On the basis of new evidence from the Ottoman archives in Istanbul, Karl Barbir challenges the current interpretation of Ottoman rule in Damascus during the eighteenth century. He argues that the prevailing themes of decline and stagnation--usually applied to the entire century-…
"This book provides a rather unusual view of the Syrian Jewish community in that while ostensibly dealing with the appointment and dismissal of chief rabbis between 1744 and 1914 it in fact considers the power struggles within the community in the context of the new secularity t…
"This book provides a rather unusual view of the Syrian Jewish community in that while ostensibly dealing with the appointment and dismissal of chief rabbis between 1744 and 1914 it in fact considers the power struggles within the community in the context of the new secularity t…
A dramatic account of traditional Jewish society in the Ottoman Empire at a time when societal norms were being challenged.