Bernard Dov Cooperman, “Review of ‘Mediterranean Enlightenment: Livornese Jews, Tuscan Culture, and Eighteenth-Century Reform’, by Francesca Bregoli,” AJS Review 39:2 (November 2015): 452-454 (original) (raw)

This review critically examines Francesca Bregoli's work, 'Mediterranean Enlightenment: Livornese Jews, Tuscan Culture, and Eighteenth-Century Reform', highlighting its contributions to the understanding of Jewish modernization in Livorno. Bregoli explores the dynamics of Jewish cultural identity amid Enlightenment ideas, revealing a complex interplay between traditional practices and modern influences. The review commends Bregoli for addressing significant questions about the unique circumstances of Livorno's Jewish community, as it successfully navigated modernization without losing its communal identity.