The acclaimed historian explores the myths and realities of life for Jews in the Arab world from the mid-nineteenth century through the twentieth. In the 1850s, it was widely believed that Jewish life in Arab lands was peaceful. Jews were protected by law and suffered much less violence, persecution, and inequality. But in this revelatory history, Georges Bensoussan takes a nuanced looks through the history of Jewish-Arab relations in Arab countries. He finds that there is little truth to the myth, and instead shows a history of interrelationship that is not only diverse, but deals with local differences in cultural, religious, and political practice. Bensoussan traces this complex history from 1850 through both world wars and on to the establishment of Israel and the Arab Wars. A new afterword continues the history of Jewish and Arab relations into the present day. Through this long-view analysis, Bensoussan has determined that the history of Jews in Arab countries is a history of slowly disintegrating relationships, increasing tension, violence, and persecution.