History for the Curious - The Jewish History Podcast

#63 - The Jews & Britain’s Prime Ministers III

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.

#62 - The Jews & Britain’s Prime Ministers II

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.? 

#61 - The Jews & Britain’s Prime Ministers I

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.

#60 - Printing IV - The Legacies

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?

#59 - Printing III - Deceptions & Self-Deceptions

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…

#58 - Printing II - The Printing Revolution

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?

#57 - Printing I - All the King’s Men

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?

#56 - Jews, Queens & Kings - A Special Tribute to Queen Elizabeth II

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

#55 - Maharal of Prague II - (featuring Rabbi Dr Akiva Tatz)

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.

#54 - Maharal of Prague I (featuring Rabbi Dr Akiva Tatz)

Surrounded by Mystery, Mysticism & Folklore…
But what was his name? Why did he leave Nikolsburg? And why was his very legitimacy questioned?

#53 - Holocaust V - Defying the Nazis

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.

#52 - Holocaust IV - Collaborators & Opponents

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.

#51 - The Holocaust III - Holocaust Denial: Why & Who cares?

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.

#50 - The Holocaust II - Holocaust Denial: How & Who

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?

#49 - The Holocaust I - Heroes & Villains

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.

#48 - Venice II - The Personalities: 1516-1866

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.

#47 - Venice I - The Origins: 1204-1516

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?

#46 - Chasidus II -Leadership & Survival: 1772

How did Chasidus survive excommunication? Who really led the movement?
And how did 1772 affect all of Eastern Europe for the next 150 years?

#45 - Chasidus I -The Controversy: 1772

Why was Chassidus such a radical movement? Who gained from 1772? Why was the Mezericher Maggid the chosen successor?

#44 - Genizah IV - Poetry, Government & the European Saga

The greatest Jewish poet lived during the 11th century. But are the legends true? And why does the government feature so often in the Genizah?
Plus details of an exclusive tour of the Cairo Genizah in Cambridge with Rabbi Hersh