Thanks to Laura Adkins of JTA for her superb editing, as always.

Origins of the Talmud: Premiere with live chat Monday night at 9PM EST. Join us!

Fellow students of Jewish history! Here’s an article I just published on JTA. about Nissim Black’s remarkable Mothaland Bounce. The genre is a little outside my comfort zone–I normally only write on Jewish history and thought–but I had a LOT of fun writing it. Thanks to my 18-year old son for explaining hip-hop to me.…

Good morning fans of Jewish History! We are scheduled to begin Series 2 of the “I Survived Jewish History” lectures, moving from the origins of the Talmud to the Golden Age of Spain. Live on Wednesday night, Members get the unedited video online sometime Thursday, and finally the Premiere of the edited version (cheesy jokes…

Good morning students of Jewish history! Here’s a planning note for your Presidents’ Day. Join me tonight for a lecture and live chat online at 9:00 pm EST. We will be discussing the Roman-Jewish Wars of the 1st and 2nd centuries: the initial rise of the rebellion against Rome, the intervention of Vespasian and the…

Hello students of Jewish history! I’m really looking forward to this event next week. Please join me! I’m working on the lecture now. Register by clicking here.

Part I of the “I Survived Jewish History” lecture series is scheduled to premiere on YouTube this coming Monday, February 3 at 9:00 PM EST. Join me in a live chat! Just no hard questions, please. Here’s the link: https://youtu.be/Vr9r0RgllWQ.

Arakhin, traditionally pronounced “Erchin” in Ashkenazi circles, begins tomorrow. Now’s your chance to join the worldwide community of Daf Yomi learners! Click here for more information on this unusual tractate. Kudos to Rabbi Moshe Schwed, Director of the OU Daf Yomi Initiative, for putting together this really nice promo for my small contribution, Jewish History…

Archelaus, son of Herod. Okay, probably not really the first Jew, and it wasn’t France then, but close enough.

Click here for my latest guest post on the Orthodox Union Torah blog: “Want to lose weight? Start Daf Yomi.“

“Leadership” is the theme for our learning at YILC this Shavuot. Here’s my small contribution. All are welcome!

Hello students of Jewish history! I’m really thrilled to inform you that the Jewish History in Daf Yomi podcast is now online! Part of the OU Daf Yomi Initiative, the podcasts feature brief (2-5 minute) videos discussing some historical aspect of the daily page of Talmud (Daf Yomi). Obviously most relevant to those actually studying…

This is what historians think about during Passover.

Dear fellow students of the Daf Yomi cycle of Talmud! I am extremely proud to announce that a new series, Jewish History in Daf Yomi, is scheduled for launch as part of the Orthodox Union Daf Yomi Initiative, spearheaded by the incomparable Rabbi Moshe Schwed. My small part in the overall plan is to spend…

The ultimate anti-haggadah. What were they thinking?

Remarkable story of how the villagers of San Nicandro followed their leader Donato Manduzio to convert en masse to Judaism and then immigrate to Israel.

Good morning students of Jewish History! I am proud to announce a new pilot project: Jewish History in Daf Yomi, part of the Orthodox Union Daf Yomi Initiative under the leadership of Rabbi Moshe Schwed. Here’s the basic idea: brief (5-minute) videos discussing a historical issue raised in the world cycle of daily Talmud study…

“The Light of the Eyes” caused an intellectually seismic event whose aftershocks reverberate in the Jewish world 500 years later.