Ambiguous Relations

German-Jewish relations have been most difficult since the beginning of the Nazi ear. With great care, substantial scholarship and careful analysis, Shlomo Shafir had written the definitive book on one aspect of the story of the pained relationship of the Jews of American and postwar Germany. He has told us about the chasms which cannot be bridges, and about the Jews and the Germans who have nonetheless persevered in building some bridges.

~Arthur Hertzberg

This is a very important and fascinating piece of work. Shafir has probed all of the important archives and used this wide range of material to present the broad expanse of American Jewish and German relations. This material is absolutely necessary, especially today as the question of a German Jewish community is debated, to provide historical background for today's discussions . . .a central text in the future discussions of a Jewish life in Germany.

~Jeffrey M. Peck

Aptly titled, prodigiously researched, and meticulously documented, this is the finest analysis to date of postwar interactions between the American Jewish community and Germany. A model of sober and fair-minded scholarship, Ambiguous Relations also serves as a revealing case study, disclosing the extent and limits of American Jewry's impact on German-American ties.

~Jonathan D. Sarna