RESURGENCE in Jewish History (Shabbaton at YILC, 5 Towns); Intrepid Rabbi-Explorers of the 3rd Century; Sephardic Diaspora in the New World

Really looking forward seeing my friends at YILC!


Meet the Intrepid Explorer-Rabbis of the 3rd Century


Recap of last week’s Guide for the Perplexed Seminar


Sephardic Jews in the New World


Eurafrican Jews in the Caribbean; Jewish Caribbean Migration Patterns; and a retrospective mini-documentary

Hard to believe such beautiful places exist!


Jewish Caribbean Migration Patterns


Eurafrican Jews in the Caribbean


The Sephardic Diaspora: Europe


Want to learn more Jewish History? Try one of these online courses!

Saga of Sephardic Jewry (New Online Course!); Volume II:Chapter 2 now online; Benjamin of Tudela; Guide for the Perplexed; Review of Koren’s New Mikraot Hadorot

Jewish History Lab Report: Friday, January 3, 2025


Benjamin of Tudela, Great Jewish Explorer of the 12th Century!


The Saga of Sephardic Jewry: New Course Now Online!


Stunning new work of Torah Scholarship: The Koren Mikraot Hadorot


Maimonides’ Guide for the Perplexed: Battle of the Translators

Shabbat in Rosyln, NY; Hello from Jerusalem;

Really looking forward to meeting this community!


Message recorded from Jerusalem last week


Medieval Antisemitism and the Spanish Inquisition

Invitation to LCM Breakfast; Caribbean Jews and the History of Chocolate; Spanish Disputations and the Pogroms of 1391

Please join me at our First Annual Breakfast!


Jews and Chocolate! Who knew?


Disputations and the Pogroms of 1391

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

  • This Week in Jewish History: The Jewish Badge

    This Week in Jewish History: The Jewish Badge

    This is a new experiment, suggested by Elya at TorahCafe.com: a weekly, 3-minute “This Week in Jewish History” mini-lecture.  I’m trying it out, let me know what you think! Please click here for the refined, edited version from TorahCafe.com.

  • Albert Einstein Video (now with PowerPoint) from TorahCafe editors

    Albert Einstein Video (now with PowerPoint) from TorahCafe editors

    Here’s a new version of the Albert Einstein lecture, edited by the wonderful people at TorahCafe.com to include the PowerPoint. It’s basically the same, except without the lame jokes. Click on the icon below to watch the video.

  • Isaac Bashevis Singer: Singer in the Shtetl, the Shtetl in Singer (2004 lecture)

    Isaac Bashevis Singer: Singer in the Shtetl, the Shtetl in Singer (2004 lecture)

    This is a lecture I delivered at the University of Central Florida back in October 2004 (my hair was quite a bit darker and, well, there).  Found the CD when I was cleaning out some old files. There’s a PPT that goes with this lecture, and I’m going to try to find a way to…

  • Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson of Chabad

    Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson of Chabad

    A presentation on the life and work of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902-1994), the Seventh Rebbe of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. A native of Nikolaev, Ukraine, and educated in Germany and France, his leadership transformed his Hasidic followers into an international movement that continues to shape the lives of Jews world wide. The lecture was held…

  • Betty Friedan: Jews and American Feminism

    Betty Friedan: Jews and American Feminism

    A presentation on the life and work of Betty Friedan, a prominent American Jewish feminist leader. The author of the landmark The Feminine Mystique (1963), she later became the Founder of the National Organization of Women, and an important political activist for women’s rights.  The lecture was held at the Young Israel of Bal Harbour on May 29,…

  • Albert Einstein: Time, Space and the Jewish People

    Albert Einstein: Time, Space and the Jewish People

    A presentation on Albert Einstein (1879-1955), one of the best-known Jews of the twentieth century.  Although he had a complicated relationship with Judaism, he maintained a distinct pride in his Jewish identity, and once said “A Jew who abandons his Judaism is like a snail that abandons its shell.  It’s still a snail.”  The lecture…

  • Excerpt from The Kabbalah of Forgiveness Now Online

    Excerpt from The Kabbalah of Forgiveness Now Online

      An excerpt from The Kabbalah of Forgiveness: A Reader’s Guide to Rabbi Moshe Cordovero’s The Palm Tree of Devorah, a new translation and commentary on the 16th-century classic of Kabbalistic musar, is now available online.  Anticipated publication date is August 2013.  The Palm Tree of Devorah first appeared in 1588 and became and instant classic.…

  • Stephen Samuel Wise and the Jews of America

    Stephen Samuel Wise and the Jews of America

    A presentation on the life and work of Stephen Samuel Wise (1874-1949), an important American communal leader. The lecture will take a broader focus, looking at the history of Jewish settlement in the United States during the 19th century and the major issues facing this immigrant community through the middle of the twentieth century.  The…

  • Menachem Begin: A New Israel

    Menachem Begin: A New Israel

    A study of the life of Menachem Begin (1913-1992). A native of Poland, he was a proponent of Vladimir Jabotinsky’s Revisionist party that stood in dramatic contrast to the dominant left-wing tendency in the Zionist movement. A major figure in Israel’s struggle for statehood, and a founder of the Likud party, he was elected to…

  • Mitnagdim, Hasidim, Maskilim: The Cultural Geography of Jewish Eastern Europe

    Mitnagdim, Hasidim, Maskilim: The Cultural Geography of Jewish Eastern Europe

    This lecture presents a broad overview of the three main intellectual-religious trends present in 19th century Jewish Eastern Europe: the traditionalist Mitnagdim, the innovative Hasidim, and the modernizing Maskilim. Good as an overall introduction, although I go into more detail on all of these movements in other lectures on this website.  Taped on April 21,…

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


  • Who Was Vladimir Jabotinsky?

    Who Was Vladimir Jabotinsky?

    Lecture delivered at the mighty Avenue J campus of Touro College on October 31, 2016 as part of the Jewish History @ J series. Zionist ideologue and multi-lingual journalist, Vladimir (Ze’ev) Jabotinsky was one of the most influential political thinkers of the early twentieth century. Frequently swimming against the tide of dominant Jewish movements, Jabotinsky…

  • Vladimir Jabotinsky Speaks! Paris 1934 footage

    Vladimir Jabotinsky Speaks! Paris 1934 footage

    Here’s some amazing 1934 footage of Vladimir Jabotinsky discussing the status of the Jews in interwar Europe–and the crushing need for the establishment of the State of Israel.  Jabotinsky was one of the few Jewish thinkers of the 1930s who anticipated, in one form or another, the Holocaust that would engulf European Jewry.  He speaks in…

  • Still looking for Intern in Jewish History

    Still looking for Intern in Jewish History

    Thanks to all the parents who submitted their children’s names as candidates for the Internship in Jewish History. Unfortunately, I can only consider applications from people who are willing to take the job. Here’s the revised job description: Intern in Jewish History: Hard work, long hours, meager compensation. Chance at everlasting fame and glory, promoting…

  • How to Pronounce “Jabotinsky” Properly and Impress all Your Friends

    How to Pronounce “Jabotinsky” Properly and Impress all Your Friends

    Hello Lovers of Jewish History! By now you must be talking to all your former friends and colleagues about the upcoming Jewish History @ J series of lectures, and hyping up the first biography of Vladimir Jabotinsky scheduled for Monday, October 31. It occurred to me that it might be helpful for you to get some…

  • Thank you Mr. Paul Shaviv!

    Thank you Mr. Paul Shaviv!

    Thank you to Mr. Paul Shaviv, a scholar and master educator, for supporting the Jewish History @ J series! His donation is in memory of Dr. Yishai Shachar z”l – 1935-1977, whose 39th Yahrzeit was on 5 Tishrei. ‘Haval al d’avdin..’ Historian, teacher, gentleman. On behalf of all the students who benefit from the lectures,…

  • Minutes of the First Meeting of the Friends of Jewish History last night!

    Minutes of the First Meeting of the Friends of Jewish History last night!

    Minutes of the Friends of Jewish History Meeting (10/13/16) 1) We’ll try to post videos of the Monday night lectures by Tuesday Afternoon 2) We hope to run live q&a sessions on Thursdays at 7PM EST 3) Printing some Jewish History @ J bookmarks/fridge magnets for Friends and attendees 4) Looking to hire an Intern…

  • “Who Was Vladimir Jabotinsky?” Sponsored by Norman and Bridgette Robinson!

    “Who Was Vladimir Jabotinsky?” Sponsored by Norman and Bridgette Robinson!

    “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…

  • Paid Internship in Jewish History

    Paid Jewish Internship in Jewish History for qualified Avenue J student! Hard work, long hours, meager compensation. Chance at everlasting fame and glory, promoting the study of Jewish history. Must be organized, diligent, and personable. Will train. Contact me directly at abramson@touro.edu.

  • First Meeting of the Friends of Jewish History!

    First meeting of the Friends of Jewish History! New Friends welcome! Agenda: exciting plans for the Fall 2016 lectures. Thursday, October 13, 7:00-7:30 pm EST. Web login: https://zoom.us/j/7186385458?pwd=v4EFhXcDlhAJZNeQOp%2FfXA%3D%3D Password: geshikhte Telephone call-in: 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

  • Join the Friends of Jewish History

    Join the Friends of Jewish History

    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…

  • Take 5 With Dean Abramson

    Take 5 With Dean Abramson

    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…

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


Create a website or blog at WordPress.com

Up ↑