Abstract
Based on papers delivered at an international historical conference at Clark University, these essays explore the unique symbiosis between Jews and German culture, examining such themes as the tension between emancipation and Jewish identity, the identification of Jews with the upheavals that transformed Germany into a dynamic industrial society, and the large Jewish contribution to the ``nervous splendor'' of fin de siecle Vienna. Disparate essays are unified by the general theme of German Jews' doomed efforts to attain full acceptance within the wider society. The ultimate tragic failure of German Jewish emancipation, and the total destruction of the culture here described, cast a poignant shadow over this valuable and ably edited volume. A.J. Sherman, History Dept., Yale Univ.