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

  • Who Was Rabbi David Gans?

    Who Was Rabbi David Gans?

    David Gans (1541-1613) was a Rabbinic scholar, historian, and astronomer.  A student of Rabbi Moshe Isserles and the Maharal of Prague, he collaborated actively with Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler and left behind important scholarly works.   Click here for the Prezi.    

  • Sefer HaChinuch (People of the Book)

    Sefer HaChinuch (People of the Book)

    People Of The Book: Classic Works Of The Jewish Tradition By Dr. Henry Abramson Written with a deep humility that nevertheless could not disguise the author’s brilliance,Sefer HaChinuch remains one of the most thought-provoking halachic studies some 800 years after it first appeared in the Iberian Peninsula. The deceptively simple title, “The Book of Education,” alludes to the anonymous…

  • Touro Dean Eyes Women’s Role in Kabbalistic Tzfat

    The Jewish Star, January 27, 2016 By Celia Weintrob On Rosh Chodesh Shevat, women who attended the Ohel Sara Amen Group in Lawrence enjoyed a lecture by the witty and informative Dr. Henry Abramson about the contribution of women to the Kabbalistic fellowship in Tzfat. Identifying himself as a “specialist in the history of ideas,”…

  • Christians, Jews, and Science in 1616

    Christians, Jews, and Science in 1616

    “Nicholas Copernicus’ book “On the Revolution of the Earth Around the Sun” should be suspended…and that all similar works which contain these teachings should be prohibited.” (Bishop of Albano, March 1616) “Nicholas Copernicus, a scholar of genius…in this domain man is completely at liberty to discover the theory which seems to him to be most…

  • ALEXANDER DOES IT AGAIN!

    ALEXANDER DOES IT AGAIN!

    Battling unseasonably frigid temperatures, Alexander heroically completed his fourth full marathon in Miami today! A tremendous achievement! Most importantly, with your support he surpassed his fundraising target, bringing in a total of $3,299 for Friendship Circle, helping children with autism and other disorders! Congratulations to Alexander, and thank you all for participating!

  • People of the Book: The Ways of the Righteous

    People of the Book: The Ways of the Righteous

    “When I speak, I regret what I say, but when I am silent, I do not regret. And if I may regret my silence once, I regret speaking many times over.” —Gate 21: The Gate of Silence, The Ways of the Righteous Is it possible that The Ways of the Righteous, among the most influential works…

  • E-Reading for the People of the Book: How Jews will Adapt to the Digital Revolution

    Source: E-Reading for the People of the Book: How Jews will Adapt to the Digital Revolution We are living in a Gutenberg moment, plunging wildly into an unprecedented age of transformation whose dark contours obscure the uncertain future. The Information Revolution dwarfs the 18th century Industrial Revolution, which was really great at making things bigger…

  • Letter of Nachmanides

    Letter of Nachmanides

    Please enjoy this week’s column in the Five Towns Jewish Times! The Letter of Nachmanides People Of The Book: Classic Works Of The Jewish Tradition By Dr. Henry Abramson “Accustom yourself to speak gently to all people at all times. This will protect you from anger—a most serious character flaw which causes one to sin.”…

  • February Schedule of Lectures

    February Schedule of Lectures

    Jewish History @ Avenue J A Community Project of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences 1602 Avenue J Monday Nights, 7-8pm Free and Open to the Community Lectures by Dean Henry Abramson No hard questions, please. February 2016: Jews of the Seventeenth Century Feb 1. David Gans Scientist, historian and theologian, Rabbi Gans bridged the…

  • 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…

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


  • Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch (This Week in Jewish History)

    Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch (This Week in Jewish History)

    Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch (1808-1888) articulated a strategy to allow Jews their traditional observances while participating actively in the modern world.  Criticized from both the left and the right, his thought remains highly influential into the 21st century.

  • Rabbi Hayim of Volozhin (This Week in Jewish History)

    Rabbi Hayim of Volozhin (This Week in Jewish History)

    Founder of the famous Yeshiva of Volozhin, Rabbi Hayim ben Yitshad was one of the most influential proponents of traditional Talmudic study of the early 19th century.  The author of Nefesh haHayim, he articulated a cogent response to the growing Hasidic movement.

  • Nicholas Donin and the Disputation of 1240 (This Week in Jewish History)

    Nicholas Donin and the Disputation of 1240 (This Week in Jewish History)

    In 1240 Nicholas Donin, a Jewish convert to Christianity, engaged in a public debate with his former teacher, Rabbi Yechiel of Paris. Donin charged that the Talmud was a noxious document that prevented the Jews from embracing Christianity, and brought a total of 35 distinct accusations against this ancient holy text. Ultimately, 24 carriage loads…

  • Jerusalem Day (This Week in Jewish History)

    Jerusalem Day (This Week in Jewish History)

    Jerusalem Day (Yom Yerushalayim) celebrates the unification of Jerusalem in the context of the Six-Day War of June 1967.  This dramatic military achievement represented a victory that was both political and symbolic, giving Jews control over the the Old City and the Temple Mount after nearly 2000 years of exile.

  • Alexander’s Learnathon for Israel: Last Week to Participate!

    Alexander’s Learnathon for Israel: Last Week to Participate!

    Alexander has done well with his fundraising efforts to participate in the Boys Israel Leadership Training (BILT) program run by the National Council of Synagogue Youth.  He’s already raised $858 toward his goal of $3,000! To all of you who participated, thanks very much.  If you haven’t yet had a chance, please do so quickly,…

  • Rabbi Moshe Isserles (The Rema) This Week in Jewish History

    Rabbi Moshe Isserles (The Rema) This Week in Jewish History

    Rabbi Moshe Isserles was an exceptionally important Polish Jew of the 16th century.  His commentary on the Code of Jewish Law brought Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jewry together to an unprecedented degree, and established the ascendancy of Polish Jewry over the older German community.

  • Rabbi Dr. Yosef Baer (J.D.) Soloveitchik (The Rav) Jewish Biography as History

    Rabbi Dr. Yosef Baer (J.D.) Soloveitchik (The Rav) Jewish Biography as History

    Known as simply “The Rav,” Rabbi Dr. Yosef Baer (J.D.) Soloveitchik was arguably the most influential figure shaping the Orthodox Rabbinate in the United States in the 20th century. From his position at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Rabbinical Seminary at Yeshiva University, he ordained some 2,000 Rabbis over four decades. To view the Prezi associated…

  • Rabbi Kalonymus Kalmish Shapiro, The Esh Kodesh (Jewish Biography as History)

    Rabbi Kalonymus Kalmish Shapiro, The Esh Kodesh (Jewish Biography as History)

    Discovered in the rubble of the Warsaw Ghetto, the wartime writings of Rabbi Kalonymus Kalmish Shapiro (1889-1943) offer a unique and powerful perspective on the life and suffering of religious Jews during the horrific years of the Nazi occupation. By Dr. Henry Abramson According to my knowledge of the words of the Sages and the…

  • Help a Teen Visit Israel (Special Guest Post by Alexander Abramson)

    Help a Teen Visit Israel (Special Guest Post by Alexander Abramson)

    I’m a runner. I’ve been running as long as I can remember, including my first half-marathon at age 12 and my first full marathon at 14. Running gives me energy, and makes me feel like I can accomplish anything.  I’m proud of my finishes, and even more proud that over the years I’ve raised almost…

  • Rabbi Israel Meir Kahan, The Chofetz Chaim (Jewish Biography as History)

    Rabbi Israel Meir Kahan, The Chofetz Chaim (Jewish Biography as History)

    Rabbi Israel Meir Kagan, better known as the Chofetz Chaim for his classic work on the sanctity of speech, was one of the major Rabbinic leaders of the late 19th and early 20th century. To view the Prezi associated with this lecture, click on the image below or here.

  • Classes Resume Tonight at Young Israel

    Hello students– We are scheduled to resume our lecture series this evening with a presentation on the Chofetz Chaim,one of the most influential Rabbinic thinkers of the late 19th and early 20th century. Rabbi Israel Meir Kagan is known principally for his dramatically creative analysis of the topic of forbidden speech (lashon ha-ra), and rose…

  • The Boundaries of the State of Israel (Essential Lectures in Jewish History)

    The Boundaries of the State of Israel (Essential Lectures in Jewish History)

    This video describes the changes in the political boundaries of the State of Israel from its inception 1948 through the disengagement from Gaza in 2005. Part of the Essential Lectures in Jewish History series by Dr. Henry Abramson. To view the Prezi associated with this video please click here.

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


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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