SUZANNE CHESSLER
Special to the Jewish News

EEMESSEZIMIL.

100 TEARS

OF TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH

Martin Gilbert chronicles Jewish life
and resiliency during the 20th century.

11/23

2001

66

istorian Sir Martin Gilbert wrote his lat-
est book before terrorists struck the
United States Sept. 11, but he believes
the events reported in The Jews in the
Twentieth Century (Schocken Books; $50) have far-
reaching and hopeful applications for these tumul-
tuous times.
Gilbert, a British Jew traveling in Michigan when
the attacks took place, felt the impact very personal-
ly. And it's that same type of personal reaction that
comes across as he discusses the Jewish milestones he
has chronicled.
After speaking at Hillsdale College and then tak-
ing some detours, Gilbert went on to his next sched-
uled appearance in Warsaw. He was -very moved by a
massive candlelight vigil held in the Polish city to
honor the victims of the Sept. 11 attack.
"Jewish people are the great example that decency
and humanity do prevail," says Gilbert, 65, author
of many books about the Jewish experience, includ-
ing Jerusalem in the Twentieth Century, Auschwitz
and the Allies and Israel: A History.
"People can go through the most terrifying ordeals
as in the Holocaust, and yet the human desire for
normality and ethical conduct of life does win out.
Evil people have the initial power because they take
the destructive steps.
"The Germans tried to destroy morale and hope,
but they were unable to do that. They destroyed six
million lives, but they were unable to destroy the
spirit of life."
Gilbert's goal for this new book— his 65th — was
to show Jewish accomplishments even as they con-
fronted tragedy. He starts with the status of world-
wide Jewry as the 20th century begins and concludes
with their status as the 21st century opens.
Jewish participation in the two world wars, the
quest for Israeli statehood, and the everyday life of
the countries they came to call home reign impor-
tant as Gilbert touches upon the contributions of a
variety of Jewish communities.

Hundreds Of Photos

More than 400 pictures, scouted through archives
and personal collections, show the people, famous
and not, who were part of the times described.
Gilbert takes note of men and women in a range of
disciplines to document Jewish advancement and cre-
ativity — from political leaders such as Chaim
Weizmann to cultural icons such as painter Max
Liebermann, from financiers such as Bernard Baruch to
pop performers such as Donald Fagen of Steely Dan.
"I focus as much on individuals as I do on themes,
as much on the human aspect as on any theoretical
aspect," explains the author, who is also the official
biographer of Sir Winston Churchill. "I wanted the
book to be a celebration of human life and have a
certain exuberance about it."
While Gilbert presents fresh anecdotes about the
people who have gained worldwide attention, he also
leaves space for some startling information uncov-
ered during his- 45 years of historical research. For
example, the chapter covering World War I tells

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