Really looking forward seeing my friends at YILC!
RESURGENCE in Jewish History (Shabbaton at YILC, 5 Towns); Intrepid Rabbi-Explorers of the 3rd Century; Sephardic Diaspora 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
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Who Was Sarah, Wife of Shabbetai Tsvi?
Orphaned by the Eastern European pogroms of 1648-49, the volatile Sarah became the spouse of the infamous messianic pretender. Her life, filled with controversy, illustrates the egalitarian elements in Shabbetai Tsvi’s antinomian message. Here is a link to the Prezi.
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Sarra Copia Sulem’s Manifesto
Sarra Copia Sulam’s Manifesto People of the Book: Great Works of the Jewish Tradition Dr. Henry Abramson This article appeared in the February 17, 2016 edition of the Five Towns Jewish Times. An unlikely literary duel in Venice took an unexpected turn in 1621 with the appearance of a slim volume entitled “The Manifesto of…
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NO CLASS THIS MONDAY! PRESIDENTS’ DAY
Feb 22. Sarah, wife of Shabbetai Tsvi Orphaned by the Eastern European pogroms of 1649-49, the volatile Sarah became the spouse of the infamous messianic pretender. Feb 29. Hillel Ba’al Shem A mysterious figure of the late 17th and early 18th centuries whose recently discovered work sheds light on the world of popular culture from…
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The Tzemach David
The Tzemach David People Of The Book: Classic Works Of The Jewish Tradition (This article originally appeared in the Five Towns Jewish Times on February 11, 2016.) David Gans (1541–1613) was a scientist and a rabbi in an age when the dual pursuit of these intellectual passions was a life-threatening occupation. He studied Torah under Rabbi…
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Who Was Sarra Copia Sulem?
When Sarra, a bright young poetry lover of 17th century Venice, wrote to a senior literary figure, she thought she was merely expressing her admiration for his literary work. In the end, she was forced to defend publicly her refusal to leave Judaism. Click here for the Prezi. Sarra Copia Sulam’s Manifesto People of the…
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Encyclopedia of Jewish Medical Ethics
People Of The Book: Classic Works Of The Jewish Tradition By Dr. Henry Abramson Few books demonstrate the enduring value of halachah as Dr. Avraham Steinberg’s monumental Encyclopedia of Jewish Medical Ethics. We live in an age when the most elemental aspects of the human condition are subject to unprecedented manipulation, with everything from the moment…
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Who Was Rabbi David Gans?
David Gans (1541-1613) was a Rabbinic scholar, historian, and astronomer. A student of Rabbi Moshe Isserles and the Maharal of Prague, he collaborated actively with Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler and left behind important scholarly works. Click here for the Prezi.
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Sefer HaChinuch (People of the Book)
People Of The Book: Classic Works Of The Jewish Tradition By Dr. Henry Abramson Written with a deep humility that nevertheless could not disguise the author’s brilliance,Sefer HaChinuch remains one of the most thought-provoking halachic studies some 800 years after it first appeared in the Iberian Peninsula. The deceptively simple title, “The Book of Education,” alludes to the anonymous…
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Touro Dean Eyes Women’s Role in Kabbalistic Tzfat
The Jewish Star, January 27, 2016 By Celia Weintrob On Rosh Chodesh Shevat, women who attended the Ohel Sara Amen Group in Lawrence enjoyed a lecture by the witty and informative Dr. Henry Abramson about the contribution of women to the Kabbalistic fellowship in Tzfat. Identifying himself as a “specialist in the history of ideas,”…
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Christians, Jews, and Science in 1616
“Nicholas Copernicus’ book “On the Revolution of the Earth Around the Sun” should be suspended…and that all similar works which contain these teachings should be prohibited.” (Bishop of Albano, March 1616) “Nicholas Copernicus, a scholar of genius…in this domain man is completely at liberty to discover the theory which seems to him to be most…
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ALEXANDER DOES IT AGAIN!
Battling unseasonably frigid temperatures, Alexander heroically completed his fourth full marathon in Miami today! A tremendous achievement! Most importantly, with your support he surpassed his fundraising target, bringing in a total of $3,299 for Friendship Circle, helping children with autism and other disorders! Congratulations to Alexander, and thank you all for participating!
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People of the Book: The Ways of the Righteous
“When I speak, I regret what I say, but when I am silent, I do not regret. And if I may regret my silence once, I regret speaking many times over.” —Gate 21: The Gate of Silence, The Ways of the Righteous Is it possible that The Ways of the Righteous, among the most influential works…
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
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Who Was Count Emicho? Jews and the First Crusade
Lecture on Count Emicho and the Jews of Germany during the First Crusade (1096). Here’s a link to the Prezi.
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The Kuzari: This Week’s Column
Please enjoy this week’s column in the Five Towns Jewish Times! http://5tjt.com/the-kuzari/
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Hey, no lecture this week, we’ll resume on Monday November 20
Traveling on College business. Sorry to all my loyal in-person students! Please forward this message to your friends (no need to send it to your former friends–if they show up, it serves them right, eh?).
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Mesilat Yesharim
Please enjoy this week’s column in the Five Towns Jewish Times! http://5tjt.com/mesilat-yesharim/
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Who was King Bulan of Khazaria? Jewish Biography as History
Presentation on the history of the Khazar conversion to Judaism, with updated material based on recent research.
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People of the Book: Chok LeYisrael
Please enjoy my latest feature in the Five Towns Jewish Times! http://5tjt.com/people-of-the-book-classic-works-of-the-jewish-tradition-3/
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Who Was Rabbi Meir? Jewish Biography as History
Lecture on the great 2nd-century Rabbi Meir, one of the most important figures in the history of Jewish thought in ancient Israel. Here’s the link to the Prezi.
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People of the Book: Classics of the Jewish Tradition
People of the Book: Classics of the Jewish Tradition Please click here for the original article in the Five Towns Jewish Times by Dr. Henry Abramson Rabbi Moshe Cordovero’s ‘Tomer Devorah’ “Even if you cannot find any reason to forgive a person, there was nevertheless once a time when this person did no wrong. Think…
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Josephus Against Apion (Jewish History @ Avenue J)
Lecture on Against Apion, an important literary response to antisemitism in the Roman Empire written by the 1st century historian Flavius Josephus. And here’s the Prezi: http://prezi.com/yzmhlmrhf2ac/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy.
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Judah Maccabee (Jewish Biography as History) First Lecture of the Fall 2015 Lecture Series!
We begin the Fall 2015 Lectures in Jewish History series with a presentation on the life and work of Judah (Yehudah) Maccabee, famed military commander of the Hasmonean revolt. Enjoy in good health! Here’s the link to the Prezi.
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New Column in the Five Towns Jewish Times!
Please enjoy my first column in the Five Towns Jewish Times! People of the Book: Classic Works of the Jewish Tradition By Dr. Henry Abramson According to my knowledge of the words of the Sages and the history of the Jewish people in general, we have never experienced such horrific suffering as has been visited…
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
Wait, Christopher Columbus was Jewish? Documentary on Roman-Jewish War now Online
Surprised how much attention this got.
Herod’s Tragic Reign
The Fatal Conflict
How Jewish Culture will Thrive after October 7; The Jews of Al-Andalus Part II
Henry Abramson 