Jewish History Matters

Jewish History Matters episodes:

• 04.19.2022

  84: The First Aliyah and Historical Memory of Jewish Settlement in Israel/Palestine with Liora R. Halperin

  Liora Halperin joins us to discuss her book The Oldest Guard: Forting the Zionist Settler Past, and the broader issues it raises about the history of Zionist settlement in Israel and Palestine, historical memory, and

  
• 04.04.2022

  83: Ethical Technology and the Holocaust with Deb Donig

  In this episode, Deb Donig joins us for a conversation about the intersection between contemporary technology and culture and the lessons of history. Listen in as we dive into ethical technology, the Holocaust, and what

  
• 03.09.2022

  82: The War in Ukraine and its Historical and Cultural Context with Amelia Glaser and Jeffrey Veidlinger

  This episode, Jeffrey Veidlinger and Amelia Glaser join us to talk about the ongoing war in Ukraine and its historical and cultural context. We recorded on Tuesday, March 8th, 2022, and we are working to

  
• 02.27.2022

  81: Art Spiegelman’s Maus and Contemporary Holocaust Debates with Victoria Aarons, Jenny Caplan, and Jodi Eichler-Levine

  This episode, we are hosting a roundtable discussion with Victoria Aarons, Jenny Caplan, and Jodi Eichler-Levine about Art Spiegelman’s graphic novel Maus, and the recent controversy from January 2022 when a school board in Tennessee

  
• 02.15.2022

  80: Jewish American Writing and World Literature with Saul Noam Zaritt

  Saul Noam Zaritt speaks about Jewish American literature, its place in world literature, and what this tells us about how we understand modern Jewish history and culture at large. It’s the focus of his recent

  
• 02.02.2022

  79: Palestine and the Power of the Archive with Gil Z. Hochberg

  In this episode, our guest is Gil Z. Hochberg, who will be speaking about how we can develop a sophisticated approach to thinking about Palestine and Israel through the concept of “the Archive.” Gil Z.

  
• 01.18.2022

  78: Jewish Primitivism with Samuel Spinner

  In this episode, we’re joined by Sam Spinner to talk about Jewish primitivism. Listen in as we take a deep dive into primitivism in European culture, Jewish primitivism and its politics, and what it all

  
• 01.02.2022

  77: Rabbi Leo Baeck with Michael A. Meyer

  In this episode, we’re joined by Michael A. Meyer to talk about Rabbi Leo Baeck and his legacy, as a window into twentieth-century German Jewish history, both before the Holocaust and also in the shadow

  
• 11.28.2021

  76: Iraqi Jewry and Its Global Diaspora with Sasha Goldstein-Sabbah

  In this episode, we’re joined by Sasha Goldstein-Sabbah to talk about Iraqi Jewry and its global diaspora. Listen in as we dive into the development of Iraqi or Baghdadi Jewry and its many satellite communities

  
• 11.14.2021

  75: The Jews’ Indian and Global Settler Colonialism with David S. Koffman

  David S. Koffman joins the podcast to talk about Jews and native peoples in North America. It’s the topic of his recent book, The Jews’ Indian: Colonialism, Pluralism, and Belonging in America, which serves as

  
• 10.31.2021

  74: The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and its Afterlife with Avinoam Patt

  Avinoam Patt joins us to talk about the Warsaw ghetto uprising and its afterlife: How it was understood during the time of the Second World War itself, and how it’s been remembered in the decades

  
• 10.10.2021

  73: Polish Jewish Refugees in the Wartime Soviet Union with Eliyana Adler

  Eliyana Adler joins us to talk about Polish Jews who fled to the Soviet Union in 1939, and who subsequently survived the Second World War and the Holocaust in Siberia and Central Asia. Listen in as we discuss her book...

  
• 09.19.2021

  72: Moroccan Jews and the Politics of Belonging with Alma Heckman

  Alma Heckman joins us to talk about twentieth-century Moroccan Jews, and especially Moroccan Jewish communism and its broader politics, which is the focus of her recent book The Sultan’s Communists: Moroccan Jews and the Politics of Belonging.

  
• 09.05.2021

  71: Streaming the Holocaust with Marat Grinberg

  Marat Grinberg joins us to speak about how the Holocaust is portrayed and represented in popular culture, particularly in contemporary television. Listen in as we dive into how the Holocaust has played a role in the tv landscape, from “The...

  
• 05.23.2021

  70: Dancing and Jewish Modernity with Sonia Gollance

  Sonia Gollance joins us to talk about her book It Could Lead to Dancing: Mixed-Sex Dancing and Jewish Modernity, an exciting new book which deals with the history of dance and modern Jewish culture.

  
• 05.09.2021

  69: American Judaism Beyond the Synagogue with Rachel B. Gross

  Rachel B. Gross talks about nostalgia and lived religion in American Jewish life, which is the focus of her book Beyond the Synagogue: Jewish Nostalgia as Religious Practice. Listen in as we talk about a variety of ways in which...

  
• 04.25.2021

  68: The Jewish Refugee Crisis of the Seventeenth Century with Adam Teller

  Adam Teller joins us to speak about the seventeenth-century Jewish refugee crisis following the 1648 Khmenlytsky pogroms—how it helps us to understand the transnational transformation of Jewish life in early modern times, as well as

  
• 04.11.2021

  67: Is a Two State Solution Possible in Israel/Palestine? Considering the Paradigms of the Conflict with Ian Lustick

  In our latest episode, Ian Lustick joins us to talk about the idea of a two-state solution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Listen in as we dive into how we might think about the paradigm of

  
• 03.24.2021

  66: The Hitler Haggadah with Jonnie Schnytzer

  How could someone title a Passover Haggadah the “Hitler Haggadah”? Listen in as we explore an incredible source, a 1943 Judeo-Arabic Passover Haggadah from Morocco which retells a story of freedom—not of the Exodus from

  
• 03.14.2021

  65: Waste Siege: Infrastructure and the Environment in Israel/Palestine with Sophia Stamatopoulou-Robbins

  Sophia Stamatopoulou-Robbins talks about how we can look at Israel/Palestine and global issues in new ways, through the fascinating lens of waste—the byproducts of human society and what we do with them.

  
• 02.28.2021

  64: A Hebrew Infusion: Hebrew at American Jewish Summer Camps with Sharon Avni, Sarah Bunin Benor, and Jonathan Krasner

  Sharon Avni, Sarah Bunin Benor, and Jonathan Krasner join us to talk about talk about their recent book Hebrew Infusion: Language and Community at American Jewish Summer Camps, and the big issues it raises about

  
• 02.14.2021

  63: The Scholems: Considering German Jewry’s History and Legacy with Jay Geller

  Jay Geller reflects on the history and legacy of German Jewry as a whole through the lens of the history of a single bourgeois family, the Scholems, which is the topic of his recent book

  
• 01.31.2021

  62: The American Jewish Philanthropic Complex with Lila Corwin Berman

  Lila Corwin Berman speaks about her new book The American Jewish Philanthropic Complex: The History of a Multi-Billion Dollar Institution, and about the history of philanthropy in the American Jewish life and what it tells

  
• 01.17.2021

  61: The Blood Libel Accusation with Magda Teter

  Magda Teter joins us to discuss the history of the blood libel accusation and its continued relevance. Listen in for a wide-ranging conversation about the history of the blood libel, its origin and how it

  
• 01.03.2021

  60: The Cairo Genizah with Marina Rustow

  Marina Rustow joins us to talk about her book The Lost Archive: Traces of a Caliphate in a Cairo Synagogue, and about the Cairo Genizah and why it matters. Listen in for an expansive conversation

  
• 12.20.2020

  59: Latino Jews and the Diversity of American Jewish Life with Laura Limonic

  Laura Limonic talks about how Latin American Jews help us understand the diversity of American Jewish life, both in terms of the history of Jews throughout the western hemisphere as well as the changing face

  
• 12.06.2020

  58: Rabbinic Drinking with Jordan Rosenblum

  Jordan Rosenblum joins us to talk about his book Rabbinic Drinking: What Beverages Teach Us About Rabbinic Literature—how drinks and drinking provide an avenue for understanding the Talmud in its context, and illuminates big issues

  
• 11.22.2020

  57: Jews and the History of Finance with Francesca Trivellato

  Francesca Trivellato joins us to discuss her book The Promise and Peril of Credit, and the longstanding legend that Jews invented bills of exchange. Listen in to our wide-ranging conversation about the history of Jews

  
• 11.08.2020

  56: Tracing a Rainbow Thread of Queer Histories Throughout Jewish History with Noam Sienna

  Noam Sienna joins us to discuss the history of gender and sexuality across the arc of Jewish history, which he highlighted in his book A Rainbow Thread: An Anthology of Queer Jewish Texts from the

  
• 10.25.2020

  55: Masada—From Jewish Revolt to Modern Myth, with Jodi Magness

  In this episode, Jodi Magness about the history of Masada, its role in public memory, and why it matters. Her book Masada: From Jewish Revolt to Modern Myth, which synthesizes the history of the site as well as how it...

  
• 10.11.2020

  54: The Future of Democracy in Global Context, with Dahlia Scheindlin, Joshua Shanes, and Jeremi Suri

  For this episode, tune in to an important and timely panel discussion about the future of democracy in a global context. We’ll be looking at the erosion of democratic norms and the attacks on democratic

  
• 09.29.2020

  53: Small Objects, Big Lessons: The Art of the Jewish Family with Laura Arnold Leibman

  Laura Arnold Leibman joins us to talk about early American Jewish history and material culture, and the big lessons that we learn from looking at a handful of small objects which she studies in her recent book The Art of...

  
• 09.13.2020

  52: Ghetto, Concentration Camp, Fascism: Why Words Matter with Daniel B. Schwartz

  Why do historical terms matter, like Ghetto, concentration camp, and fascism? Daniel B. Schwartz joins us to discuss his book Ghetto: The History of a Word, and about why historical terms and words matter—why it’s

  
• 08.30.2020

  51: Black Power and Jewish Politics with Marc Dollinger

  In this episode, Marc Dollinger joins us for an important conversation about the history of Black-Jewish relations in the 1960s, and its ramifications and relevance for the continued struggle for civil rights and racial justice today.

  
• 06.07.2020

  50: We Are All Implicated in Violence and Oppression, Both Historical and Present-Day: A Conversation with Michael Rothberg

  Listen in for an important conversation with Michael Rothberg about how we understand violence—both in history and in our own present day—and our place within it.

  
• 05.24.2020

  49: Why Jewish Books and Libraries Matter with Joshua Teplitsky

  Joshua Teplitsky joins us to discuss his book Prince of the Press and the broader issue of the history of Jewish books and book collecting. Prince of the Press is a fantastic book, and it opens up a great set...

  
• 05.10.2020

  48: Modern Orthodox Judaism with Zev Eleff

  Zev Eleff joins the podcast to discuss his recent book "Authentically Orthodox: A Tradition-Bound Faith in American Life" and the broader topic of the history of modern Orthodox Judaism and why it matters—both in terms of the developments in American...

  
• 04.26.2020

  47: Jews and Sex Work in Argentina with Mir Yarfitz and Geraldine Gudefin

  Mir Yarfitz joins the podcast to discuss his book Impure Migration: Jews and Sex Work in Golden Age Argentina, and the big-picture issues surrounding the history of migration, sex work and prostitution, and the morality tale of "white slavery."

  
• 04.12.2020

  46: Putting Partition in Global Context with Laura Robson and Arie Dubnov

  Laura Robson and Arie Dubnov join us to talk about the history of partition and why it matters in a global context.

  
• 03.29.2020

  45: Jewish Emancipation with David Sorkin

  David Sorkin talks about the history of Jewish emancipation, the process of Jews gaining (and sometimes losing) civic and civil rights in modern times.

  
• 03.15.2020

  44: Jewish History in Iran with Lior Sternfeld

  Lior Sternfeld joins the podcast to discuss his book Between Iran and Zion: Jewish Histories of Twentieth-Century Iran and the big-picture issues it raises about the history of Iran, the history of the Jews in the Middle East, and Jewish...

  
• 03.01.2020

  43: A Rosenberg by Any Other Name? Jewish Name-Changing and American Jewish History with Kirsten Fermaglich and Geraldine Gudefin

  What's in a name? For many American Jews who changed their names in the twentieth century so they would sound "less Jewish," clearly a lot. In this episode, guest host Geraldine Gudefin welcomes Kirsten Fermaglich to speak about her book...

  
• 02.16.2020

  42: Family Papers and the Sephardic Twentieth Century with Sarah Abrevaya Stein

  Sarah Stein joins the podcast to talk about her recent book, Family Papers: A Sephardic Journey through the Twentieth Century.

  
• 02.02.2020

  41: Social Justice and Israel/Palestine with Mira Sucharov and Aaron Hahn Tapper

  Mira Sucharov and Aaron J. Hahn Tapper join us to talk about about their recent volume, Social Justice and Israel/Palestine: Foundational and Contemporary Debates.

  
• 01.19.2020

  40: Teaching the Arab-Israeli Conflict with Rachel Harris

  Rachel Harris joins us to talk about her recent volume Teaching the Arab-Israeli Conflict

  
• 01.05.2020

  39: In Geveb and Yiddish Studies Online with Jessica Kirzane and Saul Noam Zaritt

  Jessica Kirzane and Saul Zaritt join the podcast to talk about their work on In Geveb, an online journal of Yiddish studies.

  
• 12.22.2019

  38: The Life and Legacy of Abraham Joshua Heschel, in Conversation with Susannah Heschel

  Susannah Heschel joins us to talk about the work and legacy of her father, Abraham Joshua Heschel

  
• 12.01.2019

  37: Censorship in Early Modern Europe and its Ramifications with Hannah Marcus

  What is censorship? How can we identify it, and understand how it functions and what are its effects? Hannah Marcus joins us for a fascinating discussion about her research on the history of the censorship of scientific and medical texts...

  
• 11.17.2019

  36: What Happens to Jewish Culture Without Jews with Alanna Cooper and Hillel Smith

  What happens to our stuff when we're gone? Hillel Smith and Alanna Cooper join the podcast to talk about their projects that consider what happens to Jewish communities and their stuff, both buildings and objects, especially when we look at...

  
• 11.03.2019

  35: American Judaism with Jonathan Sarna

  Jonathan Sarna discusses "American Judaism: A History," which was recently published in a second, revised edition. Listen in for a wide-ranging conversation about American Jewish history at large, about Jonathan's work at large and the book American Judaism in particular....