Want to create an interactive transcript for this episode?
Podcast: New Books in Medieval History
Episode: Exploring Autonomy: A History of Jewish Self-Governance in Eastern Europe
Description: The emergence of self-government in the Jewish community in Eastern Europe has been a slow process, often encouraged by invitations of existing regimes and sometimes to escape state persecution. Nonetheless, the Jewish community has succeeded in establishing its autonomy as well as maintain a certain degree of control over its traditions.In this new episode, FranΓ§ois Guesnet, Professor of Modern Jewish History in the Department of Hebrew and Jewish Studies at University College London, traces the travails and triumphs of the Jewish community in Eastern Europe from the Middle Ages to the present, based on his e...