A brief overview of the history of Jewish life in Egypt. After looking briefly at the Exodus itself, we look at some major population centers in Elephantine, Alexandria, and Cairo, to the present day. To avoid any possible confusion: this lecture does not argue for continuity between the Jewish population described in the account of the Exodus and the communities that appear in the historical record in the centuries before the Common Era. Lecture delivered to Montefiore College, London, on March 15, 2021.

Brief d’var Torah on the third plague: lice. Part of a team-taught series from the Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst. To see the full playlist of congregant-generated content on the Ten Plagues, click here.

A brief look at the social and economic background of the post-Talmudic era in Baghdad, with an important digression into the 8th-10th century revolution in information technology that helped propel the authority and influence of the Geonim. The following video will look at the early history of North Africa, an area influenced by their scholarship but with a fascinating origin story as well. Join us for a live chat at 12 noon (New York time).

Premiering today at 12:00 noon ET.

Preliminary remarks on the study of the Jews in Africa, followed by The Jews of Ethiopia (origins to 1862). Premiering today at 12 noon ET.

Note: for some reason this particular topic attracts an unusual amount of inappropriate commentary. Scholarly, collegial discussion is welcomed here; but I intend to remove hateful remarks, and commentators who flagrantly disrespect others will be blocked from the channel. If this becomes too onerous a task I will simply turn off comments on the video. Please respect the learning community who gather here to discuss Jewish history.

Recommended reading:

Tudor Parfitt, Black Jews in Africa and the Americas (Harvard, 2013)

Steven Kaplan, The Beta Israel (Falasha) in Ethiopia: From Earliest Tiems to the Twentieth Century (New York University, 1992).

Jewish History Lab Report February 12, 2021

Jewish History Lab Lectures Scheduled for Next Week (Advance access for YouTube channel members at the Student Level)

49. Early Jewish Settlement in Spain (Scheduled for Sunday @ 1:00 PM ET)

50. Jews in Visigothic Spain (Scheduled for Monday @1:00 PM ET)

Researchers: The Amazing Journey of Yisrael Aharoni (hopefully releasing today, maybe early next week)

Colleagues: Live Classes:

Conversation with High School Students in Toronto Monday, February 15th, 8:30 PM ET

Becoming the People of the Byte: The Internet, the Talmud, and the Future of the Jewish People Tuesday, February 16th, 7:30 PM PT (10:30 ET)

Jews and the Birth of Islam Wednesday, February 17, 7:30 PM ET

Wednesday is open to channel members at the Colleague level: please contact me at henry@henryabramson.com if you need the link. Monday and Tuesday will require permission from the organizers, but write me early and I’ll see if we can put it together.

Have a wonderful Shabbos, weekend, and Rosh Hodesh Adar! HMA

Good morning fellow students of Jewish History! Do you watch the Jewish History Lab series? If so, please contribute your thoughts in this brief, anonymous survey. We’ll be starting the second semester later this month, and I value your opinion! https://bit.ly/jhljanuary2021

Sunday, January 10, 8pm. Sponsored by Congegration Darchei Noam of Fair Lawn, NJ.

Register at dno.am/5781/webinar.

Some historical reflections on the Fast of the 10th of Tevet.