FEAR NO PHARAOH: American Jews, the Civil War, and the Fight to End Slavery (coming 4/1/2025)

A dramatic history of how American Jews reckoned with slavery—and fought the Civil War.

Since ancient times, the Jewish people have recalled the story of Exodus and reflected on the implications of having been slaves. Did the tradition teach that Jews should speak out against slavery and oppression everywhere, or act cautiously to protect themselves in a hostile world? In Fear No Pharaoh, the journalist and historian Richard Kreitner sets this question at the heart of the Civil War era. Using original sources, he tells the intertwined stories of six American Jews who helped to shape a tumultuous time, including Judah Benjamin, the brilliant, secretive lawyer who became Jefferson Davis’s trusted confidante; Morris Raphall, a Swedish-born rabbi who defended slavery as biblically justified; and Raphall's rival rabbis—the celebrated Isaac Mayer Wise, who urged Jews to stay out of the slavery controversy to avoid attracting attention, and David Einhorn, whose fiery sermons condemning bondage led to a pro-slavery mob threatening his life. We also meet August Bondi, a veteran of Europe’s 1848 revolutions, who fought with John Brown in “Bleeding Kansas” and later in the Union Army, and the Polish émigré Ernestine Rose, a feminist, atheist, and abolitionist who championed “emancipation of all kinds.”

As he tracks these characters, Kreitner illuminates the shifting dynamics of Jewish life in America—and the debates about religion, morality, and politics that endure to this day.

PUBLICATION DATE: April 1, 2025… AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER HERE

BREAK IT UP: Secession, Division, and the Secret History of America’s Imperfect Union (2020; paperback 11/12/24)

"Break It Up  is a paradigm-transforming accomplishment. It finds an entire new story to tell about the sweep of American history, one that happens to be far truer to the actuality of that history than the story it replaces. I don't know if I've ever been more excited to endorse a new book." ― Rick  Perlstein, author of Reaganland

“Richard Kreitner’s recent book Break It Up is the fundamental text for this period.” —David Dayen, The American Prospect

“One of the boldest books I’ve read in recent years” —Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker

“Kreitner effectively cleans the window that stands between us and our history—or what we have believed about our history…. Richly researched, revelatory, disturbing, and essential to those wandering in the mists of American myth.” —Kirkus Reviews

"An eye-opening chronicle of separatist movements within the U.S.... makes a strong case that the impulse to dissolve the union will always resonate." —Publishers Weekly

"Break It Up  is at once extremely well written, deeply incisive about the prevalence of disunionist thought and movements throughout American history, and a passionate call for us today to reflect and reconsider some of our basic political commitments. Everyone interested in the past, present, and future of the United States would profit from closely reading and then discussing Richard Kreitner's truly provocative and challenging book." —Sanford Levinson, co-author of Fault Lines in the Constitution

"The United States have seldom been wholeheartedly united, as Richard Kreitner shows in this often surprising history of disunity, from Northern secession plans before the Civil War to plots for California's independence and a Singapore-style free New York City. The book is engaging and historically rich, and adds up to a new story of the country, one that opens questions about whether we belong together at all." —Jedediah Purdy, Columbia University and author of This Land is Our Land: The Struggle for a New Commonwealth

"If you think the United States only recently became fractious, fractured, and fragmented, Break It Up will shake you up. Richard Kreitner tells us a fresh, unsettling, and persistently entertaining story of disunity and secession as the great American way. From the colonial period through the Revolutionary War, familiar landmarks of founding history are seen a new light. The secessionism of the Confederacy takes on unexpected qualities, as do 20th century black separatism, the 1960's counterculture, and feminism, among other things. This book will change what you thought you knew." —William Hogeland, author of Autumn of the Black Snake

"As politicians and pundits lament polarization and partisanship, this fiery and fresh exploration of the idea of disunion across four centuries helps us understand how today's fractured landscape is not a new development, but a return, as Kreitner writes, to the 'ever-present battle over the past and for the future'-and for the soul of America." —Katrina vanden Heuvel, Editorial Director and Publisher of The Nation

"Generations of Americans have been taught that our political system is an ideal balance that works wonderfully well. Today it's becoming increasingly difficult to believe that. In this climate, Break It Up is perfectly timed. It tells us where our national experiment went wrong - and proposes a boldly appealing alternative." —Stephen Kinzer, Boston Globe columnist and author of Poisoner in Chief

"If you thought disunion was an invention of the slave South and is long dead and buried, think again. In Break It Up, Richard Kreitner offers a powerful revisionist account of the troubled history of the American nation, showing how secessionist movements have made their appearance at numerous times, and in numerous parts of the country. They are again proliferating today - a reflection of our polarized politics and culture and our failure to make the existing Union benefit all Americans." —Eric Foner, Columbia University, author of The Fiery Trial

"Richard Kreitner's Break It Up is an intelligent, fascinating and important look at the long history of secessionist movements in the United States. From before the Revolution and the Civil War to the rise of Trump, these such deunionist efforts have sought to break up the United States in different ways and parts. While breaking up the nation makes little sense, these lessons of these movements carry with them a kernel of wisdom. Ours is a federalist system and Americans vote not just with the ballot but with our feet. We may be better able to salve our differences and coexist as a nation of different political persuasions by shifting power from our increasingly dysfunctional federal government to states and localities." —Richard Florida, author of The Rise of the Creative Class

“[T]his book offers a powerful and refreshing account on disunity in America and helps us understand more about today’s political fragmentation under state and national governments.” —Library Journal

BOOKED: A Traveler’s Guide to Literary Locations Around the World (2019)

"For some readers, the printed page isn't enough. With this book, they can continue the story by going to the source, whether than means Forks, Washington (Twilight), Segovia, Spain (For Whom the Bell Tolls) or London (White Teeth)." ―The Washington Post, 2019 Holiday Gift Guide

"Literary sites to be added to any reader's itinerary, including Thoreau's Massachusetts cabin, the Monroeville County Courthouse where Atticus Finch made his case for the defense, and the Mexico City cafe that inspired Robert Bolaño." ―The New York Times, 2019 Holiday Gift Guide

"If you like exploring real places related to literature, this book is a good place to start." ―GeekDad