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

  • RED EMMA SEEKS SPONSORS!

    RED EMMA SEEKS SPONSORS!

    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……

  • Sold-Out Shabbaton in Toronto!

    Sold-Out Shabbaton in Toronto!

    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……

  • Who Was Rav Kook?

    Who Was Rav Kook?

    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.

  • New Lecture Series in Five Towns!

    New Lecture Series in Five Towns!

    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……

  • Sponsorships Available for Jewish History Lectures!

    Sponsorships Available for Jewish History Lectures!

    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….…

  • Free Gift from Jewish History @ J!

    Please send your mailing address to abramson@touro.edu and I’ll be happy to send one right out to you.

  • Archival Footage of Rav Kook

    Archival Footage of Rav Kook

    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……

  • Who Was Vladimir Jabotinsky?

    Who Was Vladimir Jabotinsky?

    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……

  • Vladimir Jabotinsky Speaks! Paris 1934 footage

    Vladimir Jabotinsky Speaks! Paris 1934 footage

    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……

  • Still looking for Intern in Jewish History

    Still looking for Intern in Jewish History

    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……

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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