Dear fellow students of the Daf Yomi cycle of Talmud! I am extremely proud to announce that a new series, Jewish History in Daf Yomi, is scheduled for launch as part of the Orthodox Union Daf Yomi Initiative, spearheaded by the incomparable Rabbi Moshe Schwed. My small part in the overall plan is to spend…

The ultimate anti-haggadah. What were they thinking?

Remarkable story of how the villagers of San Nicandro followed their leader Donato Manduzio to convert en masse to Judaism and then immigrate to Israel.

Good morning students of Jewish History! I am proud to announce a new pilot project: Jewish History in Daf Yomi, part of the Orthodox Union Daf Yomi Initiative under the leadership of Rabbi Moshe Schwed. Here’s the basic idea: brief (5-minute) videos discussing a historical issue raised in the world cycle of daily Talmud study…

“The Light of the Eyes” caused an intellectually seismic event whose aftershocks reverberate in the Jewish world 500 years later.

Who was the mysterious dark-skinned woman in the Sarajevo Haggadah?

Brief overview of the life and work of Shmuel David Luzzatto (ShaDaL), an important 19th-century Italian-Jewish thinker.

Brief description of the world’s oldest illuminated Hebrew manuscript–and a 700-hundred year mystery, solved recently by a 10-year old boy.

He survived the 1570 earthquake in Ferrara–and became the world’s first Modern Orthodox Jew.

Brief overview of the life and work of Rabbi Ovadiah of Bertinoro (Bartenura), best known for his commentary on the Mishnah but also an important communal leader in late 15th-early 16th century Jerusalem.

Hello everyone–here’s a brief historical article for this time of year that appeared in today’s JTA. Thanks to my daughter Raphaela and Laura Adkins at JTA for some amazing editing help. Enjoy in good health!

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.

Definitely not intended for children.

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…

Hasidism, Suffering, and Renewal: The Prewar and Holocaust Legacy of Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Shapira. Forthcoming June 2021.

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…

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.

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…