In conclusion, it is my pleasant duty to record my appreciation of the help rendered me in my task. I am indebted to the Honorable Mayer Sulzberger for his great kindness in reading the proofs of this volume and in giving me the benefit of his subtle literary judgment. Professor Alexander Marx has assisted me by reading the proofs and making a number of suggestions. My thanks are finally due to Miss Henrietta Szold for her indefatigable and most valuable co-operation.
[1] "The Jews of Russia and Poland. A Bird's-Bye View of Their History and Culture" (G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1915). To avoid any misconception on the part of the reader, I desire to point out that the aim and scope of my little volume are totally different from those of Mr. Dubnow's work. As indicated in the title of my sketch, and as stated in the preface to it, my purpose was none other than to present a "bird's-eye view" of the subject, to point out the large bearings of the problem, with no intention on my part "to offer new and independent results of investigation." The publication is based on a course of lectures delivered by me before the Dropsie College for Hebrew and Cognate Learning in Philadelphia in March, 1915. My natural reluctance to anticipate Mr. Dubnow's large work was overcome by the encouragement of several friends, among them Mr. Dubnow himself, who, from their knowledge of public affairs, thought that a succinct, popular presentation of the destinies of the Jews in the Eastern war area was a word in due season.
I. THE JEWISH DIASPORA IN EASTERN EUROPE 1. The Jewish Settlements on the Shores of the Black Sea 13 2. The Kingdom of the Khazars 19 3. The Jews in the Early Russian Principalities and in the Tataric Khanate of the Crimea 29
II. THE JEWISH COLONIES IN POLAND AND LITHUANIA 1. The Immigration from Western Europe during the Period of the Crusades 39 2. The Charter of Prince Boleslav and the Canons of the Church 43 3. Rise of Polish Jewry under Casimir the Great 50 4. Polish Jewry during the Reign of Yaghello 54 5. The Jews of Lithuania during the Reign of Vitovt 58 6. The Conflict between Royalty and Clergy under Casimir IV. and His Sons 61
III. THE AUTONOMOUS CENTER IN POLAND AT ITS ZENITH (1501-1648) 1. Social and Economic Conditions 66 2. The Liberal Régime of Sigismund I. 70 3. Liberalism and Reaction in the Reigns of Sigismund Augustus and Stephen Batory 83 4. Shlakhta and Royalty in the Reigns of Sigismund III. and Vladislav IV. 91