Really looking forward to meeting this community!

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




This amazing trip is now open to non-matriculated, visiting students! Join us–it promises to be a fantastic experience. Email me at abramson@touro.edu for more information.
The sixteenth century witnessed a phenomenal, short-lived explosion of Jewish spiritual creativity, centered in the sleepy Galilean town of Safed (Tsfat). Along with greats such as Rabbi Yosef Karo, Rabbi Moshe Cordovero was one of the founders of that unusual place, attracting still more Rabbis and especially Kabbalists to the mountaintop community, including Rabbi……
A brilliant 13th-century scholar of Rabbinic thought, Nahmanides’ defense of Judaism in a forced Church-sponsored debate earned him exile from his native Spain. An elderly sage, he emigrated to the Land of Israel, where he found a tiny Jewish community, desperately hanging onto the traditions of their ancestors. Summoning upon an immense reserve of energy,……
Brief survey of the major historical developments and themes affecting the land of Israel between the 2nd-century Bar Kochba rebellion and the Muslim conquest in the seventh century. Part of the Israel: The Land and its People series.
Certainly one of the greatest Rabbis of the entire Talmud, Akiva son of Joseph did not begin his study of Judaism before adulthood. His trajectory of incredible spiritual growth was punctuated by moments of great personal tragedy, and his martyrdom at the hands of the Romans after the failed second-century Bar-Kochba revolt has an enduring……
One of the greatest builders of ancient Israel, King Herod exploited his power as a Roman-sponsored ruler to develop the Temple, yet earned a reputation as a feared tyrant responsible for horrific massacres. HIs rule set the tone for the political climate in the Land of Israel during the tumultuous decades prior to the growth……
Born in the times of the Hasmonean rebellion celebrated with the holiday of Chanukah, Yohanan Cohen Gadol was one of the most prominent Jewish leaders during the brief period of Jewish freedom in the 2nd century BCE. Caught in the swirling controversy of internal religious debate, in his old age he abandoned his Pharisaic roots……
“Sweet singer of Israel,” David was the poet-warrior King who led the Jewish people to political and cultural prominence. Denied his most cherished goal of building the Temple, he lived a life of great personal challenge and heroic resurgence from tragedy, and his biography left an indelible mark on the Jewish understanding of leadership.
The Bible describes how the Jewish people, emerging from Egyptian servitude and decades of wandering in the Sinai desert, followed Joshua’s military leadership to conquer the Land of Israel and establish the ancient foundations of their Torah-centered society. This lecture will survey the archeological and historical record to understand the larger context of the Biblical……

Join me for a live webinar on the complex topic of Judaism in the first century on Monday, March 13 at 6:00 pm EST. We will look at several of the most important themes of this century: the conflict with the Romans that ended in the destruction of the Temple, the sectarian movements including the……


Thursday night at the Yeshiva of Flatbush The lecture will be live-streamed (details forthcoming) Who Was Daniel Israel Lopez Laguna, Poet of the Inquisition? Update on Volume One of The Jewish People: A History Very pleased to be past the peer-review process and now working on copyediting and especially images and maps for the book….…

A brief review of the history from 136 to 638

Deconstructing a slogan and what it means to those who chant it A Pioneering Historian of Portuguese Jewry

Part III Premiers at 10am with Live Chat Parts I and II

Premiering at 10am ET (New York time) The Amazing Career of Duarte De Paz Peer-reviewed The Jewish People: A History now online With gratitude to the hundreds of students of Jewish history who contributed suggestions and edits to the first volume of The Jewish People: A History, and the constructive edits provided by the peer……

Premiering Sunday at 10am EST. Join us for a live chat. The video is currently available to Channel Members for advance viewing.

Students Please RSVP for the Bus to DC What is Islamic Antisemitism? Talking Gaza to Teens (also adults, and also Safed) How did Portuguese Jews Survive the Inquisition?

Sadly, an Evergreen Topic Please join me at Palm Beach Synagogue on Nov 12 for a discussion of Gaza in Jewish History (general lecture and a special session for teens) and a look at 16th century Safed Click here to register. Biblical History Course Updated Many of you followed the Jewish History Lab series of……

A deep and meaningful journey with Kosher Riverboat Cruises.

New lecture in the series Jewish History for Parents and other Teachers of Children This 13th Century Rabbi Refused to be Ransomed from Captivity
I recorded this before Simchas Torah, so the tone is a little more cheerful and upbeat than I feel. But maybe that’s appropriate: we must continue.


