The pioneering Jewish historian Graetz idealized Islamic rule as a golden era

Evidence

In contrast to his characterization of Jewish life under Christianity as an unremitting Leidensgeschichte [tale of tribulation], Graetz portrayed the Arab world as a safe haven for Jews, where “the sons of Judah were free to raise their heads, and did not need to look out with fear and humiliation. Unhindered, they were allowed to develop their powers in the midst of a free, simple, and talented people” (5:72). In sum, he refers to Islamic civilization as a “glorious page in the annals of the Jews” (5:72–73). — Ivan Davidson Kalmar, Derek Penslar, Orientalism and the Jews, 373

Categorization

• XREF: Reverses modern assumptions that Zionism/European Jewry exoticized Arabs as backward; early Wissenschaft scholars idealized Islam as tolerant.