Kiev, Jewish Metropolis: A History, 1859–1914 (The Modern Jewish Experience)

Kiev, Jewish Metropolis: A History, 1859–1914 (The Modern Jewish Experience) by Meir, Natan M.. Paperback edition. ISBN: 9780253222077.

Populated by urbane Jewish merchants and professionals as well as new arrivals from the shtetl, imperial Kiev was acclaimed for its opportunities for education, culture, employment, and entrepreneurship but cursed for the often pitiless persecution of its Jews. Kiev, Jewish Metropolis limns the history of Kiev Jewry from the official readmission of Jews to the city in 1859 to the outbreak of World War I. It explores the Jewish communitys politics, its leadership struggles, socioeconomic and demographic shifts, religious and cultural sensibilities, and relations with the citys Christian population. Drawing on archival documents, the local press, memoirs, and belles lettres, Natan M. Meir shows Kievs Jews at work, at leisure, in the synagogue, and engaged in the activities of myriad Jewish organizations and philanthropies.