... a carefully crafted and important book... a first-class contribution to the literature on modern Europe." ―American Historical Review... valuable... the first historical work to attempt a ‘synthetic sketch’ of the problems indicated in the title." ―Journal of Polish Jewish StudiesAn illuminating study of the demographic, cultural, and socioeconomic condition of East Central European Jewry, the book focuses on the internal life of Jewish communities in the region and on the relationships between Jews and gentiles in a nationalist environment.