NEW YORK (JTA) — “Pray for the welfare of the state,” Rabbi Hanina writes, “for if it were not for the fear thereof, people would swallow each other alive.” As cities around the nation burn with righteous indignation over yet another horrific incident of police brutality directed against a black man, Jewish leaders must reflect on our……

Looking forward to this special presentation at Congregation Ohav Emeth via Zoom: a look at the incomparable Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto’s last words to his students and an overview of his tragically brief yet incredibly important life, filled with contributions to the religious, scholarly and intellectual future of the Jewish people. In honor of Yom……

My favorite editor, Laura Adkins of JTA, asked me for some thoughts on what Jewish institutions of higher education might face in the post-coronavirus era. I’m really glad she did! Please click here for the article.

Please join me on Thursday at 2PM for “Plague and Pandemic in Jewish History,” a brief overview of the experience of epidemics and pandemics in Jewish history. Please visit bit.ly/pandemicjewishhistory for more information.

Please join me for a special webinar on The Response to Pandemics in Jewish History, scheduled for Thursday, May 14 at 2:00 pm EST. Participation is free and open to the community, but registration in advance is required to maintain security and prevent the unwanted intrusions of intellectual vandals. Please click on the image or……

Some thoughts on COVID-19 in a Jewish context, recently published in OU Torah. Judaism, as we know it today, bears the scars of multiple plagues throughout history. Perhaps the largest is the weeks-long period known as sefirah, which commemorates the death of 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva in the 2nd century. The Rabbis of the……

Hello students of Jewish history! I hope you will have the opportunity to join me in one of three public presentations coming up. Here’s the relevant dates and times! Please click on the images for the links: The State of Israel: I SURVIVED JEWISH HISTORY, PT. XI Monday night, May 3 at 8PM EST, YouTube……

Now open to non-Touro College faculty! Please RSVP to James.Ligorski@touro.edu.

Love Jewish history, especially when spiced with radical politics? Consider clicking right here to sponsor Monday night’s lecture on Emma Goldman, dubbed “the most dangerous woman in America” by the FBI! Here’s a video featuring a few of her comments after briefly returning to America fifteen years after she was deported to the Soviet Union.  My favorite……

Hello fans of Jewish History! Just an important reminder that we will NOT be having a lecture in Brooklyn on Monday, November 14, 2016.  I’ll be returning from Toronto, where I’m serving as a scholar-in-residence at the Westmount Shul and Learning Center.  I’m honored that the paid events are sold out, but guests are welcome……

Mystic and early Zionist, Rabbi Avraham Isaac Kook’s challenging and eclectic philosophy has inspired generations of Jews since his passing in 1935. Often misunderstood, Rav Kook’s role as one of the principal Rabbinic figures of the era was foundational for establishing a religious ideology for the the modern, secular and democratic state of Israel.

If you don’t see the image below, just click on the computer gibberish–it’s worthwhile, I think. https://prezi.com/embed/kav7clixcgsk/?bgcolor=ffffff&lock_to_path=0&autoplay=0&autohide_ctrls=0&landing_data=bHVZZmNaNDBIWnNjdEVENDRhZDFNZGNIUE43MHdLNWpsdFJLb2ZHanI0OUQvUVFudmV5bG9sK3hTY29TMUloYWJ3PT0&landing_sign=u34CgACTn0rcx2HUs61pv1gkchtDedyX2LT9yTgjNRg

Spiritual Leadership in Times of Controversy: Three Rabbinic Portraits Purified in the crucible of bitter opposition, the legacy of these three Rabbis endures despite the dissent that swirled around their major intellectual contributions. Wednesday, November 16 Burning Maimonides Wednesday, November 30 Ramchal and the Sabbatean Legacy Wednesday, December 7 Rav Kook at the Precipice 8:30……

Hello fans of Jewish history! I had a blast meeting with the Flatbush Honor Society students today–twenty-eight highly motivated, superbly acute and brilliant young women who are preparing to CHANGE THE WORLD. They are truly fantastic, and often thank the Almighty for the privilege of working with these young people, along with all my students….…

Norm Robinson, a member of the Friends of Jewish History, sent me this interesting video clip that features Rav Avraham Isaac Kook for the first 23 seconds, along with several other rabbinic and political luminaries. Monday’s lecture promises to be especially fascinating for anyone interested in religious thought and Israeli politics.  Please join us!  Register……

Lecture delivered at the mighty Avenue J campus of Touro College on October 31, 2016 as part of the Jewish History @ J series. Zionist ideologue and multi-lingual journalist, Vladimir (Ze’ev) Jabotinsky was one of the most influential political thinkers of the early twentieth century. Frequently swimming against the tide of dominant Jewish movements, Jabotinsky……

Here’s some amazing 1934 footage of Vladimir Jabotinsky discussing the status of the Jews in interwar Europe–and the crushing need for the establishment of the State of Israel.  Jabotinsky was one of the few Jewish thinkers of the 1930s who anticipated, in one form or another, the Holocaust that would engulf European Jewry.  He speaks in……

Thanks to all the parents who submitted their children’s names as candidates for the Internship in Jewish History. Unfortunately, I can only consider applications from people who are willing to take the job. Here’s the revised job description: Intern in Jewish History: Hard work, long hours, meager compensation. Chance at everlasting fame and glory, promoting……