Really looking forward to meeting this community!

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




I enjoyed this conversation at the recent JLI Retreat. I thought this turned out okay. Looking forward to setting up the next one! Review of Ilan Pappe, A History of Modern Palestine

Grateful to Beth Israel and the Jewish National Fund for the Invitation. Invitation-only lectures for students at the University of British Columbia and elsewhere: please contact Hillel BC for details. Jewish Prayer under the Inquisition The Strange Inscriptions of Trancoso, Portugal With Pyotr Kurzin of The Global Gambit New Episodes of Jewish History Nerds Podcast!……

Part III of a lecture series delivered at Beth Jacob Synagogue in Beverly Hills, CA; What does “From the River to the Sea” Really Mean?; What is Judaism without Rabbis or Books? Crypto-Jewish Prayer in Portugal Very Proud to work with Unpacked on this sensitive topic What would Judaism be like without Rabbis and Texts?

Captain Artur de Barros Basto, Apostle to the Marranos Unfortunately necessary discussion. Reflections on Social Media and Academia on YouTube (Part I) Proud to work with Unpacked on these difficult topics. Three New Episodes of Jewish History Nerds! Devorah Romm, The Maiden of Ludmir, and Hillel Ba’al Shem Click here to listen, or download from……

Burned at the stake in 1603. Channel Members: Researchers HaShomer HaChadash: I personally support this organization for Israeli and Diaspora Youth
Hello Fellow Students of Jewish History! Because so many of you are interested in Jewish History, I was honored by YouTube with the Silver Play Creator Award. Thank you so much! Here’s a short thank-you video, going over a bit of the history of this channel. I am very grateful, and look forward to learning……

Some words of comfort and consolation from Jewish history for our challenging time. Part III of the Series on The Shaping of the Jewish Mind Review of Yossi Klein Halevi, Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor

The Medieval Akedah: The Crusades and the Shaping of the Ashkenazic Mind The Crucible of Spain: The Inquisition and the Shaping of the Sephardic Mind Moses Mendelsohn on Jewish History Nerds! Click here or visit your favorite podcast provider for the first two seasons and the beginning of the third!

With all this talk about Genocide, let’s look at the Jewish person who actually invented the word. The Jewish History Nerds are Back for Season Three! Yael and Schwab are back! Go to your favorite podcast provider to catch Episode 1: Heinrich Graetz. Enjoy in good health!

Who Wrote the Ve-Hu Rahum Prayer? Please join me this week at the Young Israel of Plainview Gaza in Jewish History and the Future of American Jewish Youth Between Ashkenaz and Sefarad: The Shaping of the Jewish Mind Zoom link available to members of the YouTube Channel at Colleague Level, please check Community Notes

Please join me in Long Island this Shabbos! Gaza, Israel, and the Future of American Jewish Youth

Livestream at youtube.com/@YOFHS


“We were only a few broken Jews with two books, but…the day of the Siyum HaShas was my day of victory, the day of victory for all survivors, and the day of victory for every ‘Talmud Jew.’” The brick crematoria of Dachau had barely cooled when the surviving remnants of European Jewry were called upon……

I think Torah New York is going to be amazing! Please come by and say hello. I will be hanging out with Rabbi Moshe Schwed and Ec Birnbaum, talking about the launch of the amazing new AllDAf app for Daf Yomi study. Please click here for more information on this amazing event!
Brief discussion of the encounter of Provencal Jewry with the writings of the great Spanish thinkers and other Arabic-language material, and its impact on European Jewish history. Part of the Jews of the Rhone series, more at henryabramson.com.
https://youtu.be/F94bCi2hmBk Lecture delivered on Tisha B’Av 5779 (August 11, 2019) at the Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst. The lecture is also posted here: https://www.torahanytime.com/#/lectures?v=88833

This is what I’m thinking about during the Nine Days. Click here to read the article. Thanks to Laura Adkins for her superlative editing.

Answering a question from Dr. Fred Samuels of Rechovot regarding Synagogue architecture, I noticed that The Lost Wooden Synagogues of Eastern Europe (Carl Hersh, 1999) is available online for free. I think it’s especially appropriate viewing for the Nine Days and Tisha B’Av. Beautifully narrated by Theodor Bikel, the film documents the beauty and grandeur……

Hopefully this event will be cancelled. If not, please join me at The Young Israel of Ft. Lee with Rabbi Zev Goldberg on Sunday, August 11 at 8:45 am or at the Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst at 6:00 pm. Lecture is free and open to the community.

This one’s for my mother. Book interior beautifully designed by Danit Mills.

The amazing legend, repeated in several medieval sources, of a Jewish kingdom in 8th century France. Part III of the Jews of the Rhone series.

I read the Mueller Report (yes, the whole thing). You should too. Here’s some useful shortcuts if you need them.


