Hello fellow students of Jewish history! Today our exploration of Jewish heritage along the Danube River valley begins in Budapest, home to one of the largest concentrations of Jews at the turn of the 20th century. I’m really thrilled to be together with so many people who share my passion for the amazing story of…

This article appeared, in slightly abbreviated form, in today’s Forward. So many colleagues and friends–fellow students of the Rebbe–contributed moving quotations on the Facebook page dedicated to the Rebbe. Laura Adkins’ editorship at the Forward is really great, and the final version is certainly more appropriate for the wider audience. If you would like to…

The Jews of the Danube Fall 2018 Lecture Series Lectures in Europe: October 2018 Lectures in Brooklyn: November-December 2018 From its headwaters in Germany’s Black Forest to its final destination in the Black Sea, the Danube River flows through ten countries and over ten centuries of Jewish history. Great cities like Vienna and Budapest punctuate…

Hello friends and colleagues: Thank you for your consistent support and enthusiasm. I am delighted that so many people share my passion for Jewish history and thought, and consider it a rare privilege to share my research with you online and in person. I wish you all a blessed New Year of spiritual and material…

Hello everyone! Please visit this site for my translation of Rabbi Moshe Cordovero’s classic Tomer Devorah (The Kabbalah of Forgiveness), a text often studied at precisely this time of year as we strive to improve our relationships with each other, with G-d, and with ourselves. The site also features a series of brief videos on each…

The Jews of the Danube Fall 2018 Lecture Series From its headwaters in Germany’s Black Forest to its final destination in the Black Sea, the Danube River flows through ten countries and over ten centuries of Jewish history. Great cities like Vienna and Budapest punctuate its course through East-Central Europe, the cradle of much of…

The invisible yet palpable echo of the crypto-Jewish tradition resonates through Portugal like the far side of a conversation faintly overheard in another person’s cell phone. A rush of sibilants or an exclamation of laughter confirms the reality of the distant interlocutor, even though we do not see her before us. The history of Portugal’s…

Join me in this global effort to prepare for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur this year!

Hasidim of the Aish Kodesh should take note: this is likely the face of one of the murderers of Rabbi Kalonymus Kalmish Shapira hy”d. Jakiw Palij, a longtime resident of Queens, New York, was recently extradited to Germany for filing false information while immigrating to the United States after World War II. Palij served as…

Hello students, friends and colleagues– We still have a few hours before the onset of Shabbat and the possible arrival of Mashiach, but if we have to make it through another Tisha B’Av– If you are in Fort Lee, NJ Sunday morning or Crown Heights, Brooklyn Sunday afternoon, please join me for presentations on the…

The Life of the original Nazi Hunter The Expulsion of the Jews from Medieval Ashkenaz The Roman-Jewish Wars, 66-135 CE Join me at the National Jewish Retreat! Really pleased to be joining a tremendous roster of speakers in Palm Springs this month for the National Jewish Retreat! Please click here for more information.

Surprisingly insightful look at the nature of Jewish humor At first I was concerned that this was released during the 9 Days, but it actually has a lot of relevance to this sad time of the year. Very proud–as always–to have had a small role in putting this together with the remarkable team at Unpacked.…

A Fascinating and Influential Movement in Medieval Ashkenaz Unpacked on a Morally Challenging Topic in American History

Latest Episode of the Jewish History Lab Join me this Shabbos in Manhattan at the extremely cool Altneu Synagogue! I just thought this was so fascinating. Season 2 Finale: Sara Schenirer! Click here to listen to Yael and Schwab discuss the life and work of this remarkable woman!

Who is a Jew? An Israelite? A Hebrew? Two New Podcasts from Yael and Schwab The Expulsion of Ashkenazi Jews and the Origins of Polish Jewry

Two 16th Century Protestant Thinkers on How to Deal with Jews The Amazing Talmud of the Land of Israel!

Click here for Yael and Schwab’s discussion of the heroic, poetic Hannah Szenes. New Episodes in the Jewish History Lab series

Always amazed with the great team at Unpacked Honored to have made a small contribution to this sophisticated yet humorous video. This is a really bizarre story: the tragic controversy over cantorial style in Amsterdam, 1709 New Videos in the Birth of Ashkenaz Series

Really impressed with the amazing team at Unpacked! Very proud to have a small share in putting this video together. Three New Videos on Medieval Ashkenaz View the whole playlist here: Wuhsha the Broker: An Amazing Story from the Cairo Geniza Yael and Schwab ar the ULTIMATE Jewish history Nerds! Very thrilled that the second…

Ever wonder why Havdalah Boxes look like little towers? Who was Carl Lutz? Another complex and powerful video from the team at Unpacked Meet this 20th c. Italian Villager who Invented Judaism from scratch The story of Danuto Manduzio and the Jews of San Nicandro, Italy.

While I was in Budapest with the Ashkenazium, two really amazing episodes of the Jewish History Nerds podcast dropped. Fantastic experience working with Yael, Schwab and Rivky at Jewish History Nerds! Click here for the latest episodes: Sara Copia Sullam and Johannes Eisenmenger, or wherever you get your free podcasts. Great Conversation with Jeff Cohen…

Join Dr. Daniel Reiser, Dr. Michael Chighel and myself for a discussion of the life and works of the holy Rabbi Kalonymus Kalmish Shapiro. The schedule of presentations and discussions is available here. Admission is free, but you have to be in Budapest: Duna utca 1, 18:00. For those of you who live elsewhere, we…