Dr Abigail Green writes on Moses Montefiore

Sir Moses Montefiore (1784-1885) was the preeminent Jewish figure of the nineteenth century: a humanitarian, campaigner for Jewish emancipation and a global celebrity. In MOSES MONTEFIORE: Jewish Liberator, Imperial Hero, Dr Abigail Green, Fellow in History at Brasenose College, re-establishes Montefiore's status as a major historical player. Drawing on source material from eleven countries in nine languages, Green's sweeping biography interweaves the public triumph of Montefiore's foreign missions with the private tragedy of his childless marriage, and brings the diversity of nineteenth century Jewry brilliantly to life - from London to Jerusalem, Rome to St. Petersburg, Morocco to Istanbul. Here, we see the origins of Zionism and the rise of international Jewish consciousness; the grand humanitarian campaigns of the Anglo-Saxon world and the faltering birth of international human rights; the shifting relations between Christians, Jews and Muslims; European penetration of Palestine and the making of the modern Middle East.

Published by Harvard University Press, the biography coincides with the 150th anniversary of Montefiore's foundation of modern Jerusalem, and will be available from the 28th February 2010. See www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog/gremos.html for more information.