In the Midst of Civilized Europe: The Pogroms of 1918-1921 and the Onset of the Holocaust.

The article reviews Jeffrey Veidlinger's book *In the Midst of Civilized Europe: The Pogroms of 1918–1921 and the Onset of the Holocaust*, which examines the large-scale anti-Jewish pogroms in Ukraine during the post-World War I revolutionary period, resulting in over one hundred thousand Jewish deaths. Veidlinger details the social and economic contexts preceding the violence, the roles of various military forces—including those under Symon Petliura and Anton Denikin—and the motivations behind the pogroms, such as economic gain, religious hatred, and anti-Bolshevik sentiment. The book also explores the pogroms' aftermath, including Jewish refugee crises and shifts toward Soviet power, as well as the complex legacy linking these events to later Holocaust violence. While praised for its detailed narratives and insights, the book's argument connecting the 1918–1921 pogroms to those in 1941 is questioned based on geographic evidence, and some presentation aspects, like small maps and lack of a bibliography, are noted.