Shabbat in Rosyln, NY; Hello from Jerusalem;

Really looking forward to meeting this community!


Message recorded from Jerusalem last week


Medieval Antisemitism and the Spanish Inquisition

Invitation to LCM Breakfast; Caribbean Jews and the History of Chocolate; Spanish Disputations and the Pogroms of 1391

Please join me at our First Annual Breakfast!


Jews and Chocolate! Who knew?


Disputations and the Pogroms of 1391

The Jews of Bukhara (Sunday in Denver); the Maimonidean Controversy; Save the Date for Roslyn NY

Really looking forward to speaking to the Or Avner community in Aurora, CO!


The Maimonidean Controversy


Save the Date: Shabbaton in Roslyn NY, December 20-21

  • Hilula for the Piaseczno Rebbe

    Hilula for the Piaseczno Rebbe

    Conducted in darkness according to the Piaseczno custom, Rabbi Weinberger presided over a moving Hilula last night in honor of the Piaseczno Rebbe’s 74th yahrzeit. Visit http://www.aishkodesh.org/ and scroll down to watch the recording, featuring beautiful music by Yosef Karduner and of course the words of Rabbi Weinberger. He begins speaking at 1:00, and his opening joke……

  • Who Was Yehudah Ha-Levi?

    Who Was Yehudah Ha-Levi?

    Brief overview of the life and work of the great Sefardic poet and thinker, Yehudah ha-Levi.

  • Really Proud of this Photo

    Really Proud of this Photo

    This moment made me feel really great–standing with two great Hasidim of the Piaseczno Rebbe! On the left is R. Yoel Rubin, center (the amud ha-emtsa’i) is R. Weinberger of Kehillas Aish Kodesh, and there’s me on the right (out of uniform again). R. Weinberger just gave a great shiur on Rav Kook, and we……

  • With Rabbi Ari Silverstein @ Judaica Plus!

    With Rabbi Ari Silverstein @ Judaica Plus!

    Really happy to see the new book joining the impressive display of Piaseczno Hasidic works at my favorite local Jewish bookstore! Here I am (out of uniform, sorry) with Rabbi Ari Silverstein at Judaica Plus in Cedarhurst. 

  • The Rebbe’s Work in Amazon’s Top 100!

    The Rebbe’s Work in Amazon’s Top 100!

      Wow—I checked the site this morning, and discovered that the book on the Piaseczno Rebbe made it to the top 100 in its category on Amazon! Just behind classics by Elie Wiesel, Viktor Frankl, and Simon Wiesenthal! Really proud that people are finding this book meaningful. Thank you! Bit.ly\aishkodesh

  • Advance Copies Arrived!

    Advance Copies Arrived!

    Woo-hoo! Visit bit.ly/aishkodesh or click here for the 20% discount, or to RSVP for the book launch on the 30th (free and open to the community!)

  • Advance Copies Now Available (20% Discount)

    Advance Copies Now Available (20% Discount)

    I am delighted to inform you that advance copies of my new book are now available from Amazon (this is really advance–I won’t even get my own copy until next week!). I hope to have sufficient copies available for sale and signature at the Book Launch on October 30, but if you want to have……

  • Who Was Shmuel Ha-Nagid?

    Who Was Shmuel Ha-Nagid?

    Brief lecture on the life and work of Shmuel ha-Nagid, an important 11th century Spanish Jewish leader. Also: please join me for the launch of my new book, Torah from the Years of Wrath 1939-1943: The Historical Context of the Aish Kodesh (click here for more information). The launch is scheduled for Monday, October 30 at 7:00 pm……

  • Who Was Hasdai ibn Shaprut?

    Who Was Hasdai ibn Shaprut?

    Brief lecture on the life of Hasdai ibn Shaprut, an important 10th century Jewish leader in Andalusia, who set the foundations for the Golden Age of Spanish Jewry. Part of the Jews of Sepharad series, visit jewishhistorylectures.org for more information.  

  • Sephardic Jewry and the Islamic Conquest of 711

    Sephardic Jewry and the Islamic Conquest of 711

    Brief overview of the Jews in Spain during the two centuries following the Muslim conquest of 711.

  • Sephardic Jewry and the Muslim Conquest of 711

    Sephardic Jewry and the Muslim Conquest of 711

      September 18: SEPHARDIC JEWRY AND THE MUSLIM CONQUEST OF 711 Sponsored by Katherine and Vick Crespin, in gratitude to Hashem for protecting their family from harm during Hurricane Irma. Monday, September 18 @ 7pm at the Mighty Avenue J Campus of Touro College 1602 Avenue J Brooklyn NY 11230 Free and Open to the……

  • The Ancient Origins of Sephardic Jewry

    The Ancient Origins of Sephardic Jewry

    A brief overview of the earliest history of Sephardic Jewry, from earliest settlement through the Visigothic period to the Muslim conquest of 711. For the Fall Schedule of Lectures, please click here. To sponsor a lecture, please click here.

The Jews of Bukhara (Denver, CO); The Jews of the Lesser Antilles; Varieties of Crypto-Jewish Identity; Wait, Alexander Hamilton was Jewish?

Looking forward to a wonderful Shabbat in the Denver Jewish community!


Our Itinerary of Discovery in the Western Caribbean


Channel Members


Premiering at 10am ET


  • TONIGHT! VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE

    TONIGHT! VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE

    Questions about college? Like to know more about our academic programs, financial aid and scholarships, earning college credit while learning in Israel? Attend our Virtual Open House, this evening from 7-8 pm! Please click here to RSVP (or visit las.touro.edu) and we will happily send you the link to view the presentation and participate in……

  • Hayom yom…

    Hayom yom…

    Please enjoy this week’s article in the Five Towns Jewish Times! http://5tjt.com/hayom-yom/

  • Virtual Open House this Monday!

    Virtual Open House this Monday!

    Students and parents! Interested in learning more about study at the mighty Avenue J campus of Touro College in Flatbush? Please join me in our Virtual Open House on Monday, January 11 at 7 pm! I’ll present some essential information on our academic programs and provide the basics on Financial Aid, Scholarships, and our very popular Israel……

  • Rabbi Chaim Vital, “The Gates of Holiness”

    Please enjoy this article from the Five Towns Jewish Times! http://5tjt.com/the-gates-of-holiness/

  • Who Was Rabbi Chaim Vital?

    Who Was Rabbi Chaim Vital?

    Rabbi Chaim Vital (1542-1620) was the principal disciple of the great Kabbalist, Rabbi Isaac Luria (the Arizal). Three days after the death of his master, Rabbi Vital received a vision in a dream that consumed his scholarly life for decades: preserving the mystical heritage of the great Safed tradition. Please click here for the Prezi.

  • Support Alexander’s Marathon Bid!

    Support Alexander’s Marathon Bid!

    Hey, my son Alexander is training to run in the Miami Marathon next month to raise funds for Friendship Center. This is a really great cause and I believe in it: they do fantastic work with kids with disabilities, with special emphasis on helping them develop social skills.  Please check out his donation page https://miami.teamfriendship.org/Alex, and……

  • MONDAY NIGHT: FINAL LECTURE OF THE SEMESTER

    MONDAY NIGHT: FINAL LECTURE OF THE SEMESTER

    We’ll be looking at the life and work of Rabbi Chaim Vital (1542-1620), the principal disciple of the great Kabbalist, Rabbi Isaac Luria (the Arizal). Three days after the death of his master, Rabbi Vital received a vision in a dream that consumed his scholarly life for decades: preserving the mystical heritage of the great……

  • Samuel Usque, Consolations for the Tribulations of Israel

    Samuel Usque, Consolations for the Tribulations of Israel

    Really fascinated by the history of Portuguese Jews lately.  Please enjoy this latest column for the Five Towns Jewish Times! http://5tjt.com/usques-consolations/      

  • Who Was Uriel da Costa?

    Who Was Uriel da Costa?

    Living under the Portuguese Inquisition, Uriel da Costa (1583-1640) fled with his family to Amsterdam to reclaim his Jewish heritage. Tragically, the years of attempting to reconstruct authentic Judaism under the scrutiny of a zealous Church led him, like many crypto-Jews of his generation, to basic misunderstandings about the fundamental ideas and practices of his……

  • Tonight: Uriel da Costa, 7 pm

    Tonight: Uriel da Costa, 7 pm

    Tonight’s Jewish History lecture will focus on the life and thought of Uriel da Costa, a tragic figure whose brief autobiography, “Example of a Human Life,” describes the psychic pain and spiritual loss felt by Jewish victims of the Spanish Inquisition, even generations after the expulsion of 1492. His thought had a major impact on……

  • Heinrich Graetz, History of the Jews

    Heinrich Graetz, History of the Jews

    Hey! I even got my picture in the paper with this article. Enjoy in good health! http://5tjt.com/history-of-the-jews/

  • Who Was Dona Gracia Nasi?

    Who Was Dona Gracia Nasi?

    Lecture on the life and work of Dona Gracia Nasi (also known as Beatrice de Luna Mendes), a heroic Jewish woman of the 16th century. Fleeing the Inquisition in Portugal, she used her considerable wealth and courage to spirit converso Jews out of Europe to refuge in Ottoman lands. Here’s the Prezi for this lecture:http://prezi.com/ezegvhtrjraf/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

Visits to Synagogues in Bordeaux and Libourne (France); Another Open Letter to Jewish Participants in anti-Israel Protests re: Amsterdam; Conference Presentation on Sheptytsky and WW II

Fantastic Voyage of Discovery with Kosher River Cruises


A Difficult Conversation


Recent Conference Presentation in Toronto


Wait, Christopher Columbus was Jewish? Documentary on Roman-Jewish War now Online

Surprised how much attention this got.


Herod’s Tragic Reign

The Fatal Conflict

How Jewish Culture will Thrive after October 7; The Jews of Al-Andalus Part II

Remarks at Lander College for Men


Maimonides and the Controversy over His Work

Jews under the Visigoths II; The Spanish Golden Age

Public at 10am ET (44 minutes)


Online Courses in Jewish History

A Thousand Years of Ashkenaz

Jewish Life in Visigothic Spain; Commemorating October 7

This is one of the most bizarre periods of Jewish history, and that’s saying a lot.

Dropping on Sunday, September 22 at 10am ET. 70 minutes.


A Thousand Years of Ashkenaz

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