The Sephardic Jews of Spain and Portugal : survival of an imperiled culture in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries /

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Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:Sloan, Dolores J.
Imprint:Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland & Co., c2009.
Description:xii, 240 p. : ill., maps ; 23 cm.
Language:English
Subject:Jews -- Spain -- History -- 15th century.
Jews -- Spain -- History -- 16th century.
Jews -- Portugal -- History -- 15th century.
Jews -- Portugal -- History -- 16th century.
Sephardim -- History -- 15th century.
Sephardim -- History -- 16th century.
Ethnic relations.
Jews.
Sephardim.
Spain -- Ethnic relations.
Portugal -- Ethnic relations.
Portugal.
Spain.
History.
Format: Print Book
URL for this record:http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/7547644
Hidden Bibliographic Details
ISBN:0786438177 (softcover : alk. paper)
9780786438174 (softcover : alk. paper)
Notes:Includes bibliographical references (p. 219-224) and index.
Summary:"Traces the history of the Sephardic Jews from their golden age to their post-Columbian diaspora. It highlights achievements in science, medicine, philosophy, arts, economy and government, alongside a few less noble accomplishments, in both the land they left behind and in the lands that they settled later. Several significant Sephardic Jews are profiled in detail"--Provided by publisher.
Review by Choice Review

This brief work introduces general readers to the Sephardic Jews of Spain and Portugal in the 15th and early-16th centuries. After reviewing the status and conditions of Spanish Jews just prior to their expulsion from first Spain and then Portugal in the 1490s, Sloan (Mount St. Mary's College) devotes chapters to the lives and careers of four outstanding Jews: Isaac Abravanel, who sought unsuccessfully to persuade the monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella to reverse their edict of expulsion in 1492; Abraham Zacuto, whose copper astrolabe and celestial tables facilitated the voyages of Columbus and other navigators; Luis de Santangel, the prominent financial adviser and money lender to King Ferdinand; and Dona Gracia Nasi, a wealthy widow who assisted Portuguese New Christians to settle in Italy and Turkey. Two chapters describe Jewish life, employment, clothing, and entertainment in cities, towns, and rural areas. Following a short chapter on diaspora communities in Brazil and Turkey, the author concludes with reflections on the Sephardic experience, contemporary Judaism, and continued interest in genealogical ties to the Sephardim. Based heavily on secondary works in English, this very readable book is suitable for public libraries. Summing Up: Recommended. General collections. M. A. Burkholder University of Missouri--St. Louis

Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review