Where did the Jews come from? Why did they leave their homeland? How did they retain their strong sense of community through centuries of dispersion? How have the Jews of the present, with their proud ethnic identity and thriving national home, emerged out of the downtrodden Jews of the past?

Such questions are echoed by countless Jews eager to rediscover their roots, by converts to Judaism - 200,000 a year in the United States alone, by students of cultural and religious history, and the simply curious among the public. In one concise, authoritative volume, A Short History of the Jewish People provides insights and answers.