A Jew in the French Revolution

Zalkind Hourwitz lived during one of the most pivotal periods inhistory. A Polish Jew born in 1752, Hourwitz moved to France in1774 and entered the intellectual and political life of ancienrégime Paris. Frances Malino provides a vivid descriptionof this compelling and exotic figure who fits none of thetraditional portraits of eighteenth–century Jews. An investigationof his experiences in the French capital during this periodchallenges our previous understanding of Jewish emancipation,provides an additional perspective on revolutionary Paris (fromthat of both Jew and foreigner) and adds another dimension to thehistoriography of the French Revolution.

Introduction.

1. Political Beginnings.

2. The Apologies des Juifs.

3. A Revolutionary Jewish Voice.

4. The Frustrations of Emancipation.

5. Revolutionary Illusions.

6. A Would–Be Ideologue.

7. In Retreat.

Conclusion.

Frances Malino is Sophia Moses Robinson Professor of Jewish Studies and History at Wellesley College. She has written numerous books and articles on the history of European Jews, including, with David Sorkin, From East and West: Jews in a Changing Europe 1750–1870 (Blackwell, 1990).

"Malino′s book is a splendid piece of work, well–researched and richly annotated." American Historical Review