Really looking forward to meeting this community!

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




Please join me at the Young Israel of Fort Lee for a discussion of Rabbi Kalonymus Kalmish Shapiro, hy”d. The Catalan Atlas Part I of The Birth of Ashkenaz: A New Series

Episode #1 of Talk Jewish To Me What is the Extra-biblical Historical Evidence for the Exodus?

This is just an amazing find. The Birth of Ashkenaz: Graduate Seminar in Budapest this May Thrilled to be returning to the Ashkenazium later this summer to spend time with some really brilliant European students looking at the Birth of Ashkenaz. Here’s the course description, please visit https://www.ashkenazium.eu for more information: A survey of the……

YouTube recently made it easy to transform my playlists into Podcast format, which has long been a demand from fellow students of Jewish history. I just uploaded one list to start: the Jewish History Lab (114 videos). Should be populating on Google Play and (I think) Apple Podcasts, but for now it’s available on my……

Really enjoyed visiting Edmonton last week for this conference, very intelligent and receptive audiences. My keynote was preceded by a general welcome to the conference from Dr. Ryan Dunch, and starts with something that is widespread at the University of Alberta: an acknowledgment that the University is situated on land that originally belonged to First……

I am deeply honored to address the Chevra Kadisha at the Riverdale Jewish Center at their annual 7 Adar celebration. The “Holy Association” is a group of men and women who undertake, usually on a volunteer basis, the difficult task of preparing our deceased loved ones for burial. If you are in the neighborhood, please……

Please come by and say hello!

Please join us for the final lecture in the Jewish Life in the (Not So) Dark Ages series! Wednesday night at 7:30 ET. RSVP at https://bit.ly/YILCNotSoDark. Welcome!

Really thrilled to meet the Queens Jewish Center community! Please come by and say hello if you’re in town. Very honored by this invitation from the History, Classics and Religion Graduate Students Association of the University of Alberta! Please join us in person (if you’re in Edmonton, eh?) or via Zoom (RSVP at http://www.bit.ly/JEWISHUK1000). Channel……

The Ambassador warned the King: “Pay Lopo Ramirez on time.” Was there a Jewish Dark Age? Exploring some Fascinating Archaeological Finds Welcome New Students! Draft Text of Volume 1 Included in the Biblical Jewish History course: please send me your feedback! Shabbos in Queens! Come by and say hello.

Forthcoming from Koren Publishers, Jerusalem The Jewish People A History Second Draft February 5, 2023 Forthcoming from Koren Publishers, Jerusalem Henry Abramson DRAFT: Please do not reproduce or circulate. Copyright Henry Abramson 2023 Volume One: Biblical Israel (1760 BCE to 200 CE) Introduction Bibliographic Essay: On Covenantal History Photo Credits Acknowledgments Imagine that, while browsing……


A brief overview of three categories of exceptional women who made the Talmud possible: supporters, enablers, and even teachers. Lecture delivered at the Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst on November 20, 2019.

Join us for a brief study of the lives and work of three very different women and their relationship to Talmud study.

Hello friends and colleagues in Toronto! I am delighted to be coming back to visit the old stomping grounds this coming Friday, eh? I hope some of you will be able to join me for a Shabbaton at the Aish Thornhill Community Shul, followed by the David Shemtow Memorial Holocaust Lecture on Sunday night. Please……
Brief visit to the Jewish community of Lyon, France. Considered the “capital of the resistance” during the Nazi occupation, the local population made much use of the so-called “traboule” passageways scattered throughout the old city.
Brief video on Daniel Bomberg and the early days of Talmudic printing in Venice. Lecture delivered at the Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst on November 13, 2019.
The Jews of Avignon are often known as the Pope’s Jews because they found shelter in the old city during the tumultuous 14th century under the Popes who briefly made their home in France rather than Italy.

This strange sculpture above the “Jewish Door” of the Saint Siffrein Cathedral continues to mystify visitors to Carpentras, France. What does it mean?

This was, for me personally, one of the highlights of my trip with Kosher River Cruises along the Rhone in the south of France. The President of the Carpentras synagogue, Mr. Meyer Benzecrit, graciously invited me to tour a section of the 14th century synagogue not yet open for public view. Excavations have revealed some……

Join me for three rather idiosyncratic, surprising lectures on the history of the Talmud and its transmission in the modern era. Three Wednesdays beginning November 13 at the Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst. Free and open to the community, no hard questions please.
The remarkable 14th century Mikvah in the basement of the Carpentras Synagogue. Fed by an artesian well, the waters continue to fill the space, although in the 18th century a more modern Mikvah with heated, filtered water was constructed one floor above.
Part two of a series of videos on the amazing medieval synagogue in Carpentras, in the Provence region of France. This video looks at the 18th century representation in the Baroque style, with some remarkable features.

Today was an absolutely fascinating day of discovery of Jewish history, exploring the 14th century synagogue in Carpentras, France: the second-oldest currently functioning synagogue in Europe. There are so many amazing things to view, so I’ve decided to break it up into several small videos, starting with this one, which looks at the entrance to……


