Really looking forward to meeting this community!

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




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.

Forced debates between Jews and Christians were a feature of medieval Jewish life, often with dire consequences.

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……

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.


Wishing you all a redemptive Passover season.

“My parents went to Mt. Ebal and all I got was this lousy lead curse tablet.” This video is part of the Biblical Jewish History online course (click here for information and registration). Judaism in Medieval Ashkenaz (The Ashkenazium Lectures Part 3) Passover Thoughts on Jewish History and the Situation in Ukraine Lecture delivered as……

The History of the Jews of Ukraine in the Context of the Current Crisis The Social and Economic Foundations of Medieval Ashkenaz Premiering today at 11:00 am EDT (New York Time). Join us for a live chat (58m). Online Courses
Really proud of my son Aryeh for his upcoming competition at the 2022 Maccabiah games in Shotokan Karate. Please consider support his mission by clicking here: https://secure2.convio.net/musa/site/TR;jsessionid=00000000.app208a?px=1099195&fr_id=1160&pg=personal&NONCE_TOKEN=E0AB7F850711AC3D5904F77E36715460 Well done Aryeh! Thank you all!

The first in a series of twelve lectures delivered at The Ashkenazium of Budapest. Join us at 11:00 am (New York time) for a premiere and live chat. The last four lectures will be delivered on Monday and Tuesday: sign up for free registration at http://www.bit.ly/ASHKENAZ2022. The Jews and D-Day Did you know that some……

Join me for a discussion of the economic, social, political and religious background of the violent Khmel’nyts’kyi Uprising of 1648-49. Trigger warning: some cherished, yet incorrect, stereotypes may be challenged. Video with live chat.

With gratitude to The Ashkenazium and its Dean, Dr. Michael Chighel, I am pleased to offer twelve lectures on the history of Jews in Ashkenaz to the global audience. Please visit http://www.bit.ly/ASHKENAZ2022 to register for free! Can’t make the live classes? No problem. Sign up for the course I put together to prepare my Hungarian……

Twelve Lectures on the Jews of Ashkenaz (Free Registration) With gratitude to Dean Michael Chighel of The Ashkenazium of Budapest, my new series of lectures on the history of the Jews of Ashkenaz will be open to the global community of students of Jewish history via webinar. Please visit http://www.bit.ly/ASHKENAZ2022 for details and registration. Lectures……

A brief discussion of the election of Volodomyr Zelensky in the larger context of Ukrainian-Jewish history. Recorded on March 4, 2022 with hope for a speedy return to peace for Ukraine and its people.

My grandfather died, suddenly, on the rarest date of the year: March 3, 1957, which coincides with today, the 30th of Adar Rishon. It’s a leap year date that only appears seven times in the nineteen-year cycle of the Hebrew calendar. Following our Lithuanian Jewish custom, we observe his death anniversary on the 1st of……

I recorded this video just hours before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, motivated by Mr. Putin’s bizarre speech denying the historical legacy of the Ukrainian people.


