Jewish Resistance in Nazi-Occupied Eastern Europe: with a Historical Survey of the Jew as Fighter and Soldier in the Diaspora.

AINSZTEIN, Reuben.

$1,250.00

Item Number: 123442

London: Paul Elek, 1974.

First edition of Ainsztein’s survey of the Jewish military from the destruction of the Jewish state by Rome to 1939. Thick octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page, “To Sally Soames who is proud of being a Jewess Reuben Ainsztein London 21 July 1977.” The recipient, British photojournalist Sally Soames, worked for The Sunday Times from 1968 until 2000 and was highly regarded for her exclusively black and white portraits of many of the most prominent figures of the 20th century including Menachem Begin, Margaret Atwood, Margaret Thatcher, Sean Connery, Rudolf Nureyev, Alec Guinness and Andy Warhol. Soames, who was known to be a warm and personal journalist, performed extensive research on her subjects and developed intimate rapports with them during her process, resulting in striking and revealing portraits. In addition to the several world leaders Soames came to know and photograph, she captured the unique personalities of some of the world’s most gifted authors, poets, and playwrights. She published two books of photographs during her lifetime: Manpower (1987) with text by Robin Morgan and an introduction by Harold Evans and Writers (1995) with a preface by Norman Mailer. Near fine in a very good price-clipped dust jacket.

In this historical survey, Reuben Ainsztein considers the Jew as fighter and soldier from the destruction of the Jewish state by Rome to 1939. After examining the Jewish military record in Antiquity and revealing that the Jews were not only formidable warriors but also seamen and pirates, he traces the Jewish military story through the Dark Ages and Middle Ages and, in the main part of the book, deals with Jewish anti-Nazi resistance in all its main aspects.