Maristella Botticini and Zvi Eckstein apply economic analysis to fifteen centuries of Jewish history, explaining how a group of Near Eastern farmers transformed into literate urbanites specializing in crafts, trade, and money lending. The authors, economists at Boston University and Tel Aviv University, argue that this transformation began not with exclusion from agriculture or persecution but with an internal religious development: the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE and the subsequent rabbinic requirement that Jewish fathers educate their sons in Torah. When literacy was economically useless, this religious mandate caused many Jews to convert to Christianity rather than bear education's costs. But when urbanization and trade expanded during the Abbasid caliphate, literacy became valuable, and Jews found themselves advantageously positioned. The book traces Jewish migration following economic opportunity from Mesopotamia to North Africa, Europe, and eventually the New World. Botticini and Eckstein challenge explanations that emphasize persecution, arguing instead that Jews entered particular occupations because their human capital suited them, not because alternatives were forbidden. Their analysis integrates demographic data, legal sources, and economic theory into a compelling narrative. The book demonstrates how religious choices made for spiritual reasons can have profound material consequences across centuries.