Really looking forward to meeting this community!

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




Hello Lovers of Jewish History! By now you must be talking to all your former friends and colleagues about the upcoming Jewish History @ J series of lectures, and hyping up the first biography of Vladimir Jabotinsky scheduled for Monday, October 31. It occurred to me that it might be helpful for you to get some……

Thank you to Mr. Paul Shaviv, a scholar and master educator, for supporting the Jewish History @ J series! His donation is in memory of Dr. Yishai Shachar z”l – 1935-1977, whose 39th Yahrzeit was on 5 Tishrei. ‘Haval al d’avdin..’ Historian, teacher, gentleman. On behalf of all the students who benefit from the lectures,……

Minutes of the Friends of Jewish History Meeting (10/13/16) 1) We’ll try to post videos of the Monday night lectures by Tuesday Afternoon 2) We hope to run live q&a sessions on Thursdays at 7PM EST 3) Printing some Jewish History @ J bookmarks/fridge magnets for Friends and attendees 4) Looking to hire an Intern……

“Who Was Vladimir Jabotinsky?” is sponsored by Norman and Bridgette Robinson in memory of Leona Robinson of blessed memory. In the words of her son, she was “an avid reader who loved history” who would have enjoyed this lecture. Thank to the Robinsons for becoming the first members of the Friends of Jewish History! Their……
Paid Jewish Internship in Jewish History for qualified Avenue J student! Hard work, long hours, meager compensation. Chance at everlasting fame and glory, promoting the study of Jewish history. Must be organized, diligent, and personable. Will train. Contact me directly at abramson@touro.edu.
First meeting of the Friends of Jewish History! New Friends welcome! Agenda: exciting plans for the Fall 2016 lectures. Thursday, October 13, 7:00-7:30 pm EST. Web login: https://zoom.us/j/7186385458?pwd=v4EFhXcDlhAJZNeQOp%2FfXA%3D%3D Password: geshikhte Telephone call-in: Dial: +1 408 638 0968 (US Toll) or +1 646 558 8656 (US Toll) Meeting ID: 718 638 5458 International numbers available: https://zoom.us/zoomconference?m=30Usrg3JHXCdvXk7rk3huvZeSoE2JRQ9

Hello fans of Jewish History! We have some very exciting plans developing for the Fall 2016 lecture series. I’m thinking about organizing a live webcast, live Q&A sessions, and a few other really cool things. We are thinking about how we can bring the lectures to a new level of technical quality, and that’s where you……

Hey, here’s a nice article that Elisheva Schlam put on the Touro College website. They even splurged for a new headshot (above). I like it, but it makes me look about ten years older than the last one we took, about a decade ago. View the article in its original context, or read below. This……

I am grateful to Rebecca Odessa, an exceptionally talented artist, who recently created thirteen startling and powerful illustrations of the Thirteen Levels of Mercy as described in Rabbi Moshe Cordovero’s Date Palm of Devorah. I am so pleased that my translation and commentary, entitled The Kabbalah of Forgiveness, helped her clarify her vision and translate it into these……

Okay, if you enjoyed my translation and commentary of Rabbi Moshe Cordovero’s Tomer Devorah, you have got to check out Rebecca Odessa’s amazing 13-part series cataloging the Thirteen Levels of Mercy! Truly phenomenal. http://thewisdomdaily.com/kabbalah-forgiveness-artistic-journey/

Maybe this you’ll like? Maimonides on Teshuvah: The Ways of Repentance Click here for the first chapter and some cool videos on the book. Here’s another book that’s super-appropriate for the High Holidays. Excellent personal reading, and if someone is really angry with you, makes a great gift! (I have given it to several of……


Here’s a new version of the Albert Einstein lecture, edited by the wonderful people at TorahCafe.com to include the PowerPoint. It’s basically the same, except without the lame jokes. Click on the icon below to watch the video.

This is a lecture I delivered at the University of Central Florida back in October 2004 (my hair was quite a bit darker and, well, there). Found the CD when I was cleaning out some old files. There’s a PPT that goes with this lecture, and I’m going to try to find a way to……

A presentation on the life and work of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902-1994), the Seventh Rebbe of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. A native of Nikolaev, Ukraine, and educated in Germany and France, his leadership transformed his Hasidic followers into an international movement that continues to shape the lives of Jews world wide. The lecture was held……

A presentation on the life and work of Betty Friedan, a prominent American Jewish feminist leader. The author of the landmark The Feminine Mystique (1963), she later became the Founder of the National Organization of Women, and an important political activist for women’s rights. The lecture was held at the Young Israel of Bal Harbour on May 29,……

A presentation on Albert Einstein (1879-1955), one of the best-known Jews of the twentieth century. Although he had a complicated relationship with Judaism, he maintained a distinct pride in his Jewish identity, and once said “A Jew who abandons his Judaism is like a snail that abandons its shell. It’s still a snail.” The lecture……

An excerpt from The Kabbalah of Forgiveness: A Reader’s Guide to Rabbi Moshe Cordovero’s The Palm Tree of Devorah, a new translation and commentary on the 16th-century classic of Kabbalistic musar, is now available online. Anticipated publication date is August 2013. The Palm Tree of Devorah first appeared in 1588 and became and instant classic….…

A presentation on the life and work of Stephen Samuel Wise (1874-1949), an important American communal leader. The lecture will take a broader focus, looking at the history of Jewish settlement in the United States during the 19th century and the major issues facing this immigrant community through the middle of the twentieth century. The……

A study of the life of Menachem Begin (1913-1992). A native of Poland, he was a proponent of Vladimir Jabotinsky’s Revisionist party that stood in dramatic contrast to the dominant left-wing tendency in the Zionist movement. A major figure in Israel’s struggle for statehood, and a founder of the Likud party, he was elected to……

This lecture presents a broad overview of the three main intellectual-religious trends present in 19th century Jewish Eastern Europe: the traditionalist Mitnagdim, the innovative Hasidim, and the modernizing Maskilim. Good as an overall introduction, although I go into more detail on all of these movements in other lectures on this website. Taped on April 21,……

A presentation of the life of Golda Meir (1898-1978), spanning her immigration to Israel in 1921 through the end of her term as the fourth Prime Minister of Israel in 1974. The lecture will discuss the foundations of the Yishuv, the pre-state Jewish community, and touch on the major social and military conflicts that Israel……

Evgenia Ginzburg (1904-1977) was a Jewish woman who endured the horrors of the Stalinist Gulag. Charged and convicted of anti-Soviet activity in 1937, she was sent to the infamous work camps of Siberia for nearly two decades until her case was reviewed two years after Stalin’s death. She was ultimately rehabilitated, and published her memoirs……

An examination of the life and work of Emanuel Ringelblum (1900-1944), the heroic Polish scholar who organized the underground Oneg Shabbat society in the Warsaw Ghetto. Ringelblum recognized the extreme and unprecedented nature of the Nazi onslaught early in the war, and brought together a group of highly dedicated volunteers who recorded every aspect of……


