Shortlisted for the National Jewish Book Awards (History) “Despite their own legacy of torment in Egypt, Jews in the U.S. varied in their attitudes toward the slave system, even after it provoked secession and rebellion in their new promised land. This discomfiting anomaly has been probed by scholars . . . but the topic has never been dissected with the depth, panache and feel for character that animate Mr. Kreitner’s revelatory Fear No Pharaoh . . . [An] engrossing book.” ―Harold Holzer, The Wall Street Journal A dramatic history of how American Jews reckoned with slavery―and fought the Civil War. Since ancient times, the Jewish people have recalled the story of Exodus and reflected on the implications of having been slaves. Did the tradition teach that Jews should speak out against slavery and oppression everywhere, or act cautiously to protect themselves in a hostile world? In Fear No Pharaoh , the journalist and historian Richard Kreitner sets this question at the heart of the Civil War era. Using original sources, he tells the intertwined stories of six American Jews who helped to shape a tumultuous time, including Judah Benjamin, the brilliant, secretive lawyer who became Jefferson Davis’s trusted confidante; Morris Raphall, a Swedish-born rabbi who defended slavery as biblically justified; and Raphall’s rival rabbis―the celebrated Isaac Mayer Wise, who urged Jews to stay out of the slavery controversy to avoid attracting attention, and David Einhorn, whose fiery sermons condemning bondage led to a pro-slavery mob threatening his life. We also meet August Bondi, a veteran of Europe’s 1848 revolutions, who fought with John Brown in “Bleeding Kansas” and later in the Union Army, and the Polish émigré Ernestine Rose, a feminist, atheist, and abolitionist who championed “emancipation of all kinds.” As he tracks these characters, Kreitner illuminates the shifting dynamics of Jewish life in America―and the debates about religion, morality, and politics that endure to this day. “If the story of race, slavery and disunion is an old one, Kreitner has found a fresh way to tell it, and he manages to compress a historical panorama of decades into an efficient narrative that never feels rushed or confusing . . . By embracing rather than avoiding such complexities, Kreitner has produced the best book I have ever read about the Jews in nineteenth-century America.” ― Benjamin Moser, The New York Times Book Review “Comprehensively researched and vividly written . . . Richard Kreitner’s excellent book displays both our predecessors’ weaknesses and their strengths; it provides more food for thought than ammunition for debate.” ―Allan Arkush, Jewish Review of Books “Riveting . . . While surfacing fascinating new details . . . Kreitner also points to intriguing ways in which the slavery debate spurred reflection on assimilation vs. insularity that defined the next century of Jewish American thought. Readers will be engrossed.” ― Publishers Weekly (starred review) "A fresh, thoughtful treatment of Jews and America’s original sin . . . This superb and richly discursive work foregrounds six individuals . . . The intertwined stories will leave a reader of any faith with a more nuanced appreciation for our nation’s history and abundant kindling for moral reflection . . . A work of fabulous sweep and grace." ― Kevin M. Doyle, America Magazine “Engaging . . . Kreitner reminds us as well in his fine book, ‘we will be even greater here, if we bring about an aristocracy of the spirit, rather than an aristocracy of gold.’” ―Stuart Halpern, Commentary “Richard Kre­it­ner decries the dual­is­tic think­ing that under­lies many con­tem­po­rary reck­on­ings with the role of Jews in the racial his­to­ry of the Unit­ed States . . . Enlight­en­ing.” ―Michael Hober­man, Jewish Book Council “[An] excellent work of history . . . Skillfully researched and written . . . Kreitner’s account is vivid, dramatic, peopled with many more closely observed characters than the six protagonists.” ―David Mehegan, The Arts Fuse “ Fear N o Pharaoh breaks new ground in Civil War history. A superb detective and storyteller, Kreitner not only illuminates the complex lives of nineteenth-century American Jews but also challenges his readers to reflect on the enduring intersection of faith, ethics, and national identity.” ―Amanda Foreman, author of A World on Fire and Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire “Not just brilliant―which it is― Fear No Pharaoh eloquently recounts how Jewish Americans, haunted by enslavement, variously responded to America’s besetting sin. Timely, superb, heartrending, not to be missed.” ―Brenda Wineapple, author of Keeping the Faith and The Impeachers “Lucid and wise, this is the first book to show that the history of Jews and the history of slavery are intersecting stories―tragic as well as heroic. Kreitner leaves no doubt that Jews’ encounter with slavery typified their Americanization.