Category: Jewish Biography as History

Monday Night in Brooklyn

Who was Josephus, the Roman Jew?

As a youth, he was dazzled by the brilliance of Rome, an experience that ultimately led him to betray his people and join Vespasian’s army in the first Roman-Jewish war. He watched the Temple burn in Jerusalem, and in Rome he lived a life of luxury as Jewish prisoners of war were taken to the city and enslaved. His account of the war and his massive books on Jewish history offer an unparalleled look into the ancient world: do his final books indicate regret of his youthful choices?

The opening lecture of the Jewish History @ J series for Spring 2019 is scheduled for 7:00 pm (prompt) at the mighty Avenue J campus of Touro College, 1602 Avenue J. Free and open to the community. No hard questions, please.

The Jewish History @ J series of lectures is a service to the larger New York community of Jewish History enthusiasts. Please consider supporting our student Jewish History Scholarships with a donation or by sponsoring a lecture for $500.

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Who Was Joshua?

The Bible describes how the Jewish people, emerging from Egyptian servitude and decades of wandering in the Sinai desert, followed Joshua’s military leadership to conquer the Land of Israel and establish the ancient foundations of their Torah-centered society. This lecture will survey the archeological and historical record to understand the larger context of the Biblical account.

Part II of the lecture series “ISRAEL: The Land and its People” offered during the Spring 2017 semester at the mighty Avenue J campus of Touro College. Free and open to the community. Sponsorships are available at bit.ly/thefriendsofjewishhistory.

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Who Was Rav Kook?

Mystic and early Zionist, Rabbi Avraham Isaac Kook’s challenging and eclectic philosophy has inspired generations of Jews since his passing in 1935. Often misunderstood, Rav Kook’s role as one of the principal Rabbinic figures of the era was foundational for establishing a religious ideology for the the modern, secular and democratic state of Israel.

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Who Was Franz Kafka?

Titled “poet of shame and guilt” by a recent biographer, Franz Kafka’s early twentieth-century writings have challenged generations of readers worldwide. Inspired in part by his early infatuation with his Jewish background, his haunting and opaque tales continued to be studied as statements of the modern condition.

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Who Was Janusz Korczak?

I really got a lot out of researching Korczak’s life and work. Personal recommendation!

Heroic pioneer of modern educational theory, Henryk Goldszmit (who wrote under the pen name Janusz Korzcak) ran an orphanage in the beleaguered Warsaw Ghetto, ultimately accompanying his youthful charges to the gas chambers of Treblinka.
Part of the Jewish History @ J series. Free and open to the community as a public service of the Mighty Avenue J Campus of Touro College.

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