History for the Curious - The Jewish History Podcast

In 1789, the French proclaimed liberty to all their citizens including the Jews of France.

Except that Jews hadn’t been allowed in the country since 1394 – so who was actually emancipated? Why was Metz so important? What happened to Sefardi arrivals into the country?

And in the battle between the King and Strasbourg, whose side were the Jews on?

When the Holocaust ended, the Jews awaited justice. Sadly it would be denied to them.

But one man - a Jew names Ben Ferencz - made it his business to bring at least some of the Nazi murderers to trial and make Germany pay.

This is his story, and the untold story of so many others.

IBM’s partnership enabled the cattle trains to run to schedule, and even after the Holocaust, the spoils were there for the taking.

What did the allied governments know?

And who else co-operated with the Nazis?

In pursuit of profit, IBM disregarded all morals and supplied Nazi Germany with the technological capabilities to identify and pursue the Jews.

To avoid scrutiny, IBM’s transactions were carried out through neutral countries and veils of corporate secrecy.

Heroism took on many forms during the Holocaust, collective & individual, spiritual & armed.

But the choice to live a double life meant choosing to live with the constant fear of betrayal.

This is the story of Helene’s choice.

In the Western world, academia dismisses the idea that Torah is G-d given.

How robust is their theory of Documentary Hypothesis? Who was P? Did Ezra author any of Chumash?

Wouldn't a hurricane explain the Sinai experience or perhaps Mass-Hypnosis?

To ransom or not? And why after he died?

The Maharam’s responsa: Who matters - the individual or the community.

Taking life during the Crusades, removing leprosy and deciding halacha based on dreams.

Featuring special guest speaker Rabbi Shraga Feivel Zimmerman. 

As the 13th century drew to a close and persecution in Germany increased, one individual gathered together thousands of responsa and rulings: Rabbi Meir of Rotenberg.

Who was he? How did his writings influence the next 700 years of Jewish life? And why was he never set free?

Celebrating 200,000 downloads! Thank you all!

Answering your questions on the Jews in England, Budapest's personalities, the Noda Biyehuda, Shabbetai Zvi in the 21st century, and introducing the life and times of Rabbi Naftali Zilberberg.

Hungary might forbid Israelites to live in their cities, but the Seven Communities change the rules. Nevertheless, the Jews are still barely tolerated.

They join the revolution of 1848, but when emancipation comes their way, the cracks will widen. Be careful what you wish for

In 1526, Hungarian Monarchy & Christianity was replaced with Moslem law. Jews brought West to East and vice versa.

The era was one of communal endeavours, halachic responsa and targeted kidnappings.

But how do you spell Buda?

Hungary changes from being Pagan to becoming Christian in the 11th century.

How did this affect the Jews? What was the Jewish Prefect? Who was Shlomo Seneor? And where is Ofen?

In the 1630s: The Catholic censors want his writings burnt and the secular authorities want him expelled. Meanwhile the French Ambassador brings him personal regards from the King.

But with the spectre of Kol Sakhal looming in the background, his reputation was always going to be challenged.

Who was this iconoclast?

A Rabbi addicted to gambling, who spoke out against Kabbalah. A Halachic authority and expert in Hebrew. Innovator in Jewish music, survivor of a devastating plague and speaker of great acclaim...

The 17th century provided plenty of Jewish drama - much of it unfortunate.

But no individual lived through more personal twists and turns than Rabbi Yehuda Aryeh Mi’Modena. Respected and reviled, acclaimed and attacked both during his lifetime and beyond… he remains an enigma to this day.

Raised in Orthodox Jewish Amsterdam and buried in a church graveyard, Spinoza unleashed the most destructive attack on Judaism for 1,000 years.

But was he betrayed or did he betray?

In 1665 Shabbetai Zvi is declared the Messiah across the Jewish world. Entire communities and their rabbis eagerly anticipate the final revelation in 1666 - Jewish blood will be avenged.

Christians are in shock while the Moslem world awaits instruction from the Turkish Sultan.

In the second half of the Gaon's life, he was imprisoned twice, he initiated a ban against Chassidus and he gave direction to future generations of leaders. 

Why was the Gaon unable to carry out certain ideas? Why remain neutral in the dispute that engulfed the 1700s? And who is buried next to him?

Rabbi Hersh & Rabbi Akiva Tatz have teamed up again - bringing to life the Origins, Events, Ideas & Impact of this towering genius, in a 3-part series.

Monarchy and Power have bred controversy throughout the centuries.

Jews were often impacted by association: the Abarbanel in Portugal, Richard the Lionheart & advice from a Chief Rabbi.

What is the price of crime and who should it be paid to?

A topical and controversial insight into post-war payments from Germany and subsequently from Switzerland. Personal accounts, documented events & international demands.  

Everyone is vaguely aware that alongside the destruction of Jewish lives, there was a large-scale theft of Jewish assets.

However the details and amounts are truly shocking as was the behaviour of certain individuals and countries. 

The Holocaust offered almost no possibilities to strike back. Yet whenever the opportunity did arise, there were always some who risked everything; often paying the ultimate price.

Two girls - under very different circumstances - became legendary. This is their story

Curious about Rabbi Hersh & the Podcast? Please check out our annual peek behind the scenes where I get to ask all the burning questions we've all had...

https://vimeo.com/779294036

They ruled for 100 years after the Chanukah events and then suddenly disappear from history. How? Who were they?

And where do the Saducees & Idumeans fit into the picture?

What was the Donation of Constantine? What is the crime of Deicide? And how do I respond to a Missionary?

Why was the 19th blessing of the Amida created?

How did Christianity survive the 300 years before there was a 'New Testament'? What extreme change happened in Nicea in 325CE?

And what does belief mean?

Who was he? When was he actually born? Why was he crucified? And how did 2.3 billion people become his followers?

This podcast is required listening for any Jew. 

The Jew Bill 1753

A perfectly harmless Act of Parliament becomes the launch pad for a war against the Jews of England. In the streets, the press, and Whitehall.

Faced by a wall of opposition, Parliament moves to restrict the freedom of the Jews....  But all is far from lost.

Is there an international Jewish conspiracy?

Why did England's Jews move away from Orthodoxy without Haskallah or Reform.

Were Jews involved in crime during the 1700s? And who was the Jewish wife of the P.M.? 

British Jewry has lived through 56 Prime Ministers.

Some have supported us. Others hid their anti-semitism behind policy. And then there were those who simply abandoned us.

But surprisingly, repentance would still be on the cards for a few.

Why did the Russian Czar and the US army finance different printings of the Talmud over the course of a century?

Who was the Widow Romm?

And who was the 12 year old type-setter looking for a husband?

Who creates fakes and who has been taken in by them?

Why was the first English  translation of the Talmud so controversial?

And a challenge for our listeners…

Why did the world change with the printing press? Why were mistakes included and were they deliberate ?

Who censored the Rama?
And how do you translate Alma?

Why would the King of Poland order Jews to buy Sefarim? What was so unusual about Yiddish printing…. and did The Queen live because of a 1938 blessing?

Elizabeth II: A century of life & 70 years of service. Historical Reflections & Personal Recollections of Britain’s monarchy.

Aged over 70, he is yet to be elected as the Rov of Prague.

So what is his actual connection? Why did his son leave town? Where did the Maharal spend Yom Kippur in 1602?

...And a key insight into the teachings and ideas of the Maharal.

Surrounded by Mystery, Mysticism & Folklore…

But what was his name? Why did he leave Nikolsburg? And why was his very legitimacy questioned?

During the dark years, in the most unexpected places, there were individuals who turned the tables on the nazis. At great personal risk they made a difference.

In the forests of Poland survival was unlikely. Betrayal made it even more hazardous.

A documented story of courage, loneliness and determination - with an unexpected final turn.

Denial matters not just for reasons of historical  accuracy but because of what it says about Jews.

Even innocuous statements contain the potential for real damage.

Despite the enormous amount of evidence to the contrary, Holocaust denial persists in both the Western world and the Middle-East, causing tremendous pain to survivors and the Jewish People.

What are their claims and how do we combat them?

Some Jews in Germany served in Hitler’s Wehrmacht - even in the SS -  but the outcome was always an unknown. As was trading with the Nazi empire.

Despite the Ghetto restrictions, it was home to a number of noteworthy figures. And a Levantine merchant turn the Ghetto into a minor haven?

But controversy soon followed with a sinister visit from Nathan of Gaza.

The origins of Venetian Jewry start more than 150 years before the Ghetto was opened.  What went wrong? What brought the Jews back?

And how did Shakespeare’s Shylock operate in the enclosed ghetto of Venice?

How did Chasidus survive excommunication? Who really led the movement?

And how did 1772 affect all of Eastern Europe for the next 150 years?