History for the Curious - The Jewish History Podcast

Why did Vienna produce so many revolutionary Jews?   How Jewish was Freud? Was Herzl always a Zionist? Did the Beis Yakov movement actually start in Vienna rather than Krakow?   Nathan Birnbaum created the term Zionism - why don’t we know more about him? What was Gustav Mahler’s epitaph on his tombstone?   Chapters 03:12 Jewish Identity vs Jewish Society 06:04 Responses to Antisemitism: A Spectrum...

It has long been suspected that the BBC is anti-Israel and employs pro-Palestinian reporters and editors. But how do you prove suspicion? And how far does the betrayal go?    Using objective forensic methodology and scientific analysis, a year long report was created by a team of researchers, spear-headed by Trevor Assesrson, that makes shocking reading and listening. Post-interview we then spoke...

In the 1800s Vienna was one of the world's major cities, yet does not seem to have produced religious leadership? It nevertheless underwent a metamorphosis, which left it the victim of strong prejudice. Why did it experience such phenomenal growth in numbers and how - in just 4 decades - did Vienna become the centre of Jewish culture and science. What role did Rabbi Shmuel Yosef Bloch play?   Chap...

Unlike militant Islam, our enemies in the West don't want the Jews wiped out. But what they are aiming for is far more sinister. It is a battle between Sheker and Emess, that goes back to Biblical times and encompasses Politics, Art & Science. The quest for peace may seem elusive, but in certain ways, we hold the keys to changing the narrative.   Summary This conversation delves into the compl...

The ghetto walls were slowly coming down, but Mayer Anschel and Gutele refused to leave the Judengasse.   Unusual opportunities arose for the Rothschilds when Napoleon opened a port for smuggling gold, although all was not plain sailing. The result was an international network based on Mayer Amschel's instruction, where unity and the Jewish Nation reigned supreme.   Along the way,Taxis & Thurn...

Denmark’s bankruptcy gave Rothschild the opportunity he had been pursuing for 30 years, leaving a wake of furious Christian bankers behind him. A branch opens in London and the founder now changes to Family Rothschild, but Judaism remains uppermost. Napoleon’s invasion forces the Rothschilds underground and secrecy, diplomacy and speed become the bywords of the dynasty.    Trip Details: Join us in...

The very name conjures up images of immense wealth, of banks and private government deals. It is accompanied by numerous conspiracy theories and unlikely legends. But the beginnings of the dynasty occurred in the overcrowded and isolated confines of the uninhabitable ghetto of Frankfurt. He rose to become the wealthiest Jew in Germany whilst remaining a Jew enclosed in a ghetto. It is a story that...

The question behind all our podcasts? What can we learn? How does it change us. Our matched funds campaign is now live. If you enjoy History for the Curious, Please sponsor our continued podcasts: www.charityextra.com/jle/podcast   The link will be live all of this week

During the 20th century, a number of individuals devoted their lives to helping the Jewish People; determined, courageous and innovative. Their fundraising efforts had an enormous impact on the Jewish world. Their stories need to be heard.    Charity also raises Halachic dilemmas for donors and recipients alike. And then there is a unique opportunity to introduce a History for the Curious podcast...

His arrival to England was accompanied both by miracles and threats. Soon thereafter he was elected as the Av Beis Din in London, where he faced many battles: the non-religious lay leadership, the dangers of the Blitz during WWII and a family that was becoming fragmented. His tenacity and resilience saw him succeed and his influence on British Jewry extends to the present day. Moving to Eretz Yisr...

Brought up in a village which did not have a minyan of Jews; a self-taught child genius. His life was shattered by the Russian civil war and the new anti-religious communist Soviet Union. He was hounded, arrested and eventually imprisoned in Siberia, but his faith remained untouched.  His thoughts and writings on Prayer emerge through this period of his life.     Summary This conversation delves i...

Jews paid the Crown for the privilege of getting married, divorced or converted. London ran into politics with its synagogues, Norwich became the first city for blood libels, yet the priests of Canterbury were fully supported by the Jews.    Despite these difficulties, Torah scholarship and even Kabbalah flourished in England. And that’s besides the 6,000 herrings….     Summary This conversation e...

Invited to settle by William the Conqueror, when Winchester was the capital city, the 220 year history of Jews in England is seen as a narrative of money-lending and expulsion. But the real story is far more gripping. Jews settled across the Land, becoming the wealthiest in the process. Women were advisors to the royal court and an ancient Roman gold coin ended up in Britain, along with its invade...

The Torah explicitly forbids lending money at interest, yet the Hetter Iska document seems to allow it. Is it legal? Should we all have one? Did the 17th century create a watershed moment?   Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Overview 02:26 The Historical Context of Money in Jewish History 08:11 The Role of the Vaad Arba Arotzos in Creating the Hetter Iska Document 11:29 Navigating Financial Transact...

Rabbi Yossi Steiner spent the war years on the run - as a child - and survived through a series of miracles.   He found himself alone in a ghetto, needing to take care of his 5 year old brother. He hid in a bunker for 9 months, whilst Nazis came searching with trained dogs. He crossed borders through forests and fields and spent months pretending to be a mute child.   His story and that of the non...

1945. The war is over and Germany is in chaos. But now the church has to explain its silence. And two other groups emerge.   There are thousands of Jewish orphans scattered across Europe. At the same time there are thousands of Nazis on the run. Will justice prevail?   Chapters 00:00 The Church's Denial and Defense 04:19 Suppression of the Draft Encyclical 16:17 Treatment of Jewish Children in Con...

Berlin 1936 saw Germany win more Gold medals than any other country, while the world looked on. But at what price? How aware was the Church of Jewish persecution? What role did the ordinary German play in Hitler’s regime? And what motivated those who saved Jews? Chapters 00:00 The Berlin Olympics of 1936: Hitler's Showcase 05:04 Calls to Boycott or Relocate the Olympics 09:42 Why Did Ordinary Germ...

In 1944 X-troop were fighting in France. With heavy losses and secret identities, some of them would tragically be buried under a cross. By 1945 they had made their way to Germany, always searching for family members who may have survived, even if this required driving across no-man’s land into enemy territory. When the war ends, they begin a new mission, rooting out Nazis in Germany & Austria...

To donate tefillin for the soldiers, please click - https://bit.ly/historyforthecurioustefillin   Forged through adversity and fuelled by the fate of their families who were trapped in Nazi Europe, a ragtag crew of Jewish refugees volunteered to become an elite army unit and significantly impact the enemy during WWII.   Initially interned as enemy aliens they risked their lives time and time again...

To appreciate Rabbi Akiva Eger we need to understand his era;   The cholera epidemic he lived through, the personalities of his generation as well as his rulings and how they were set out.   Who was he really and what did he look like?   Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Rabbi Akiva Eger 13:46 Rabbi Akiva Eger's Role During the Cholera Epidemic 27:09 Conflict with the Community and the Hospital Manag...

Famous as a scholar and lamdan, his life was beset by challenges and setbacks, all of which he faced with remarkable fortitude. As the leader of Central Europe's Jewry, the impact of his writings and personality re-wrote the history of the 19th century for the Jews   Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Government Intervention 08:01 Reb Akiva Eger's Scholarship and Influence 16:10 Reb Akiva Eger's Relu...

Unraveling the Mystery  - Who was Moshe de Leon? How did the Zohar impact Jewish history? Is there a deep divide between Academics & Kabbalists. What did Rav Yaakov Emden write? And how was Marriage seen in 13th century Spain?   Chapters 00:00 Introduction: The Mystery of the Zohar 13:09 The Historical Context of Spain in the 13th and 14th Centuries 30:42 The Impact of the Zohar on Jewish Hist...

In the 1200s Spanish Jewry faced great challenges within the community including Murder, Immorality & Defection.   This was exacerbated by dangerous teachings within Kabbalah which had to be rooted out by the Rashba and banned. But 700 years later a pathway was found to Redemption.    Chapters 00:00 Challenges of 13th-Century Spain: Tensions, Wealth, and Power 03:06 Controversies in Jewish Sch...

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 16:3...

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...