The Enemy at His Pleasure: A Journey Through the Jewish Pale of Settlement During World War I

by S. Ansky

Book Overview

Finally available in English, the great Yiddish writer's account of a neglected time and place In late 1914, S. Ansky, the influential Jewish-Russian journalist, playwright, and politician, received a commission: to organize desperately needed relief for Jews on the borderlands, who were caught between the warring armies of Russia, Germany, and the Austrian Empire. Thus began an extraordinary four-year journey meticulously documented by Ansky, a peerless...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 080505944X
• ISBN13: 9780805059441
• Release Date: November 2002
• Publisher: Metropolitan Books
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Quite a story

I had no idea that Europe during World War I were nearly as atrocious for Jews as World War II, just on a smaller scale. This is quite an eye-witness story of what was happening - difficult to read but necessary.

A must-read

If you are interested in the 20th century history of Jews in Eastern Europe, then this is a must-read book. It is difficult to read as we are not familiar with the places, people, or events that Ansky spoke about. And these are not pleasant events to read about. But we need to know this things, if we are to understand what happened to our families during World War I, even before they were annihilated in World War II. I highly recommend this book to historians and genealogists alike.