Bukharan Jews in the 20th Century ─ History, Experience and Narration

The Jews of Central Asia are a group that is little known or studied. In this volume, the result of a joint German-Israeli project, the story of the Bukharan Jews in the twentieth century is traced. The editors, Baldauf (Central Asian languages and culture, Humbolt University, Berlin) Gammer (Middle Eastern and African history, Tel Aviv University) and Loy (Central Asian seminar, Humboldt Unvisited, Berlin) cover the ups and downs of life under the Soviets and the increasing Bukharan emigration to Israel and the West. The Jews of Central Asia speak a form of Persian and have some customs that differ from those of European and North African communities. Never more than a fraction of a percent of the population, they maintained their culture partially through discrimination by the authorities. The articles and interviews recorded here are a welcome addition to the record of the vanishing communities of the Diaspora. Distributed in North America by The David Brown Book Co. Annotation c2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)