JEWISH STUDIES

EDGE OF THE DIASPORA

Two Centuries of Jewish Settlement in Australia

This is the story of a Jewish community founded in one of the furthermost corners of the world. Suzanne Rutland charts this community's history from its convict origins through the turmoil of the twentieth century which saw numerous waves of Jewish immigrants reach Australia's shores. Jews fleeing Nazism arrived in the thirties. They were followed by survivors of the Holocaust and then by refugees from Hungarian Communism in the fifties. More recent waves have brought Soviet and South African Jews. Edge of the Diaspora documents the story of this vibrant community that has integrated but maintained its Jewish identity.

"This monograph is a tightly focused, comprehensive, historical account of Australia's Jewish community. ...Rutland charts the transformation of the Australian Jewish community into a dynamic and positive force in the Jewish diaspora ...[and] paints a convincing picture of the growth of a vibrant community ...Edge of Diaspora will prove most valuable for people interested in the development of Jewish communities as well as those concerned with the growth of multiculturalism in Australia."
—Hal Levine, Victoria University of Wellington

"...This work, comprising a concise summary of a broad subject, proves extremely useful to the reader. ...Perhaps the thrust of the whole work is best summed up in its final sentence; 'As Australian Jewry moves towards the twenty first century, it enjoys a much greater dynamism than most of its counterparts in the Jewish diaspora, while its leaders continue to play a role in world Jewish affairs that is far more significant than the relatively small size of Australian Jewry might suggest.' Reference to this work is undoubtedly the best way for the reader to gain an overall feel for the Australian Jewish community. I would add that the comprehensive set of endnotes facilitates further research by anyone seeking more depth in regard to any particular topic."
—Yossi Aron, The Jerusalem Post

"A scholarly and most readable contribution on the history of Jews in Australia."
—Sydney Morning Herald

"A landmark piece of investigation, scholarship and analysis."
—Australian Jewish News

“This meticulously planned, clearly written, readable, absorbing, comprehensive in scope, balanced in approach, mature work makes an important contribution to the history of Jews in Australia by documenting the story of a vibrant Australian community that has integrated but maintained its Jewish identity.”
—AJL Newsletter

Suzanne Rutland is Chair of the Department of Semitic Studies at the University of Sydney. She is author of Pages of History: A Century of the Australian Jewish Press, co-author of One Land, Two Peoples, and editor of Opposite the Lion's Den, as well as the author of many articles and chapters in books. She has held numerous leadership positions within the Jewish and academic communities, including president of the Australian Jewish Historical Society.

Bookstores and librarians can arrange programs with Dr. Rutland by contacting her at suzanne.rutland@semitic.usyd.edu.au.