Really looking forward seeing my friends at YILC!

Lectures in Jewish History and Thought. No hard questions, please.





The Nuremberg Laws of 1935 defined, for the purposes of the Nazi regime, exactly who was considered a Jew. This was an essential element in the unfolding of the Holocaust, as the Nuremberg Laws allowed the Nazis to first identify, then exclude, and finally attempt to eliminate Jews from German society. Part of the “This…

Briefly but notoriously mentioned in both Josephus and the Gospels, Salome was the granddaughter of King Herod who is best known for a salacious performance that resulted in the execution of John the Baptist. Who was Salome, and does her bit part play a significant role in the representation of Jews and Judaism in medieval…

Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai (d. c. 85 ce) was one of the most influential figures in ancient Jewish history. Emerging from the ruins of the destroyed Temple, Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai led the Jewish people through the dangerous first years after the devastation of the last remnants of their state by the Romans. A disciple…

I’ve been selected as a presenter to speak about my latest book, The Kabbalah of Forgiveness: The Thirteen Levels of Mercy in Rabbi Moshe Cordovero’s Tomer Devorah (The Date Palm of Devorah). Please check out the Limmud’s Facebook Page or website for more information (the full schedule and list of presenters will be live in December). Hope…

Concise video lecture describing the four main expressions of antisemitic ideology in the medieval period. Warning: images are disturbing. Breaking the history of antisemitism into four major periods (Ancient Xenophobia, Early Christian Anti-Judaism, Medieval Jew-hatred, and Modern Antisemitism), Dr. Abramson focusses on the third period to look at the ideological basis for the false…

The Jewish Biography as History series at the Young Israel of Bal Harbour continues this week with a presentation on Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai, a major figure whose bold and heroic leadership rescued the Jewish people from the threat of national oblivion in the wake of the destruction of Jerusalem in the first century. Lectures…

An introductory lecture on the role of Jews in the medieval economy. Part of the Essential Lectures in Jewish History series.

I’m so glad that so many of you decided to download my latest book, “The Kabbalah of Forgiveness: The Thirteen Levels of Mercy in Rabbi Moshe Cordovero’s Date Palm of Devorah (Tomer Devorah).” I’m also very grateful that many of you have found this work meaningful, especially in the rare moment of the season of…

This lecture serves as an introduction to the Rishonim, a body of Rabbinic scholars associated with the 9th through the 15th centuries of the common era. Part of the Essential Lectures in Jewish History series. Image source: Wikimedia Commons.


Here’s your opportunity to get an advance look at the first volume of my forthcoming The Jewish People: A History. Dear fellow students of Jewish History! I am in the last few months of producing the manuscript of volume one of my forthcoming book, The Jewish People: A History. I’ve been trying an experiment in…

Official languages of the seminar are Ukrainian and English, with simultaneous translation. The conference is open to the public. Here is a brief translation of the program with the full details in Ukrainian below. Petliura and “The Petliura Affair:” De(constructing) an Imperial Myth Friday, April 29, 2022, 10:00am-1:00pm ET Via Zoom: http://www.bit.ly/HREC-Petliura. Zoom address: 874…

Professor Norman Golb’s amazing, old-school discovery in the British Library collection of Geniza documents. The Sabbatean Episode (The Ashkenazium Lectures Part VI) New Chapters appearing in Biblical Jewish History Course

Wishing you all a redemptive Passover season.

“My parents went to Mt. Ebal and all I got was this lousy lead curse tablet.” This video is part of the Biblical Jewish History online course (click here for information and registration). Judaism in Medieval Ashkenaz (The Ashkenazium Lectures Part 3) Passover Thoughts on Jewish History and the Situation in Ukraine Lecture delivered as…

The History of the Jews of Ukraine in the Context of the Current Crisis The Social and Economic Foundations of Medieval Ashkenaz Premiering today at 11:00 am EDT (New York Time). Join us for a live chat (58m). Online Courses
Really proud of my son Aryeh for his upcoming competition at the 2022 Maccabiah games in Shotokan Karate. Please consider support his mission by clicking here: https://secure2.convio.net/musa/site/TR;jsessionid=00000000.app208a?px=1099195&fr_id=1160&pg=personal&NONCE_TOKEN=E0AB7F850711AC3D5904F77E36715460 Well done Aryeh! Thank you all!

The first in a series of twelve lectures delivered at The Ashkenazium of Budapest. Join us at 11:00 am (New York time) for a premiere and live chat. The last four lectures will be delivered on Monday and Tuesday: sign up for free registration at http://www.bit.ly/ASHKENAZ2022. The Jews and D-Day Did you know that some…

Join me for a discussion of the economic, social, political and religious background of the violent Khmel’nyts’kyi Uprising of 1648-49. Trigger warning: some cherished, yet incorrect, stereotypes may be challenged. Video with live chat.

With gratitude to The Ashkenazium and its Dean, Dr. Michael Chighel, I am pleased to offer twelve lectures on the history of Jews in Ashkenaz to the global audience. Please visit http://www.bit.ly/ASHKENAZ2022 to register for free! Can’t make the live classes? No problem. Sign up for the course I put together to prepare my Hungarian…

Twelve Lectures on the Jews of Ashkenaz (Free Registration) With gratitude to Dean Michael Chighel of The Ashkenazium of Budapest, my new series of lectures on the history of the Jews of Ashkenaz will be open to the global community of students of Jewish history via webinar. Please visit http://www.bit.ly/ASHKENAZ2022 for details and registration. Lectures…