Sacred Bonds of Solidarity

"In her path-breaking book... Lisa Moses Leff shows that what seems natural today—international Jewish solidarity—emerged out of very specic nineteenth-century circumstances, especially in France... Sacred Bonds of Solidarity is extremely well written and meticulously researched... This story is therefore of interest both to specialists in Jewish history and to French historians more generally." - H-Net Reviews in the Humanities & Social Sciences "Leff's analysis rings true and her book has certainly provided a valuable service by elucidating several aspects of both French and Jewish history in the nineteenth century, showing, among other things, that the progress of Jewish emancipation and integration had an important international component, and helping reveal the roots of modern-day Jewish feelings of interconnectedness." - American Historical Review "This is an exciting and unique contribution to the history of Jewish internationalism. In contrast to an earlier generation of scholars, Leff shows quite convincingly that French Jews did not abandon their Jewishness in order to become integrated French citizens. Rather, they re-conceptualized their Jewishness to reflect the new political and social realities they faced." - Maud Mandel (Brown University) "This is the story Lisa Moses Leff has to tell, a story of emancipation and religious fellow feeling, and she tells it with lucidity and a deep sympathy for her subject matter...She has recounted a tale of hope and optimism, of a community energized by the prospect of its own emancipation and mobilized to make its contribution to a France itself in the process of transformation." - Journal of Modern History "By integrating treatises and works of fiction into her research, Leff successfully illustrates the cause and effect element in the Jewish quest for a political and social role in nineteenth-century France as well as the international stage." - French Review