Dr. James Martin, chairman of Campbell University’s Department of Government, History and Justice, published a review in the summer 2005 edition of the professional journal, “History: Reviews of New Books.” A collection of essays, “Jews and the State: Dangerous Alliances and the Perils of Privilege,” by Ezra Mendelsohn, constitutes the 19th volume of the Studies in Contemporary Jewry series produced by the Avraham Harman Institute of Contemporary Jewry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The underlying theme of the volume, Martin determined, is that while some Jews have historically enjoyed certain benefits in non-Jewish societies, these benefits have led to accommodation and/or assimilation on the part of the Jewish community, as well as anti-Semitism from those resentful of this “privileged status” that Jews have enjoyed. Although complimentary, Martin’s review describes the volume as being “too broad” to be used as a primary text for a course on the history of Judaism, but recommends it as a supplementary work for such a class. Martin, who has also researched Jewish settlements in North Carolina, has presented papers at numerous conferences, most recently at the North Carolina Association of Historians. Martin’s research includes studying the Jewish settlements found in the towns of Warrenton, Statesville, Madison, Yanceyville, Mount Gilead/Troy, Gastonia, Hickory, Asheville, Hendersonville, and Boone. He is currently working on a book dealing with Jewish history in North Carolina. Martin is a cum laude graduate of Duke University. He received a Master of Arts degree from East Carolina University and a Ph.D. from Emory University. He is a past president of the Association of Historians in North Carolina. Martin joined the Campbell University faculty in 1991.
Martin reviews volume dealing with studies in contemporary Jewry