Photographing the Jewish Nation

Pictures from S. An-sky's Ethnographic Expeditions

Edited by Eugene M. Avrutin

From 1912 to 1914, S. An-sky and the photographer Solomon Iudovin gathered materials and took photographs of Jewish daily life in pre-Revolutionary Russia’s Pale of Settlement. Photographing the Jewish Nation offers English-language readers their first look at over 170 extraordinary, recently rediscovered photographs from their expeditions. The pictures provide visual texture—in remarkable detail—that rarely appears in written sources. This volume includes a critical introduction and five chapters that document all aspects of Jewish life inside the Pale, including work, education, and religious and cultural traditions.

Series:

The Tauber Institute Series for the Study of European Jewry

Paper: $35

ISBN-13: 9781611686838

Pages: 228 | Size: 8 in. x 10 in.

Date Published: October 1, 2009

About the Author

EUGENE M. AVRUTIN is Assistant Professor of History and Tobor Scholar in Jewish Studies at the University of Illinois. VALERII DYMSHITS is Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies and Director of the Interdepartmental Center, “Petersburg Judaica,” at the European University at St. Petersburg, Russia. ALEXANDER IVANOV is Senior Researcher at the European University at St. Petersburg. ALEXANDER LVOV is Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies at the European University at St. Petersburg. HARRIET MURAV is Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures at the University of Illinois. ALLA SOKOLOVA is Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies at the European University at St. Petersburg.