Kiev, Jewish Metropolis: A History, 1859--1914

Populated by urbane Jewish merchants and professionals as well as new
arrivals from the shtetl, imperial Kiev was acclaimed for its opportunities for
education, culture, employment, and entrepreneurship but cursed for the often
pitiless persecution of its Jews. Kiev, Jewish Metropolis limns the history of Kiev
Jewry from the official readmission of Jews to the city in 1859 to the outbreak of
World War I. It explores the Jewish community's politics, its leadership struggles,
socioeconomic and demographic shifts, religious and cultural sensibilities, and
relations with the city's Christian population. Drawing on archival documents, the
local press, memoirs, and belles lettres, Natan M. Meir shows Kiev's Jews at work,
at leisure, in the synagogue, and engaged in the activities of myriad Jewish
organizations and philanthropies.