James Loeffler discusses his book Rooted Cosmopolitans: Jews and Human Rights in the Twentieth Century. We talk about why the history of human rights matters, and how it fits into modern Jewish history: Who were the Jews who played a role in the shaping of the idea of human rights and its legal framework, how it was that they were both interested in the particular rights of Jews and the universal rights of all human beings, how the state of Israel fits into all of this, and what this tells us about the nature of human rights within the context of the history of the twentieth century as well as today.

David N. Myers joins us to talk about his two new books, The Stakes of History: On the Use and Abuse of Jewish History for Life and Jewish History: A Very Short Introduction, and about why Jewish history matters.

Gabrielle Rossmer Gropman and Sonya Gropman talk about The German Jewish Cookbook: Recipes and History of a Cuisine, the ties between German and Jewish culture,what it means to document the everyday German Jewish experience and its food, and why it still matters.

Nir Avieli discusses why food matters for understanding contemporary Israel: Who lays claim to "owning" various foods and cuisines, what it means to fight over food, and the relationship of food, culture, and power.

David Biale discusses Hasidism and why it matters: Why it was so significant in Europe before the Holocaust and why it remains relevant, what's at stake in declaring it a "modern" movement, and how and why Hasidism helps us understand the currents of modern Jewish history and the modern world at large.

Listen to a preview of what's coming up in Season 2 of Jewish History Matters, with themes and topics on a broad range of issues in Jewish studies and why it matters. (Some clips have been edited for length.)

After the first ten episodes, we're taking a hiatus over the summer and will be back in August. Our host Jason Lustig is joined by Moses Lapin to look back on the first ten episodes, look forward towards what's next, and reflect on why "Jewish History Matters" matters.