"The World in Flames: A Short History of the Holocaust" by Rachel Pomerantz is a concise, yet surprisingly thorough survey of the holocaust period, including the trends and events that preceded it, expertly combining the facts and figures of the holocaust with a critical examination from a thoroughly Jewish perspective. Taking the long historical view, the book covers a span of two hundred and fifty years, from the Enlightment in 1740 through the reprucussions of the holocaust on present day society. It begins with the devasting affects wrought on the fabric of traditional Jewish society by the volatile emancipation of the Jews of Europe and the spirit of the Enlightment. It then traces the rise of new racist forms of anti-Semitism over the latter half of the nineteenth century. Having laid the groundwork, it goes on to chronicle the rise of the Nazi Party and the creation and implentation of the infamous "FinalSolution to the Jewish Problem." The book concludes with the revival of Jewish people in the aftermath of the war through the worldwide rebirth of Torah education. "The World in Flames: A Short History of the Holocaust" is excerpted from "Wings above the Flames," where it appears as a major supplement to a collection of true stories of flight, escape and divine providence during the holocaust.
by Rachel Pomerantz