From Betty Jean Lifton’s biography, citing Korczak’s memoirs of his years working in the Jewish Orphanage of Warsaw (How to Love a Child): An eight-year old boy woke with a toothache.  Grabbing Korczak’s hand, he spilled out his anguish: “…then my mother died.  Then I was sent to my grandmother, but she also died.  Then…

If so, here’s two great causes to add to your list. Jewish History @ Avenue J Scholarship Fund goes directly to support undergraduate students at the Mighty Avenue J campus of Touro College. Friends of Jewish History supports the public Jewish history lecture series. Nu? Make your Bubbie proud, do something good. Thanks! (Can’t see the…

Friends and colleagues! One of our core values is that high-quality, academic information on Jewish history should be FREE. We’re very proud of our altruistic approach, and we don’t want to change. At the same time, we have a Jewish History student intern to support, a shoestring advertising budget to spread the word, and of…

Good morning fans of Jewish History! Really pleased to have positive response on the beautiful Jewish History bookmarks we’ve been sending out (send your mailing address if you’d like one)! Thanks to donors Max Sklar and Suzanne Parella who recently contributed to the Jewish History Scholarship Fund for our students. Meanwhile, we’re still looking for…

Brief overview of the controversy that surrounded the writings of Rabbi Moses Maimonides. Lecture delivered at the Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst.

Love Jewish history, especially when spiced with radical politics? Consider clicking right here to sponsor Monday night’s lecture on Emma Goldman, dubbed “the most dangerous woman in America” by the FBI! Here’s a video featuring a few of her comments after briefly returning to America fifteen years after she was deported to the Soviet Union.  My favorite…

Hello fans of Jewish History! Just an important reminder that we will NOT be having a lecture in Brooklyn on Monday, November 14, 2016.  I’ll be returning from Toronto, where I’m serving as a scholar-in-residence at the Westmount Shul and Learning Center.  I’m honored that the paid events are sold out, but guests are welcome…

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.

“Who Was Vladimir Jabotinsky?” is sponsored by Norman and Bridgette Robinson in memory of Leona Robinson of blessed memory. In the words of her son, she was “an avid reader who loved history” who would have enjoyed this lecture. Thank to the Robinsons for becoming the first members of the Friends of Jewish History! Their…

Hello fans of Jewish History! We have some very exciting plans developing for the Fall 2016 lecture series. I’m thinking about organizing a live webcast, live Q&A sessions, and a few other really cool things. We are thinking about how we can bring the lectures to a new level of technical quality, and that’s where you…

Hey, here’s a nice article that Elisheva Schlam put on the Touro College website. They even splurged for a new headshot (above).  I like it, but it makes me look about ten years older than the last one we took, about a decade ago.  View the article in its original context, or read below. This…

I am grateful to Rebecca Odessa, an exceptionally talented artist, who recently created thirteen startling and powerful illustrations of the Thirteen Levels of Mercy as described in Rabbi Moshe Cordovero’s Date Palm of Devorah.  I am so pleased that my translation and commentary, entitled The Kabbalah of Forgiveness, helped her clarify her vision and translate it into these…

Maybe this you’ll like? Maimonides on Teshuvah: The Ways of Repentance Click here for the first chapter and some cool videos on the book. Here’s another book that’s super-appropriate for the High Holidays.  Excellent personal reading, and if someone is really angry with you, makes a great gift! (I have given it to several of…

Hello fellow students of Jewish history! I’m very proud to announce the Fall 2016 schedule of lectures in Jewish history, featuring the Jewish History @ J series at the Mighty Avenue J campus of Touro College!  Please visit this link for the full calendar, with photos and descriptions: https://jewishhistorylectures.org/upcoming-public-lectures/ Last year, without even trying, we received…