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Education
History
Daniel Kroft
The Jewish Story is a Jewish History podcast for the 21st Century. In it, we use the latest in archaeology, linguistics, and historical methods to sculpt a history of the Jewish people, from the exodus out of Egypt until the present!
Theme tune courtesy of Crowander via the Free Music Archive
Total 21 episodes
1
Episode 0: Season 3 Recap
In this episode, we will review the history covered in Season 3, spanning from the Great Schism of the church in 1054 CE until the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492.
12:1312/11/2024
Episode 5: Inquisition (1400 - 1492 CE)
In this episode, the rising tide of anti-Jewish hatred we've seen throughout the season will culminate in the Spanish Inquisition - a mass extermination of Jews from Spain.
30:0629/04/2024
Episode 4: Consumed by Fire (1300 - 1410 CE)
In this episode, the Talmud itself stands trial in France and Spain, an epidemic rocks medieval Europe, a wave of Jewish pogroms sweeps Christian Spain, and we are introduced to Nahmanides and the Jews of India,
30:2922/04/2024
Episode 3: Of Marriage, Money, and Murder (1200 - 1300 CE)
In this episode, we will explore 13th century Ashkenazi and Sephardic communities, meet some famous medieval Jewish money-lenders, learn of the Fourth Lateran Council, and witness the emergence of some of the most damaging antisemitic tropes in history.
28:0615/04/2024
Episode 2: A Gentleman and a Scholar (1100 - 1200 CE)
In this episode, we witness a wave of anti-Jewish bigotry and violence sweep across Christian Europe, watch Saladin and his Ayyubid caliphate re-take the Kingdom of Jerusalem, and meet Maimonides, one of the most influential Jewish leaders of the Medieval period.
25:0708/04/2024
Episode 1: Collateral Damage (1000 - 1100 CE)
In this episode, we learn of Christianity's great schism, see the Seljuq Turks launch an empire, witness the devastation of the First Crusade, and meet one of the most famous Jewish scholars in history.
27:1101/04/2024
Episode 0: Season 2 Recap
In this episode, we revisit the highlights of Jewish history covered in Season 2, from the aftermath of the First Roman-Jewish War to the birth of the Ashkenazi Jewish community and the Fitnah of Al-Andalus.
13:0522/03/2024
Episode 6: The Khazars, the Ashkenazim, the Doctor, and the Dueling Poets (950 - 1100 CE)
In this episode, we meet two new Jewish communities, and explore the Jewish literary traditions of Spain and the western Muslim Empire.
38:3621/12/2022
Episode 5: The Dhimmi Life (750 - 950 CE)
In this episode, we explore Jewish life in the Muslim Empire during the late first millennium.
24:5529/11/2022
Episode 3: The Jewish Diaspora (550 - 750 CE)
In this episode, we survey the Jewish Diaspora, and meet a brand new religion that would sweep the ancient world.
34:0914/11/2022
Episode 2: The Rise of Christianity (250 - 550 CE)
In this episode, we follow the rise of Christianity from a small prophetic following to a massive religion encompassing the entire Roman Empire, and we see its effect on the surrounding Jewish population.
28:4205/11/2022
Episode 1: A Whole New World (70 CE - 250 CE)
In this episode, we explore the aftermath of the First Roman-Jewish War, and watch two distinct Jewish communities form in Judea and Mesopotamia.
30:2324/10/2022
Episode 0: Season 1 Recap
In this episode, we recap the first 1300 years of Jewish history, from the exodus from Egypt to the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem.
10:1417/10/2022
Episode 7 (BONUS): A Conversation with Sherry Wolfe-Elazar
In this episode, I sit down with Sherry Wolfe-Elazar, a Jewish educator (and my former elementary school teacher) to discuss the Greek and Roman periods of Jewish history, and what lessons modern-day Jews can learn from the past.
47:0005/09/2022
Episode 6: The Prophet, the King, and the Traitor (40 BCE - 70 CE)
In this episode, we follow Herod the Great's rise to power, watch Judea devolve into chaos under the rule of successively unstable Roman Emperors, and witness a climactic and devastating showdown between the Jews and their Roman occupiers.
36:3516/01/2022
Episode 5: The Rise of the Hammer (165 BCE - 40 BCE)
In this episode, we follow the rise and fall of the Hasmonean dynasty, and our Jewish story becomes enmeshed with Roman history.
28:3308/01/2022
Episode 4: It's All Greek to Me (400 BCE - 165 BCE)
In this episode, we watch the Ptolemies and Seleucids battle over control of Israel, follow the intrigue of Jewish elites fighting for the position of High Priest, hear of the brutal Greek repression of Jewish practice, and see the rise of a rebellion.
28:2703/01/2022
Episode 3: A Conversation with Rabbi Matthew Leibl
In this episode, Rabbi Matthew Leibl and I sit down to discuss the first eight centuries of Jewish history, and their relevance to modern Jewish life.
49:1627/12/2021
Episode 2: A Nation Divided (587 BCE - 400 BCE)
In this episode, we follow the parallel paths of Jews after the Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem. A temple is destroyed, a city is rebuilt, and the first public Torah reading is performed.
21:0720/12/2021
Episode 1: The Birth of a Kingdom (1200 BCE - 587 BCE)
In this episode, we discuss the earliest evidence of Jewish existence, and follow the Jewish Kingdom from its inception through its various conflicts with neighbouring Empires, culminating in the Babylonian destruction of the First Temple.
33:1213/12/2021
Episode 0: Introduction
Welcome to The Jewish Story! In this brief introductory episode, I introduce myself, give some background on this podcast, lay out a roadmap for Season One, and describe my primary sources for this history.
05:1929/11/2021