| The Story of the Jews | |
|---|---|
| Genre | History documentary |
| Based on | The Story of the Jews by Simon Schama |
| Directed by | Tim Kirby |
| Presented by | Simon Schama |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Nicolas Kent |
| Producer | Tim Kirby |
The Story of the Jews is a television series, in five parts, presented by British historian Simon Schama. It was broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two in September 2013 [1] and in the United States on PBS in March and April 2014. [2]
It is based on Schama's book of the same title, [3] which is being published in three volumes. The first volume, Finding the Words 1000BCE – 1492CE, [4] was published in September 2013. [5] The second volume, entitled Belonging: The Story of the Jews 1492–1900, was published by Bodley Head in October 2017. [6]
 | This article needs an improved plot summary.(October 2021) |
| No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "In the Beginning" | Tim Kirby | Simon Schama | 1 September 2013 | N/A |
| 2 | "Among Believers" | Tim Kirby | Simon Schama | 8 September 2013 | N/A |
| 3 | "A Leap of Faith" | Tim Kirby | Simon Schama | 15 September 2013 | N/A |
| 4 | "Over the Rainbow" | Tim Kirby | Simon Schama | 22 September 2013 | N/A |
| 5 | "Return" | Tim Kirby | Simon Schama | 29 September 2013 | N/A |
In a review for The Daily Telegraph , Neil Midgley described the first episode as a "resounding success", saying: "Schama told the story efficiently and evocatively – and deftly picked out stories that would illustrate his overarching thesis about how Judaism managed to survive...In Schama’s view, to be a Jew is to be verbal...By the end of this first episode, Schama had given the title of his programme an intriguing double meaning. Over its four remaining parts, The Story of the Jews promises to be not only a chronological history, but also a common narrative of what unifies and fortifies Jewish people". [7]
For The Guardian , Arifa Akbar said: "Simon Schama’s story was as much an investigation into identity as it was the beginning of a difficult history". [8]
Writing in The Observer , Andrew Anthony called it "an astonishing achievement, a TV landmark". [9]
David Hinckley, for the New York Daily News , said: "Schama doesn’t downplay the persecution and martyrdom of Jews throughout history. Neither does he let this interfere with his clear mission of portraying Jewish history as a tale of triumph and celebration". [10]
Robert Lloyd, TV critic for the Los Angeles Times , said that Schama "has produced a series that is at once informative, entertaining, thought-provoking, heart-wrenching and, in its final episode, in which he confronts the paradoxes of modern Israel, more than a little maddening. Like the religion and the culture that surrounds it, each of which loves an argument, it is inconclusive and open to discussion". [11]
Sir Simon Michael Schama is an English historian specialising in art history, Dutch history, Jewish history, and French history. He is a University Professor of History and Art History at Columbia University.
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The history of the Jews in Europe spans a period of over two thousand years. Some Jews, a Judaean tribe from the Levant, migrated to Europe just before the rise of the Roman Empire. Although Alexandrian Jews had already migrated to Rome, a notable early event in the history of the Jews in the Roman Empire was the 63 BCE siege of Jerusalem.
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Wolf Hall is a British television serial first broadcast on BBC Two in January 2015. The six-part series is an adaptation of two of Hilary Mantel's novels, Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, a fictionalised biography documenting the rapid rise to power of Thomas Cromwell in the court of Henry VIII through to the death of Sir Thomas More, followed by Cromwell's success in freeing the king of his marriage to Anne Boleyn. Wolf Hall was first broadcast in April 2015 in the United States on PBS and in Australia on BBC First. It was reported in 2022 that a second series, covering the final novel in the trilogy, was in pre-production, with Mark Rylance and director Peter Kosminsky returning.
The Story of the Jews: Finding the Words, 1000BCE – 1492CE is a book by the British historian Simon Schama, which is being published in three volumes. The first volume, entitled Finding the Words, 1000BCE – 1492CE, was published in the United Kingdom by The Bodley Head in September 2013. The second volume, entitled Belonging: The Story of the Jews, 1492–1900, was published by The Bodley Head in October 2017.
The Chosen Few: How Education Shaped Jewish History, 70-1492 is a 2012 book by Zvi Eckstein and Maristella Botticini. It won the 2012 National Jewish Book Award.
Verity Marina Marshall is an English actress best known for her roles as Amy in the White Christmas episode of the series Black Mirror, and Samantha in the BBC six-part drama Press.
Civilisations is a 2018 British art history television documentary series produced by the BBC in association with PBS as a follow-up to the original 1969 landmark series Civilisation by Kenneth Clark. Individual episodes are presented by Simon Schama, Mary Beard, and David Olusoga, with music composed by Tandis Jenhudson. The PBS release differs in several respects, including series narration by Liev Schreiber.
Belonging: The Story of the Jews, 1492–1900, Volume 2 is a 2017 book by Simon Schama on the cultural history of the Jewish people. Belonging is the second volume of Schama's Story of the Jews, the first being The Story of the Jews:Finding the Words, 1000BCE – 1492CE. Belonging was published by Penguin Random House in October 2017.
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