bibliography.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814323922
Publisher:	Wayne State University Press
Publication date:	08/01/1993
Series:	Raphael Patai Series in Jewish Folklore and Anthropology
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	448
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Born in Berlin in 1895, Erich Brauer studied ethnology at the universities of Berlin and Leipzig. He lived for many years in Jerusalem where he devoted himself entirely to his scientific work.

Raphael Patai (1911-1996) was a prominent cultural anthropologist, historian, and biblical scholar of international reputation. He was the author of more than three dozen books on Jewish and Arab culture, history, politics, psychology, and folklore.

Editorial Reviews

A thorough comparative ethnological study of the Jews of Kurdistan . . . A new English edition will make this important work accessible to international scholars and educated readers in general.

University of California, Los Angeles - Yona Sabar

An ethnographic study, written before Brauer's death in 1942, based on interviews with Kurdish Jews then living in Jerusalem. Originally published in Hebrew in 1947, the manuscript was completed and translated by Raphael Patai, who has edited this edition and added a glossary (with pronunciation). The only ethnographic study ever done of the Kurdish Jews--a people who immigrated en masse to Israel in the early ^50s, and have been largely assimilated. No index. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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