1st Edition
Cities, Citizenship and Jews in France and the United States, 1905–2022 (Volume 1)
This comparative, transatlantic two-volume work covers nearly 120 years of the history of the rights, integration, and security of the Jewish people in both the United States and France, the countries with the largest and third-largest Jewish populations.
Religious freedom and secularism have evolved differently in France and the United States, reinforcing their separate national identities. Yet there are parallels to their Jewish history, and in how the security of Jews has repeatedly defined and tested the national interests of France and the United States in world affairs. Drawing on the author’s personal experience as an international civil servant, these volumes explore topics such as tensions and common interests between France and the United States, the memory of the Shoah, social mobility, the tepid commitment of the United States to the rights of French Jews during World War II, trends in antisemitism and tolerance, and global climate change as a threat to largely coastal Jewish communities. They highlight what makes insecurity different in the 21st century and why a paradigm shift in policy is needed.
This title is intended both for a general audience and advanced undergraduate and graduate students interested in Jewish history, urban history and international relations.
Introduction
1. Cities and Citizenship in Two Atlantic Revolutions
2. Jews in the French and American Armies in the World Wars
3. New York and Paris, 1919-1939: A Story of Capitalism and Culture
4. The Shoah and National Memory
5. France and the United States, 1945-70: The Struggle to Create Unity
Biography
Josef W. Konvitz is an historian and retired diplomat. After teaching history at Michigan State University (1973–1992), he joined the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, serving as Head of Division, Urban Affairs (1996–2003), and of the Regulatory Policy Division (2003–2011).
