How did a small hole in a parchment create Crusader history?
What do Chopin, Karl Marx, Alexander Dumas & Goethe have in common?
Why would the Barons of Franconia insist that Jews go to Synagogue on Monday & Thursday?
What was life like for Jews in Sicily?
Listen to fascinating insights from four very different eras in Jewish History.

The Letters Which Made History - Part II

History for the Curious 


The most talked-about Jewish History Podcast 


History for the Curious features the dynamic historian and famous tour guide & lecturer: Rabbi Aubrey Hersh,  live from the JLE in London, hosted by myself: Mena Reisner 

Join us as we cross continents, sail through the centuries, tracing lives, uncovering events and following epic journeys,  to reveal the untold stories, the scandals,  and the mysteries, that have impacted our history and shaped us into who we are today. 

Encounter leaders, visionaries, spies, heroes & traitors and unpack 2,000 years of Jewish heritage. 
Go back to the story of Jews in the Temple of Jerusalem.  Confront the dilemmas of the Holocaust.  Visit Paris, Prague, Vilna, London, Venice, New York & the Cairo Geniza.  Meet The Russian Czar, Ramchal, Maharal, Maimonides, Churchill, Shabbetai Zvi and the Hapsburgs.

History

Society & Culture

Religion & Spirituality

Other

Spirituality

Christianity

Buddhism

Hinduism

Judaism

Islam

The Golden Age was over but what drove Jews to settle in Christian Spain?
What is the true story of the pirates in Cordoba?
Why was the commentary of the Rif so vital and why did the Ba’al HaMaor critique it?
Who controlled the Jews: The Church or The Kings?
 

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction and Background
03:05 Legends and Stories in Jewish History
08:50 Prominent Jewish Scholars and Physicians
16:30 Transition from Muslim to Christian Rule
24:48 Power Dynamics: Kings and the Church
29:00 Challenges to Jewish Authority
31:58 Clothing and Distinguishing Marks
36:12 Freedom and High Profile
39:01 Tensions and Uncertainty

Spanish Jewry III - Targets of Resentment: Prominent Jewish Figures in Spain

A unique world existed for two centuries in which a  Jewish general lead Moslem armies into battle and authored 1,500 poems while Chasdai, the most famous Jew, discovered the antidote to poison and oversaw the creation of Jewish grammar.
Was Yosef Hannagid responsible for the death of an Arab prince? And how did Spain over-rule Babylonia?
 
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to the Golden Age of Spanish Jewry
14:18 The Achievements and Influential Figures of the Golden Age
35:58 The Cultural Significance of Poetry and Literature
39:21 Emergence of Jewish Literary Works in Muslim Spain
41:37 The End of the Golden Age
43:28 Disputes Among Jewish Grammarians

Spanish Jewry II - The Golden Age : Poetry, Power and Politics

The history of the Jews in Spain has always been part of our collective memory. But the real story starts 1,000 years earlier.
 
Long before the Rishonim, flourishing communities existed. What were their lives like? Why do we not know more about them? And what happened in 711CE?
 
For the trip, please email: giana.elav@gmail.com
 

Chapters
00:00 The Visigothic Period: Anti-Jewish Legislation and Forced Conversions
15:40 The Muslim Invasion: The Golden Age of Spain for Jews
33:43 Uncovering the Forgotten History: The Jews of Spain

Spanish Jewry I - The Dark Ages: The Forced Conversion of the Jews

Do synagogues have rights over membership?
Why did a Chazan risk excommunication in Perpignan?
Why were responsa printed in defiance of the author’s wishes?
And the 1708 Chametz glue on a Pesach document…
 
 

Chapters
00:00 Excommunication and Imposing Bans
06:18 Excommunication and Scholarly Disputes
13:28 The Role of the Chazan in the Synagogue
26:04 Insights from Historical Responsa

Responsa in History III

For centuries Jews faced restrictions building their shuls.
 
Halachic questions arose across Europe concerning rights, ownership and use. And closer to our day, when communities split, the assets would often be fought over.
 
For the trip, please email: giana.elav@gmail.com
 
 

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Overview
07:41 Shul as a Place of Assembly and Governance
14:13 Challenges in Shul Expansion and Renovation
29:14 Ownership and Rights of a Community in a Shul
38:13 The Changing Dynamics of Shuls and the Role of Trustees

The Letters Which Made History - Part II

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