Good morning fans of Jewish History! Really pleased to have positive response on the beautiful Jewish History bookmarks we’ve been sending out (send your mailing address if you’d like one)! Thanks to donors Max Sklar and Suzanne Parella who recently contributed to the Jewish History Scholarship Fund for our students. Meanwhile, we’re still looking for a sponsor for the “Who Was Emma Goldman?” lecture scheduled for tomorrow night–please visit the Friends of Jewish History crowdfunding page to earn the eternal Internet gratitude of thousands of Jewish History fans!

https://www.crowdrise.com/friends-of-jewish-history/fundraiser/avenuej

Brief overview of the controversy that surrounded the writings of Rabbi Moses Maimonides. Lecture delivered at the Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst.

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 line: when asked what she thought of Italy, Goldman replied “beautiful country, minus Mussolini.”

Anyway–she’s a fascinating figure, a pioneering political thinker that influenced American society, particularly in the realm of women’s rights. Despite the moniker “Red Emma,” she was an Anarachist, not a Communist, and in fact was an early critic of Stalin’s Russia. Sponsor this lecture so we can get on with the task of educating our students!

To sponsor: https://www.crowdrise.com/friends-of-jewish-history/fundraiser/avenuej

To RSVP for free: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/who-was-emma-goldman-tickets-27939039419

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 to attend the public events.

We will pick up in Brooklyn on Monday, November 21, with a great lecture on Emma Goldman.  Also, on Wednesday, November 16, we’re starting a new series in the Five Towns hosted by the Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst.  Looking forward to seeing you there!

HMA

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.

If you don’t see the image below, just click on the computer gibberish–it’s worthwhile, I think.

https://prezi.com/embed/kav7clixcgsk/?bgcolor=ffffff&lock_to_path=0&autoplay=0&autohide_ctrls=0&landing_data=bHVZZmNaNDBIWnNjdEVENDRhZDFNZGNIUE43MHdLNWpsdFJLb2ZHanI0OUQvUVFudmV5bG9sK3hTY29TMUloYWJ3PT0&landing_sign=u34CgACTn0rcx2HUs61pv1gkchtDedyX2LT9yTgjNRg

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 (prompt)

Free and open to the community

Lectures by

Henry Abramson, PhD

Please click here for a free reservation for the first lecture, “Burning Maimonides,” scheduled for Wednesday, November 16 at the Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst.