The Jewish Encounter with Rome
Lectures resume Wednesday, September 7 at 7:30 pm ET, at the Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst. Free and open to the community. The live Zoom webcast will be available to YILC members and members of my YouTube Channel at the Colleague level (sorry, some of material is a little too challenging for open access to the wider internet–I hope to record briefer, simpler versions for eventual posting).
The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara
DNA confirms Ashkenazic identity of bodies found at bottom of 12th c. well
Chapter 9: The Birth of Christianity
Students registered for the Biblical Jewish history course: please note that the draft text of Chapter 8 (Judea under Rome) is now complete and ready for your comments. The introduction to Chapter 9: The Birth of Christianity is now uploaded and the rest of the chapter will be forthcoming over the next few weeks.
Online Courses
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Recommended Reading for Elul
I just enjoyed your video on Cecil Roth. While I studied with Professor Roth at Queen College I did not know that I might have been one of his last students. I wrote an undergraduate honors college paper (required for honors college students) and completed it just before he returned to Israel. It was only through your video that I learned that he actually died a month or so after I had his approval on my paper. Professor Roth had a profound impact on my life and my decision to be an academic although he might not have approved of where my research and career went. However, as I approach retirement (or move to professor emeritus) I do think he would take some satisfaction of know one of his students became the holder of an endowed chair at the University of Michigan.
I am sorry I was not aware of your tours but as I am will be living in NYC full time after this academic year I shall make an effort to follow you and your work.
MSR
Dear Dr. Abramson.
I am fascinated by the following sentence that I found today on Google:- The lands of Rus’ Khaganate and Kievan Rus’ were important trade routes and connected Scandinavia, Byzantine Empire, Rus’ people and Volga Bulgaria with Khazaria and Persia.
My mother’s family were Ukrainian Jews. When I did a Genome test with National Geographic, I was informed that my very ancient maternal ancestors were Celtic. Since Scandanavians have Celtic DNA, I now understand the connection to my family.
This Google phrase may also help explain Persian facial and personality features of some Ashkenazi Jews because I assume that many of these traders were Jews and prbably settled along the Ukrainian portion of the trade route.
The possible historic link between Persian Jews and Ashkenaz is not well know or understood. I hope that one day you will be able to synthesize the availabe research to help me understand why I feel related to the Persian immigrants here in MONtreal. I dont expect you will be able to corroborate my mothers Celtic genes.:-)