Really looking forward to meeting this community!

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




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.


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……


