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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Kidneys in Jewish Thought and History
Some background to my wife’s altruistic kidney donation two years ago on Erev Yom Kippur. You can help! Click here to support kidney donation through Renewal.
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Can we use the word “pogrom” in Israel?
Some historical thoughts on recent usage of the word “pogrom” to describe the current situation in some Israeli cities. Thanks to JTA Editors Philissa Cramer and Andrew Silow-Carroll for shaping the article.
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Women in Medieval Jewish History
Two brief discussions of the history of women in the Medieval period, 12 pm ET (New York Time) with live chat. Join us!
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Medieval Jew-Hatred in Historical Context (Blood Libel and Host Desecration)
After a brief overview placing the medieval period in historical context, we look more deeply at two especially noxious false charges: the Blood Libel and Desecration of the Host.
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Jews in the Medieval Economy
A look at the role of Jews in the medieval European economy, with emphasis on trade and finance. Premiering today at 1pm ET (New York Time) with live chat.
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This Sunday: Honor our Community’s Kidney Donors
Please join us this Sunday for an outdoor gathering honoring our community’s heroic kidney donors.
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Jews, the First Crusade, and the Culture of Ashkenaz
After a discussion of Jewish communal structure in the medieval era, we will look at the devastation of the First Crusade and the Rhineland Massacres of 1096, follow up with some thoughts on the long-term impact on Ashkenazi Culture. Premiering today at 1 pm.
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Interview with Dr. Michael Chighel of The Ashkenazium
Yikes! This interview started out with a lot more personal material than I intended, but I had a lot of fun speaking with my colleague and friend Dr. Michael Chighel, Dean of Ashkenazium Jewish History MA in Budapest. Enjoy in good health!
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Jewish Life in the Dark Ages, the Rishonim, and Maimonides (Jewish History Lab)
Here’s the latest videos from the Jewish History Lab series.
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Amsterdam: Refuge of Rabbi Moshe Hayim Luzzatto
Brief review of the troubled journey of Rabbi Moshe Hayim Luzzatto, a brilliant young scholar of the 18th century who was persecuted by opponents and hounded across Europe before finding his way to the more tolerant intellectual climate of Amsterdam.
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Truth will Spring from the Earth: Gutenberg, the Internet, and the New Uncertainty Principle
//embed.chabad.org/multimedia/mediaplayer/embedded/embed.js.asp?aid=5035317&width=auto&height=auto&HideVideoInfo=false “Truth will Sprout from the Earth: Gutenberg, the Internet, and the New Uncertainty Principle.” Presentation at the XIII International Torah and Science Conference, Miami. Introductory remarks by Dr. Nathan Katz.
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Runaway Yeshiva Bochur’s Work May Aid COVID Research
Runaway Yeshiva Bochur’s Work May Aid COVID Research The Jewish Star (March 24, 2021) Shortly after emigrating to Israel in 1901, this Telz-educated orphaned son of a rosh yeshiva earned an unlikely nickname: “the crazy fly-catcher.” Israel Aharoni’s odyssey into the world of middle eastern zoology, long recognized in the scientific world with over 30…
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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Jewish-Christian Disputation in the Middle Ages: This Week in Jewish History
Forced debates between Jews and Christians were a feature of medieval Jewish life, often with dire consequences.
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Johann Eisenmenger and the Talmud
Posing as a would-be convert to Judaism, Johann Andreas Eisenmenger studied Rabbinic literature for 19 years before publishing a massive two-volume denunciation of the Talmud called “Judaism Revealed” in 1711. His defamation of Jews and Judaism has been the foundation of much antisemitic diatribe for the last three centuries. Part of the Jewish Biography as…
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Sarah bas Tovim: The Power of Women’s Prayer
Sarah bas Tovim was one of the most prolific authors of tekhines, prayers composed specifically for Jewish women in Eastern Europe. Her work illustrates the deeply spiritual lives of simple women, and sheds significant light on the social history of the shtetl. Part of the Jewish Biography as History series by Dr. Henry Abramson.
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New! Essential Lectures in Jewish History Series (Short and Interesting, like a lot of us)
This brief lecture inaugurates a new series: Essential Lectures in Jewish History, brief overviews of major themes and periods, designed as introductions to more detailed treatments in the Jewish Biography as History s series. Enjoy in good health! Lectures by Dr. Henry Abramson. To view the Prezi associated with this lecture, please click here.
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Alexander shows up in official Miami Marathon video!
My son Alexander shows up in official Miami Marathon video at 0:38 seconds (red bandana) http://youtu.be/gxJRzYzQfoQ Please sponsor him at http://www.teamfriendship.org/Alexander to help kids with disabilities!
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Baruch Spinoza: Philosophy and Tolerance
Revered by many as a pivotal figure in modern religious philosophy yet reviled by his contemporaries in the Jewish community of Amsterdam, Baruch Spinoza was placed in herem (excommunication) in 1666 for his public pronouncements challenging religious doctrine. Part of the Jewish Biography as History lecture series by Dr. Henry Abramson.
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Please Support Alexander’s Marathon Bid for Friendship Circle
Hello everyone: my son Alexander is once again training to run the ING Miami Marathon to raise funds for Friendship Circle, a non-profit organization that helps children, teens and adults with special needs. Alexander is an avid runner with a long history of running for charitable causes: in 2010 he ran his first half-marathon (at…
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Rabbi Isaac Luria (The Arizal) Jewish Biographies Lecture
Emerging from the sixteenth-century Safed Circle of Jewish mystics, Rabbi Isaac Luria (the Arizal) was a pivotal figure in the history of Kabbalah. His influence on later Jewish movements, in particular Hasidism, is still felt to this day. Part of the Jewish Biography as History lecture series by Dr. Henry Abramson.
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David Reubeni: Politics and the Messiah
David Reubeni was one of the most colorful messianic figures of Jewish history. A little person with a shady background, he was received with dignity by Popes and Kings in the fifteenth century, regaling them with tales of the Jews of the east and promising them great military victories should they enlist his service. He…
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Nahmanides: Rabbi Moshe ben Nahman
Nahmanides (Rabbi Moshe ben Nahman, or Ramban) was one of the most important thinkers of Jewish history. Brilliantly creative and intellectually courageous, his commentary on the Torah is widely studied eight centuries after his passing. Part of the Jewish Biography as History series by Dr. Henry Abramson.
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Henrietta Szold: Founder of Hadassah
American-born Henrietta Szold was an extremely influential Zionist leader and organizer, founder of Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America. To view the Prezi associated with this video, click here.
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 