Continuing his comprehensive survey of the large pre-Holocaust Jewish communities of eastern Europe--v.1 covers 1350-1881, v.2 covers 1881-1914, Polonsky (Holocaust studies, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and Brandeis U.) presents their history from World War I to the end of 2008. Dispelling misconceptions about the diverse Jewish populations in Poland and Russia of this period, he traces the new Jewish politics with its emphasis on peoplehood rather than religion as the marker of modern Jewish identity in its socialist and Zionist permutations, the backlash of traditionalists, devastating impact of the World Wars, and post-war conditions under Soviet-style communism and its collapse. The volume includes period maps, demographic tables, and an extensive bibliography. Distributed in the US by ISBS. Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)