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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Ethical Literature (Mussar) in Jewish History: A Personal Reading List
Good morning fellow students of Jewish history! Today is the Rosh Hodesh Elul, the beginning of the month of Elul, initiating the annual season of introspection leading up to the High Holidays. I’ve prepared this brief video that surveys some of the most important works of the literary tradition that make up the loosely-organized Mussar…
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My lecture on the History of Antisemitism, censored by YouTube, is now back online. Here’s the takeaways.
Join me at 12 noon (ET) for a live chat on this topic. Here’s the link to the controversial video (my part starts around 41:00).
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My Father and Maimonides: A Personal Message
My father passed away on the 11th of Av, seven years ago. I miss him.
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Sectarian Infighting and the Fall of Jerusalem: Today at 1pm, 7pm ET
1pm on YouTube (pre-recorded with live chat), 7pm live presentation at Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst.
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Sectarian Infighting and the Fall of Jerusalem: Tisha B’Av lecture for Sunday
Good morning fellow students of Jewish history. In a few hours we will begin Shabbat Hazon, marking the last transition to Tisha B’Av, the most tragic day in the Jewish calendar. As in previous years, I hope to lecture on the history of the Roman-Jewish war that resulted in the destruction of the Temple. This…
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Regarding my recently censored video on the history of antisemitism
I wasn’t surprised that YouTube censored my recent video as “Hate Speech.” It’s happened before.
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Antisemitism: Mutations of the Eternal Virus (Recording of Webinar)
Recording of today’s webinar; the introduction begins at 36:00 and the presentation begins at 42:00. Difficult topic.
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Banning critical race theory will gut the teaching of Jewish history
No responsible teacher wants to teach students to “hate each other” or “hate America.” But we all participate in a sacred covenant with our students: They expect us to tell them the truth. Please click here to read this article on JTA.
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Antisemitism: Mutations of the Eternal Virus (Sunday, 1pm ET)
Please join me on Sunday, July 11 for a panel discussion on the history of antisemitism, appropriate for the Nine Days. Discussants include Professor Adam Mendelsohn, director of the Kaplan Centre for Jewish Studies & Research and Associate Professor of History at the University of Cape Town, Professor Karen Milner, Gauteng Chair of the SA Jewish Board of…
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The Insults of Exile: Historical Reflections for the Three Weeks
A brief sampling of some of the humiliations of exile that the Jewish people endured over their millennial exile, shocking yet overshadowed by the far greater tragedies of violent massacres. Lecture delivered on the 17th of Tammuz, on Zoom and live at the Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst. Premiere with live chat scheduled for Sunday, July…
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Thirty-Six righteous Students now studying the history of Ashkenaz!
Hello students of Jewish history! I am very pleased to let you know that we now have a very auspicious number of students in this new experimental online course, A Thousand Years of Ashkenaz. I know some of them from earlier interactions on YouTube and in selected classes, and it promises to be a lively…
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A Thousand Years of Ashkenaz: New Online Course!
Hello fellow students of Jewish history! Here’s a new experimental online course. Please click here for a look at what’s going on: A Thousand Years of Ashkenaz.
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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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.
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Rashi (Letters Flying Free, Part 1)
Revered for centuries as Rabban shel Yisrael (“the Teacher of All Israel”), Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki’s writings on the Torah has earned primacy among all commentators: clear and straightforward enough for children yet sophisticated for the most learned elder. His spiritual leadership was tested at the end of his life with the tragedy and devastation of…
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
Jewish Resilience After October 7; American Jews, Post-Honeymoon; The Jews of Al-Andalus
Three Strategies
Jews under the Visigoths II; The Spanish Golden Age
Public at 10am ET (44 minutes)
Online Courses in Jewish History
Jewish Life in Visigothic Spain; Commemorating October 7
This is one of the most bizarre periods of Jewish history, and that’s saying a lot.
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
