Before I begin, I'd like to note that the rating for this series has been artificially decreased by a large number of people giving it a score of "1". Although it has faults, it does not deserve this and I strongly suspect that this is due to political (anti-Jewish or anti- Israel) partisanship.
It is hard to believe that it has taken so long for this series to be made -- and so disappointing that it isn't better than it is. The Jews are a fascinating people whose impact on history has been out of all proportion to their numbers. To tell their story properly would have required many, many hours. Unfortunately they only got five hours.
What really sinks this series though is its focus. It is telling that it is titled the "story" of the Jews rather than the "history" of the Jews. Ultimately this tells an outdated and over-simplistic story that can be summed up as: the Jews are unjustly exiled from Israel, they wander and suffer irrational persecution at the hands of the gentiles, then after the Holocaust they return in triumph to Israel in 1948.
Despite opening the series with shots of Jews of all races and nations, this is ultimately the story of European Jews (largely the Ashkenazi but also the Sephardim occasionally). Not only does this ignore the importance of genetics in Jewish history and tradition - "Jew" can be both a religious and an ethnic description - but it also means that Jews who don't fit this narrative - like the Turkic Khazar warrior Jews - are omitted entirely. This gives a warped idea of Jewish history.
This sort of partial history is unfortunately constant and tinged with ethno-chauvinism; Schama is quite happy to point the finger at everyone but his own people (with the exception of the final episode dealing with the Israel/Palestine issue). All too often he is content to describe the suffering of the Jews without explaining why they were persecuted. Or he explains it as mere irrational hatred, which is no answer at all.
At times it is clear that Schama, whose speciality is the Enlightenment, is not comfortable. His episode on Biblical Judiasm is rambling, only finding focus with the Roman defeat of the Jewish revolt. His episode on medieval Judaism ranges from the wrong (Andalusia was not the paradise he thinks -- see Maimonides) to the bizarre (apparently the Christians hated the Jews because of the sermons of one priest in one country at one time). The Early Modern period is skipped over entirely.
On the post-1789 world he is much better, although still partial. He rightly points out the important Jewish contribution to the Enlightenment but fails to point out their equal investment in the bloody step-child of the Enlightenment that was Communism. Unusually he largely skips the Holocaust/Shoah but does so without undermining its power. His interview with a Lithuanian Jew, the only survivor of his village because he was conscripted into the Red Army, is heartbreaking.
The final episode, on the creation of the State of Israel, is probably the most interesting and contains the greatest variety of viewpoints. Sadly it comes down to: pre-1967 Israel (socialist, secular) good, post-1967 Israel (religious, militarist) bad. I find that too simplistic. Schama is a Zionist who wants peace in the Holy Land and I don't think he ever really deals with the contradictions inherent in his position; so long as there are two groups sharing one land there will be conflict.
Undoubtedly the (pro-)Israel episode is the reason for the low score of this series. I will lay my cards on the table and say that although I have friends who are partisans of both sides, personally I hold no brief for either.
By telling it as a story, Schama fails to even ask the most interesting questions: why have the Jews survived, over the centuries and in the face of persecution, when so many others haven't? Why do they have such great achievements when there are so few of them? And why do they always end up being hated?
This is a documentary worth watching: the subject matter is fascinating, it is beautifully shot and Simon Schama is as warm, personable and witty a presenter as ever. If you watch it, you will learn. However it has major flaws. There are too many unsupported statements, the focus of the series is too narrow, the facts are sometimes sloppy and there is too little self-criticism. Ultimately, this is not history but a story, which as Schama says, has not yet ended. You may enjoy this story. I found myself wishing for something a little more factual.
It is hard to believe that it has taken so long for this series to be made -- and so disappointing that it isn't better than it is. The Jews are a fascinating people whose impact on history has been out of all proportion to their numbers. To tell their story properly would have required many, many hours. Unfortunately they only got five hours.
What really sinks this series though is its focus. It is telling that it is titled the "story" of the Jews rather than the "history" of the Jews. Ultimately this tells an outdated and over-simplistic story that can be summed up as: the Jews are unjustly exiled from Israel, they wander and suffer irrational persecution at the hands of the gentiles, then after the Holocaust they return in triumph to Israel in 1948.
Despite opening the series with shots of Jews of all races and nations, this is ultimately the story of European Jews (largely the Ashkenazi but also the Sephardim occasionally). Not only does this ignore the importance of genetics in Jewish history and tradition - "Jew" can be both a religious and an ethnic description - but it also means that Jews who don't fit this narrative - like the Turkic Khazar warrior Jews - are omitted entirely. This gives a warped idea of Jewish history.
This sort of partial history is unfortunately constant and tinged with ethno-chauvinism; Schama is quite happy to point the finger at everyone but his own people (with the exception of the final episode dealing with the Israel/Palestine issue). All too often he is content to describe the suffering of the Jews without explaining why they were persecuted. Or he explains it as mere irrational hatred, which is no answer at all.
At times it is clear that Schama, whose speciality is the Enlightenment, is not comfortable. His episode on Biblical Judiasm is rambling, only finding focus with the Roman defeat of the Jewish revolt. His episode on medieval Judaism ranges from the wrong (Andalusia was not the paradise he thinks -- see Maimonides) to the bizarre (apparently the Christians hated the Jews because of the sermons of one priest in one country at one time). The Early Modern period is skipped over entirely.
On the post-1789 world he is much better, although still partial. He rightly points out the important Jewish contribution to the Enlightenment but fails to point out their equal investment in the bloody step-child of the Enlightenment that was Communism. Unusually he largely skips the Holocaust/Shoah but does so without undermining its power. His interview with a Lithuanian Jew, the only survivor of his village because he was conscripted into the Red Army, is heartbreaking.
The final episode, on the creation of the State of Israel, is probably the most interesting and contains the greatest variety of viewpoints. Sadly it comes down to: pre-1967 Israel (socialist, secular) good, post-1967 Israel (religious, militarist) bad. I find that too simplistic. Schama is a Zionist who wants peace in the Holy Land and I don't think he ever really deals with the contradictions inherent in his position; so long as there are two groups sharing one land there will be conflict.
Undoubtedly the (pro-)Israel episode is the reason for the low score of this series. I will lay my cards on the table and say that although I have friends who are partisans of both sides, personally I hold no brief for either.
By telling it as a story, Schama fails to even ask the most interesting questions: why have the Jews survived, over the centuries and in the face of persecution, when so many others haven't? Why do they have such great achievements when there are so few of them? And why do they always end up being hated?
This is a documentary worth watching: the subject matter is fascinating, it is beautifully shot and Simon Schama is as warm, personable and witty a presenter as ever. If you watch it, you will learn. However it has major flaws. There are too many unsupported statements, the focus of the series is too narrow, the facts are sometimes sloppy and there is too little self-criticism. Ultimately, this is not history but a story, which as Schama says, has not yet ended. You may enjoy this story. I found myself wishing for something a little more factual.