Heritage - Civilization and the Jews

Rating:
Summary: superb! Teaches us that Jews and christians are brothers
Review: and sisters. One realizes how alike we are andwonder how we could have persecuted our Jewish brothers for the past 2000 years.

Rating:
Summary: superb! Teaches us that Jews and christians are brothers
Review: and sisters. One realizes how alike we are andwonder how we could have persecuted our Jewish brothers for the past 2000 years.

Rating:
Summary: Heritage Civilization & the Jews by Abba Eban
Review: I thought the documentry was thought provoking, and set a good example of what documentries should convey -- "the facts" -- minus "too much" so-called "perspective". I took an amature film-making class years ago, and as much as I like classic films; it is always super to view "factual" documentries (minus the "revisionist" approach to manipulating the facts!) The legacy of the relative time factor puts adequate perspective on such "factual" documentries. It's NOT a regular movie after all -- it's a "review of historical facts". ... Thank you for the great books, and service you provide at Amazon.com. :)

Rating:
Summary: A SEMI SEMITIC (NON ARABIC) PERSPETIVE
Review: On the noble, high-minded end of the DVD spectrum is the magnificent, three disc, nine part series "HERITAGE: CIVILIZATION AND THE JEWS" (Home Vision Entertainment). Hosted by Abba Eban, former Israeli Ambassador to the United States, this absorbing Peabody Award winning series is nothing less than a look at five thousand years of history and culture. From the shores of the Dead Sea, to a Greek amphitheater in Delphi, from the ashes of concentration camps to the villages of modern Israel, "Heritage" attempts to bring into a highly personalized focus the long and complex history of Jewish cultural history and its intersection with Western Civilization. Ambassador Eban calls it a "a celebration of our common humanistic and moral heritage..."

This highly absorbing epic is an often somber overview that's skewed through the admittedly rear view mirror of selective historical interpretation. It raises as many questions as it attempts to answer. A hot button subject that is a flashpoint in todays information driven global culture. This is a vivid and elegant execution of a 20 year project from 13/WNET New York that's supplemented by a DVD-ROM (PC only) that's a huge treasure trove of over 7000 multimedia elements -- articles, essays, maps, documents and interactive presentations. Highly recommended for consideration as we wage war for and against belief systems and seek unifying definitions of life itself.

Rating:
Summary: Re-issue of a great documentary from the 1980s
Review: This DVD is a re-issue of a 9-hour mini-series that first aired in the 1980s, and was recently (Nov-Dec. 2001) aired again on PBS. Each segment is 1 hour long, making it a useful tool in history classes covering many different periods. Since the "history of civilization" textbooks rarely mention what the Jews were doing in the 1900-year period between the rise of Christianity and the Nazi Holocaust, this series plays an important role in helping to make the curriculum more inclusive. Plus, The DVD version has a lot of additional resource materials not in the original PBS series.

Regarding classroom appropriateness in public schools, this is a documentary, not a "religion" series. Yes, the series does talk about religion in some places, but it's called "Civilization and the Jews" for a reason. To be Jewish is not just a "religion," it is also a culture, with its own art, music, literature, etc. The approach is a mix of history, theology, archaeology, art, architecture, etc. that is intended to inform, not preach. The series clearly shows how Jews have contributed to the various civilizations where they lived, and how, in turn, the Jews benefitted from interaction with many of the different cultures where the Jewish communities were located. Yes, it also covers the pesecutions of the Jews, but it's well-balanced with positive experiences and events. Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: This nine-part documentary is not only a history of the Jews, it's a history of the western world! Hundreds of thousands of dollars were probably spent in the production of this series. Abba Eban takes the viewer all over the world to examine one of the world's most gifted and intriguing people - the Jews. These tapes will not put you to sleep. The music and images allows the viewer to relive Jewish history. And consequently, come to understand the world we live in today much better. I know the tapes are pricey, but own this documentary if you ever have the chance. You'll never regret it.

Rating:
Summary: Heritage Civilization & the Jews by Abba Eban
Review: WOW! This is an incredible set to have. The DVD is a reprint from a PBS special in 1984 (Peabody winner, at that). Abba Eban is an incredible, captivating speaker. My only problem is that there is so much information, I can only watch about two hours at a time. This is a must have whether you are Jewish or not. The series pulls together world history unlike any class I took in college. The addition of the DVD-Rom with tons of maps, historical documents, and video clips is awesome. It has answered most of the questions I had, and let me view a moving graphical history by sliding the scroll bar. Super buy for a history buff!

Rating:
Summary: Heritage - Civilization and the Jews DVD
Review: WOW! This is an incredible set to have. The DVD is a reprint from a PBS special in 1984 (Peabody winner, at that). Abba Eban is an incredible, captivating speaker. My only problem is that there is so much information, I can only watch about two hours at a time. This is a must have whether you are Jewish or not. The series pulls together world history unlike any class I took in college. The addition of the DVD-Rom with tons of maps, historical documents, and video clips is awesome. It has answered most of the questions I had, and let me view a moving graphical history by sliding the scroll bar. Super buy for a history buff!