A portrayal of more than 500 years of the Jewish Diaspora -- from the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492, to the emigration of Soviet Jews from Russia following the Six Day War in Israel, in 1967. It makes 12 stops through history, carrying readers through the economic, political, social, and intellectual climates of some of the world¿s most famous cosmopolitan centers -- at the same time focusing on the lives of individuals. Includes: the Spanish merchant and poet Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508), the French soldier Alfred Dreyfus (1859-1935), and the American writer and editor Abraham Cahan (1860-1951), among many others. ¿An impressive and immensely readable book that is an important contribution to the literature of Jewish history.¿ Illustrations.