Benjamin Disraeli The Fabricated Jew in Myth and Memory

Benjamin Disraeli utilizes previously ignored or little known sources to provide new insights into how one of the most famous Jewish converts was viewed by the Jewish community he ignored and by the larger Christian world that would not accept him. This book shows how a myth can take on a life of its own in the collective memory of the Jewish people, as well as in the thought processes of a variety of anti-Semitic groups. Its fresh approach to the life and lore of a colorful Victorian figure also raises the issue of ethnic identity and minority acceptance in our pluralistic society.

Bernard Glassman is visiting professor in the History Department at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and the Book Review Editor for Conservative Judaism Quarterly. He is the co-founder and former co-director of the Center For Jewish Culture at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, and he is the Rabbi Emeritus of Tifereth Israel in New Bedford