It is with great excitement that Talmudology announces the release of my latest book, The Eleventh Plague: Jews and Pandemics from the Bible to COVID-19. In the US, the book is available on Amazon (two-day delivery!) where you can read the introduction and the first chapter. So buy it for yourself and get a copy for a loved one for Chanukah. (Or Christmas. Or Kwanzaa.) For some reason, Amazon is not currently delivering it to Israel. In the UK, the book will be released in March, so you will have to wait. Though I guess you could buy the e-book.
The book is packed with utterly fantastic material and historical events that have largely been hidden until now, and it tells the story of how infectious disease and pandemics have shaped and reshaped Jewish life. It was an absolute pleasure to write, and my research days would end with me announcing “…you’ll never believe what I found today!” (Thanks Erica, for being a good sport. And for believing.) Some of the background material was first published here on Talmudology, and it grew (and grew) from there.
Here is the table of contents, to whet your appetite:
“When I began the work, I did so with no hypothesis to test. I simply let
the sources speak for themselves, and any conclusions came later. What
I uncovered— much to my surprise— was the profoundly deep way in which
pandemics have impacted the story of Jews and Judaism. It was a story of which
I was completely unaware, despite being a physician and having a lifelong familiarity with Jewish sources. I discovered not only how Jews have been affected
by pandemics but also how they shared their encounters with their non-Jewish
neighbors. It was a common story but told in different dialects.”
You can buy the book on Amazon, and also directly from the publisher with a 30% discount. Just click the images below.
Many thanks for your support.
