History for the Curious - The Jewish History Podcast

The Church was determined to wipe out any vestige of Judaism from Spain, any custom, any law, any practice, and thousands of Jews would pay the price.

Spain was not just one country, however; it spread to the Americas and the Indies, and the stories of individual heroism, ingenuity, and courage are breathtaking.

 

Timestamps:

• 0:00:01 Crypto-Judaism vs. Crusades — constant oversight in Spain  

Post-1391 there was a period of uncertainty but many Conversos still found it possible to maintain a level of observance - sometimes even openly. It appeared that a Modus Vivendi could be achieved. But in 1477 the Church persuaded Ferdinand & Isabella to institute the Inquisition; aimed not at Jews but at the 'heretical' New Christians.    The 1480s became a decade of hiding, yet scholarship was increased and Spain became a cen...

The date of the Expulsion in 1492 is infamous. Less known or understood is the historical context that led there. How did a 1,000-year-old community lose its status and power?

The answer lies in the ferocious and sudden impact of 1391. With 100,000 conversions to Christianity, Jewish kehillos were left reeling and families were torn apart. Rebuilding became virtually impossi...

We know from both Jewish and secular sources, that 2,500 years ago the Babylonians led by Nevuchadnezar, besieged Jerusalem on this day. Two years later the Temple was destroyed. But what events led to this moment? And why was the path of the prophet Yirmiyahu's life so dangerous?  

As importantly how do we, in our days, feel a connection to the message and the narrative?

10th Teves is also designated as a day of mourning, for all ...

The Menorah was the most adopted symbol in the Jewish world. But where is the original?   We know of a Menorah in Rome in 70CE. The Talmud tells us it was examined. But what follows is centuries of silence    What does History tell us? What do eyewitnesses report? What has the Church said? And what role does the 2nd Temple Menorah have, in the redemption of the Jewish People?   This episode is the outcome of the most up-to-date res...

Chanukah is central to our Jewish Calendar and way of life, but there are many unanswered questions: Why celebrate defeat? What was the real role of Kohanim during the Second Temple? Why was this Yomtov chosen to reflect the ultimate ideal ?

Tracing the story from Alexander the Great and Shimon HaTzaddik through the corruption of the Second Temple and the rise of Hellenism, ...

Yitzchak Trebitsch was an active participant - under various names - in some of the twentieth century’s most important events: mass immigration, WWI wartime espionage, radical right-wing Germany, Chinese civil war and the Japanese invasion during WWII. But in the end he was a nobody.

His death was attributed variously to Nazi poison, Allied vengeance, Buddhist enemies, or en...

Small groups of crypto-Jews are known to have made their way to England. We know the names and occasionally the stories of some. But no one had a greater impact on England’s history or on Queen Elizabeth I, than Roger Lopez: Physician, Double Agent, Diplomat & Court Jew.   Jews were News even during the period of their supposed forced absence.   And what is the real story behind Henry VIII’s set of Talmud?  

Chapters

00:00:00 ...

In the wake of the return of the hostages that survived, challenges abound and life cannot return to normal. Israel confronts the unknown with hope, and across the world the ripples of anti-semitism continue to echo.   The UK experienced Jews being killed on Yom Kippur, New York has elected a pro-Hamas mayor, yet various Arab countries have expressed an interest in closer ties with Israel. Rabbi Hersh, Rabbi Leff & Lord Wolfson...

To watch This Podcast, click here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBpgg1wcQKw&t=2760s  

A wide-ranging and personal discussion with former U.S. Ambassador David Friedman, describing how his Sledgehammer of Diplomacy shattered old conventions to achieve the historic U.S. Embassy move and usher in the Abraham Accords, exploring the deeply personal balance between his religious conviction and political power in crafting high-st...

25 years after Paris the Talmud was being cross-examined again. This time the Christians intended to prove the truth of their faith from within Judaism !   In 1413, the Jews chose silence as their response but many were pressured into conversion.   100 years ago the world lost a halachic genius; Rav Arik created a generation of rabbis. His numerous students include Rav Meir Shapiro & the Tchebiner Rov, while his rulings influen...

During the 13th century, Europe was controlled by a militant church, and France was ruled by Louis IX - a bitter enemy of the Jews. All copies of the Talmud were seized and four Baalei Tosfos were interrogated in public.  How did Jewry recover from this calamity? Was this tragedy related to the burning of the Rambam’s writings? 

 

Chapters

00:00 Divine Retribution and Historical Context

04:38 Rambam and Rabbeinu Yonah's Controver...

In 1263 the Ramban was forced to attend a public Disputation and defend the truths of the Talmud against attacks by the Dominicans, who were led by an apostate Jew.   The Ramban would be exiled from Spain as a result and settle in Eretz Yisrael where he described with both pride and pain of the state of the Jewish community.  Using his medical knowledge, the Ramban also authored a central halachic work on healing and consultin...

By the 13th century, Spain was becoming a more uncomfortable place for Jews, partly due to  communal structure. Ramban will engage in dampening the flames of controversy both about the Rambam and regarding power and authority. But he will face strong personal attacks in the process.   The Ramban was also a prolific author of sefarim. They range from Halacha to Chumash, Kabbala & Talmud. R' Shmuli Levison joins us to introduce u...

Many Jews were reluctant first-hand witnesses to Nazi cruelty and suffering.    For many Hungarian survivors,  often deliberately misled about the truth of Auschwitz's existence, betrayal only added to their pain. Risa Shayowitz - aged a young 95 years old - relays that tragedy, even as she looks only to move forward. An American chaplain in the US Army in April 1945 - Rabbi Hershel Schachter - opened up the gates of Hell. In a lit...

We speak of 'Holocaust Survivors' without understanding what they survived, without knowing the trauma and guilt they carried.  A young 16-year-old girl (now 97 years old) was taken through the cruelty of Auschwitz - and asked by Mengele to decide the fate of her own mother. 

1. How did she find the strength of mind? How did she become a beacon to others, learn to redefine freedom and turn her wounds into a source of hope? 

2. A...

Despite being a Western country, Holland almost equalled the East in its destructiveness during the Holocaust. 2 non-Jews created their own narrative by bypassing the system. One took great risks, the other received great reward. Their unusual stories, extend forgery into new territory. And a mention of Mein Kampf - one hundred years later.

 

Chapters

00:00 The Journey into Danger

01:40 The Context of the Holocaust

06:41 The System...