Really looking forward seeing my friends at YILC!

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





A thematic introduction to the topic of women in Jewish history, part of the Essential Lectures in Jewish History series by Dr. Henry Abramson. To view the Prezi associated with this lecture please click here.

In October of 1946, ten Nazi defendants were hung on gallows erected by the International Military Tribunal. One of the most notorious, the propagandist Julius Streicher, uttered the phrase “Purimfest 1946” moments before his death, unconsciously echoing a mysterious passage in the Biblical book of Esther itself. Fascinating footnote in Jewish History!
Rabbi Yisrael Lipkin of Salant (Israel Salanter, 1810-1883) was the founder of the modern Mussar movement that revolutionized traditional Jewish education. Controversial during his lifetime, his ideas ultimately permeated the Yeshiva system as a whole. Part of the Jewish Biography as History series in Jewish History.

Blessed with a fine mind but an obstreperous personality, Salomon Maimon was one of the most erudite rebels against Judaism in the 18th century, leaving a powerful memoir that betrayed some of the stress points in traditional society.

The Haskalah was a major intellectual-political movement of the 18th and 19th centuries. Seeking political emancipation and intellectual freedom, it challenged the hegemony of the traditionalist authorities, leading to widespread assimilation on one hand but exceptionally creative solutions to modernity on the other. Part of the Essential Lectures in Jewish History series. To view the…

Rabbi Eliyahu ben Shlomo, the 18th century Talmudic scholar better known as The Vilna Gaon, is revered as the father of traditional Lithuanian Judaism. Part of the Jewish Biography as History series by Dr. Henry Abramson.

Dr. Bernard Lander (1915-2010) was one of the most influential Jewish educators of the 20th and 21st century. Scholar and social activist, he founded Touro College in 1971, which now serves almost 19,000 students world wide. This short video was prepared to commemorate the recent anniversary of his passing.

Author of the Tanya, a hugely influential 18th-century work of Jewish spirituality, Rabbi Scheur Zalman of LIadi is considered the founder of the Chabad (Lubavitch) movement. People Of The Book: Classic Works Of The Jewish Tradition By Dr. Henry Abramson This article appeared in the February 25, 2016 edition of the Five Towns Jewish…

A brief overview of the settlement and activity of the Jewish people in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Part of the Essential Lectures in Jewish History series by Dr. Henry Abramson. To view the Prezi associated with this lecture, please click here.

Bilhah Abigaill Levy Franks lived in New York City in the early decades of the eighteenth century. Her correspondence with Naftali, her eldest son, reveals much about the inner life of a Jewish woman in colonial America. Part of the Jewish Biography as History series by Dr. Henry Abramson.


Known as simply “The Rav,” Rabbi Dr. Yosef Baer (J.D.) Soloveitchik was arguably the most influential figure shaping the Orthodox Rabbinate in the United States in the 20th century. From his position at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Rabbinical Seminary at Yeshiva University, he ordained some 2,000 Rabbis over four decades. To view the Prezi associated…

Discovered in the rubble of the Warsaw Ghetto, the wartime writings of Rabbi Kalonymus Kalmish Shapiro (1889-1943) offer a unique and powerful perspective on the life and suffering of religious Jews during the horrific years of the Nazi occupation. By Dr. Henry Abramson According to my knowledge of the words of the Sages and the…

I’m a runner. I’ve been running as long as I can remember, including my first half-marathon at age 12 and my first full marathon at 14. Running gives me energy, and makes me feel like I can accomplish anything. I’m proud of my finishes, and even more proud that over the years I’ve raised almost…

Rabbi Israel Meir Kagan, better known as the Chofetz Chaim for his classic work on the sanctity of speech, was one of the major Rabbinic leaders of the late 19th and early 20th century. To view the Prezi associated with this lecture, click on the image below or here.
Hello students– We are scheduled to resume our lecture series this evening with a presentation on the Chofetz Chaim,one of the most influential Rabbinic thinkers of the late 19th and early 20th century. Rabbi Israel Meir Kagan is known principally for his dramatically creative analysis of the topic of forbidden speech (lashon ha-ra), and rose…

This video describes the changes in the political boundaries of the State of Israel from its inception 1948 through the disengagement from Gaza in 2005. Part of the Essential Lectures in Jewish History series by Dr. Henry Abramson. To view the Prezi associated with this video please click here.

Jacob Rodrigues Periera (1715-1780) was the inventor of dactylology, a method for teaching deaf-mutes to communicate. A crypto-Jew from Portugal, his first student was his sister. His methodology received phenomenal acclaim, he received honors from the King of France and was named to both the Royal Society of London. This video is part of This…

This is a brief academic presentation of the history of the Nazi attempt to destroy the Jews of Europe during World War II. Part of the Essential Lectures in Jewish History series by Dr. Henry Abramson. To view the Prezi used in this lecture, please click here.

Revered by many as Germany’s greatest poet, Heine struggled mightily with his Jewish identity in the culturally inimical milieu of the 19th century. This phenomenon, known as Judenschmerz, was widespread among 19th century western European Jews. Despite his 1825 conversion to Christianity, Heine maintained a long, albeit conflicted, relationship to his Jewish background. Part of…

Sarah Schenirer (1883-1935) founded the Bais Yaakov (Bet Ya’akov) school system for women. One of the most visionary educators of the twentieth century, her movement had global impact. To view the Prezi associated with this lecture, please click here.

Baptized at age 12 as the result of his father’s dispute with a synagogue, Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) rose to prominence as a novelist and politician, serving several times as England’s Prime Minister. Colorful and flamboyant, Disraeli dismissed his antisemitic critics by emphasizing, rather than downplaying, his Jewish origins.

The discovery of the mutilated body of a young boy in Kiev led to the false arrest of a Jewish laborer named Mendel Beilis. Ignoring the argument of investigating officers, the Russian government under Tsar Nicholas II pressed ahead with the prosecution of Beilis, arguing that the boy was murdered as part of a Passover-related…