School principal Chaim Kaplan recorded the bleak mood in the Warsaw Ghetto on the eve of Passover of the Hebrew year 5701 (1941): Like the Egyptian Passover, the Passover of Germany will be celebrated for generations.  The chaotic oppression of every day throughout this year of suffering will be reflected in the days of the……

Really nice to see that readers in my native Canada are encountering the Piaseczno Rebbe: Here’s a new review by Dr. Norman Ravvin, appearing in the current Canadian Jewish News. Note to my dear readers: the book is in Judaica stores, on Amazon and Kindle, but my favorite (and the best value) is the beautiful……

I’m grateful to Rabbi Josh Rosenfeld for his kind and thoughtful review of Torah from the Years of Wrath, which appeared in this month’s Jewish Action. Please click here to read his thoughts on the work of the Piaseczno Rebbe.

Brief lecture on the life and times of Daniel Mendoza, a Sephardic Jewish champion boxer of the 18th and early 19th century.

In early February 1940 the Nazis promulgated decrees that prohibited Jews from benefitting from general community charity services. Ration cards were distributed with racial distinctions: Jews received cards with a Star of David marked on them, while Poles and Germans received colored, otherwise unmarked cards. At this early date in the war, hunger did not……

Brief presentation on the life and works of Sir Moses Montefiore, an important 19th century Sephardic English philanthropist. Part of the Sephardic Diaspora series.

“Faith is not an argument. It is a conversation, in which we listen, accept the premises of the interaction, make active choices and contributions, shift our direction as necessary based on the cues we hear, and most importantly, keep the conversation alive and active…Abramson’s work allows us to eavesdrop on one of the most powerful……

I am grateful for this thorough and kind review of the recent Ukrainian translation of “Ukrainians and Jews in Revolutionary Times” by Oleksandr Zinchenko, published in today’s Istorichna Pravda. If you don’t read Ukrainian (and refuse to read Google translate, which is close enough to the original to be seriously misleading), the revised English edition……

Brief presentation of the life and work of Rabbi Chaim Yosef David Azoulay, a fascinating Sephardic Rabbi of the 18th century. Part Three of The Sephardic Diaspora series.

Tonight at Machon Chana: part two of The History of Sephardic Jewry series. Last week we looked at the origins of Spanish Jewry and the Muslim period; tonight we will focus on the Reconquista up to the Expulsion of 1492.

Main Auditorium of the Mighty Avenue J campus of Touro College 1602 Avenue J, Brooklyn NY 11230 7pm  Free and open to the community.  No hard questions, please.  For more information please click here. 

My old friend Dr. Michael Chigel tagged me on Facebook this morning with his remarkably kind and generous unsolicited review of Torah from the Years of Wrath. I’m deeply moved and grateful to Mike for promoting the Torah of the Aish Kodesh, as well as for the undeserved praise he lavished on my small contribution, but also……

Amazing Example of Jewish Tenacity

A remarkable event in 12th century Provence

Recording of Live Lecture The Jews of Arles, France

Please join me for a discussion of this 16th c. Kabbalistic Work

The Miraculous Revival of the Middelburg Synagogue What is the Meaning of the Bleeding Pelican? A Remarkable Moment in an Antwerp Synagogue A Gute Herring!

Mock Trial held at the Jewish National Retreat Unpacked Riffs on the Golem A Thousand Years of Ashkenaz: 19 Videos Added! Click here to register for this online course! Get Ready for Elul with Maimonides on Teshuvah Click here to order your copy! Now on sale for Elul.

The Ashkenazi Migration to Eastern Europe Jewish Hero Saves 600 Children in Nazi-Occupied Amsterdam Tom Metcalfe on Elephants in Medieval Art in National Geographic Really honored to be interviewed for this fascinating National Geographic piece on the depictions of elephants in medieval art. Here’s the link to the article, although you might need to subscribe……

The Life of the original Nazi Hunter The Expulsion of the Jews from Medieval Ashkenaz The Roman-Jewish Wars, 66-135 CE Join me at the National Jewish Retreat! Really pleased to be joining a tremendous roster of speakers in Palm Springs this month for the National Jewish Retreat! Please click here for more information.

Surprisingly insightful look at the nature of Jewish humor At first I was concerned that this was released during the 9 Days, but it actually has a lot of relevance to this sad time of the year. Very proud–as always–to have had a small role in putting this together with the remarkable team at Unpacked….…

A Fascinating and Influential Movement in Medieval Ashkenaz Unpacked on a Morally Challenging Topic in American History