The Jews of Bukhara (Sunday in Denver); the Maimonidean Controversy; Save the Date for Roslyn NY
Really looking forward to speaking to the Or Avner community in Aurora, CO!

The Maimonidean Controversy
Save the Date: Shabbaton in Roslyn NY, December 20-21

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Faculty Colloquium Invitation
Videoconference link: Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://zoom.us/j/7186385458 Or iPhone one-tap (US Toll): +14086380968,7186385458# or +16465588656,7186385458# Or Telephone: Dial: +1 408 638 0968 (US Toll) or +1 646 558 8656 (US Toll) Meeting ID: 718 638 5458 International numbers available: https://zoom.us/zoomconference?m=30Usrg3JHXCdvXk7rk3huvZeSoE2JRQ9 RSVP Here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/touro-college-avenue-j-faculty-colloquium-dr-henry-abramson-tickets-32120484233
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Who Was Saadia Gaon? LettersFlyingFree Part III
Responding to the attraction of Islamic philosophy to Jews living in Muslim lands, Sa’adia composed a highly influential work in the 10th-century Kalam style that influenced generations of thinkers. A pugnacious and principled thinker, he engaged in several heated debates with politically powerful rivals including David ben Zakkai, who forced Sa’adia into exile. When ben…
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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…
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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 Emma Goldman?
“If I can’t dance to it, it isn’t my revolution!” A fiery orator and fearless iconoclast, Emma Goldman was one of the most notorious and controversial left-wing thinkers of turn-of-the 20th century America.
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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?
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.
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Who Was the Chazon Ish?
Widely regarded as one of the most brilliant experts in Jewish law of the twentieth century, the Chazon Ish played a major role in the development of the modus vivendi between secular and religious Israelis.
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Who Was Elie Wiesel?
Elie Wiesel was a Nobel laureate for literature and a relentless champion of human rights. His best known work is Night, based on his experiences in the Holocaust.
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Who Was Abraham?
Named in the Torah as “the father of many peoples,” Abraham the Patriarch is revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims as the original proponent of monotheism. This lecture will survey what the archeological and historical record reveals about the demographic, economic, and cultural environment in Israel when the Patriarchs and Matriarchs walked the land.
The Jews of Bukhara (Denver, CO); The Jews of the Lesser Antilles; Varieties of Crypto-Jewish Identity; Wait, Alexander Hamilton was Jewish?
Looking forward to a wonderful Shabbat in the Denver Jewish community!

Our Itinerary of Discovery in the Western Caribbean
Channel Members
Premiering at 10am ET
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What is a “Moser”? The ugly, complicated history of Judaism’s most dangerous accusation
Thanks to Laura Adkins and Philissa Cramer for really strong edits in today’s article in JTA. (JTA) The intermediate days of Sukkot in the holy city of Brooklyn are normally a time of singing, prayer and communal fellowship. This year the celebrations were marred by violence. Egged on by a rabble-rousing individual who literally wore a political bumper sticker on…
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Hasidism, Suffering, and Renewal
Hasidism, Suffering, and Renewal: The Prewar and Holocaust Legacy of Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Shapira. Forthcoming June 2021.
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We’ve Been Here Before. At Least Twice.
Some thoughts on what the pandemic means for Jewish history. Welcome to the Future, Third Time Around Historians Will Mark 2020 as a Revolutionary Year for Higher Education October 05, 2020 Dr. Henry Abramson Dr. Henry Abramson, historian and dean of Touro’s Lander College of Arts & Sciences, puts the transition to remote learning into…
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Speaking to 8th Graders at Pace Academy, Atlanta
Really honored to speak to Ms. Kathie Larkin’s bright, motivated 8th graders today about the Holocaust. Thank you Pace Academy for giving me the opportunity to interact with some wonderful young minds! Here’s a brief article on the talk.
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AKEIDA: A Conversation on The Binding of Isaac in Jewish History and Thought
Genesis 22–the description of the patriarch Abraham’s binding of his son Isaac and the angelic intervention that followed–is a key text in the Jewish tradition, and forms part of the Torah reading for Rosh Hashanah. Join philosopher Dr. Michael Chighel (Milton Friedman Egyetem, Budapest) and historian Dr. Henry Abramson (Touro College, New York) for a…
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Plagues, Pandemics, and Preparation for the High Holidays
A brief overview of infectious disease in Jewish history from ancient times to the present COVID-19 era, and then some thoughts on how to prepare for the High Holidays based on Maimonides’ work on repentance. Join me today for a live chat and premiere of this lecture at 3PM EDT today.
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Black Jews: A Conversation with Nissim Black
A conversation with Nissim Black and Henry Abramson, moderated by Mordechai Yosef ben Avraham. The panelists and moderator will explore the idea of race and color in Jewish history and culture, and discuss the African and African-American Jewish experience over the centuries and in contemporary America, Europe and Israel. Recognizing that the world is at…
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Maimonides: Life, Work and the Ways of Teshuvah
New class on Maimonides’ life, work and a mini-class on his Ways of Teshuvah for the month of Elul. Enjoy in good health! This video discusses the 8th edition of Maimonides on Teshuvah, with a commentary written during the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic.
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Black Jews: Their Place in History, A Conversation with Nissim Black
A conversation with Nissim Black and Henry Abramson, moderated by Mordechai Yosef ben Avraham. The panelists and moderator will explore the idea of race and color in Jewish history and culture, and discuss the African and African-American Jewish experience over the centuries and in contemporary America, Europe and Israel. Recognizing that the world is at…
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Maimonides: Wisdom for a Pandemic Season
Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon (Maimonides, 1138-1204) was one of the towering figures of medieval Jewish thought, casting a long shadow even today. Renowned in his own day as a world-famous physician to royalty, he offered guidance both physical and spiritual in a time of pandemic. This lecture will review his life and work, including the controversy…
Visits to Synagogues in Bordeaux and Libourne (France); Another Open Letter to Jewish Participants in anti-Israel Protests re: Amsterdam; Conference Presentation on Sheptytsky and WW II
Fantastic Voyage of Discovery with Kosher River Cruises
A Difficult Conversation
Recent Conference Presentation in Toronto
Wait, Christopher Columbus was Jewish? Documentary on Roman-Jewish War now Online
Surprised how much attention this got.
Herod’s Tragic Reign
The Fatal Conflict
How Jewish Culture will Thrive after October 7; The Jews of Al-Andalus Part II
Remarks at Lander College for Men
Maimonides and the Controversy over His Work
Jews under the Visigoths II; The Spanish Golden Age
Public at 10am ET (44 minutes)
Online Courses in Jewish History



New Lecture Series: The Sweep of Sephardic History; Faith in Times of Crisis: Commemorating the Tragedy of October 7
New Lecture Series: The History of Sephardic Jewry




