Jewish Heroism Project

As the Emperor of France spreads the ideals of the revolution through Europe, the question arises - is emancipation a right, a privilege or a threat? Every action had an equal and opposite reaction, and this episode will outline the origins of both the Reform and Orthodox movements.

The remarkable persistence of Am Yisrael as an ethnic entity, despite the best efforts of emancipation, is what poses the Jewish Question to European society. And while Europe is asking what to do with the Jews, the Jews will be asking what we do with ourselves. In both cases it will be the power of a scientific approach to historical research which seems to offer the answer.

It's time to talk about nationalism. Here is a presentation of the underpinnings of nationalist thought along with a look at what is happening in the Pale of Settlement. The episode ends with a ground breaking work that emerges from the intersection of the two.

In the second half of the 19th century the Jewish problem was pressing, and it took the form of antisemitism. When faced with such a problem, it is not surprising that many leaders took a problem-solving approach to the future of Am Yisrael. But what if our goal is not to solve the Jewish problem, but rather fulfill the Jewish mission?

Return to the land of Israel had been a dream for almost 2000 years, and in the late 19th century it began to become a reality. It took a special man to transform the notion of national rebirth from a subconscious desire to an international issue. Here is a presentation of the early life of Theodore Herzl.

At the First Zionist Congress, Herzl awakened the Jews of Europe to their national political life. But Asher Zvi Ginsberg, better known as Ahad Ha'am, tried to teach them that the soul of the people needs to be revived before they seek their national home. The battle between them will become a fundamental split in Zionism whose influence remains down to our day.

Did you ever wonder how the Jews went from being the martyrs of Europe to the military power of the Middle East in less than fifty years? This episode uncovers the roots of the extraordinary transformation of the physical culture of Am Yisrael in Max Nordau's vision of a muscular Judaism.

The end of the 19th century was a time of dramatic ideological struggle - cosmopolitanism vs. nationalism, socialism vs. capitalism. Early Zionist thought shows such incredible diversity that every element of society, Jewish and not, can be found there. Here is one more stream to explore - the religion of labor.

There are times in history which define us even now, and in the state of Israel the Second Aliyah is second to none in that respect. This episode tells of the chalutzim, the idealistic pioneers who came up to the land to build the world, one goat at a time.

The world is starting to shake with the rumbles of the the coming world war. The destruction which is to come will sweep away much of the old, and open new horizons for the budding Zionist project. But the pioneers must be willing to fight for the land which they long to redeem.

World War One brought massive destruction and great change. When the smoke cleared from this great conflagration, the British Empire was left in control of the land of Israel. This seemed to be good news for the Jews, except that Her Majesty's government had promised this particular piece of Ottoman territory to three different parties.

The return of the Jewish people to the tools of political and military power was bound up with their return to the land of Israel. This episode explores the rise of the military model within the Zionist movement, and the power of the martyrdom of Joseph Trumpeldor as an inspiration for further struggle

Each successive wave of immigrants that came up to the land brought with them their blessings, and their challenges. As the population grew, so did the nature of power politics. In the 1920's two leaders emerged whose opposing visions define many of the political conflicts in our State today. Here is an episode on David Ben Gurion and Zeev Jabotinsky.

Patterns are hard things to break, and we can learn much about ourselves by how they come about. Here is a look at the cycle of riots which rocked the Yishuv in the 1920's, and set the mold for Arab/Jewish relations for decades to come.

Though the land of Israel is the hinge around which the Jewish Story turns, there are many Jews whose future does not lie in Zion. This episode widens the scope of our story to consider the life of European Jews in the interwar period, and how they contributed to the nature of Jewishness outside of the Zionist dream.

In Episode 2 of The Jewish Story, Rav Mike explores the walls built by Ezra and Nechemia, and the power which exclusivity over our story gives in the shaping of identity.

The opening episode of the Jewish Story! Rav Mike touches his perspective on history and then tells the story of Daniel as the link between the age of prophecy and the age of wisdom.

The encounter between Greek and Jewish culture was love at first sight. The two cultures were bridged by language, and one of its great products of their fusion was the Septuagint - the Greek translation of the Bible. But every translation is an interpretation, and it was not clear how long Hellenistic Judaism could walk the line between acculturation and assimilation.

The Men of the Great Assembly lie on the other side of the mists of the Persian period from Daniel. They will begin to lay the foundations of Judaism as we know it, guiding Israel away from prophecy and toward wisdom. Aside from their place in chronology, what makes them so great?

In this episode Rav Mike describes the rise of Hellenistic Judaism as the background for the Channukah story. Judah and his brothers rose in revolt because they understood that identity is a matter of life and death. Their determination liberated the Temple, but what was the nature of the light they kindled there?

Rav Mike discusses the rise and fall of the Hasmonean dynasty, from a kingdom of priests to Hellenestic kingdom. Also hear how Judean society began to tear along lines which will define things for some time to come.

Herod the Wicked or Herod the Great? In this episode Rav Mike talks about Herod's kingdom, the final phase of Judea preceding the destruction of the Second Temple. Herod's complex personality matched the fragmented nature of his kingdom, but the state he built was strong enough to hold off the disaster to come.

In this episode Rav Mike discusses the persona of HiIlel the Elder. Hillel was named Nasi, prince, at the same time as Herod was king. In addition, Jesus of Nazareth was born in his lifetime. Together, these three represent competing models of the kingdom of God, and they and their followers will live out a struggle over who will be king.

We are on the eve of destruction. As the national vessel begins to fray at the seams and the Temple's burning looms, the cultural battle within the text of the Torah erupts. When the smoke clears from the destruction it will be the divergent understandings of God's will as embodied in the text which will serve as the foundation of the future. But for now the battle rages.

In this episode, R' Mike describes the destruction of Jerusalem from without and from within. In order to do so he compares the perspectives of the great Jewish historian Josephus and the leading Sage R' Yochanan ben Zakkai. In the end it is clear that the real question is not how was Jerusalem destroyed, but rather - why?