History for the Curious - The Jewish History Podcast

#198: Rabbi Yosef Karo (1488-1575): The high-stakes story behind the Shulchan Aruch

Join our WhatsApp group for weekly exclusive content: https://chat.whatsapp.com/FEgoaCOQoyU2VX49SwA8Aw?s=cl&p=a&ilr=4   This 2-part series discovers the dramatic life o

#197: Tisha B'av: Two Harrowing Letters - Two Powerful Testimonies

Join our WhatsApp group for weekly exclusive content: https://chat.whatsapp.com/FEgoaCOQoyU2VX49SwA8Aw?s=cl&p=a&ilr=4   Be Courageous, be Honest, be a Jew. Those were the

#196: The WWII Hero who Rescued Budapest's Jews

Join our WhatsApp group for weekly exclusive content: https://chat.whatsapp.com/FEgoaCOQoyU2VX49SwA8Aw?s=cl&p=a&ilr=4 George Mandel-Mantello was one man on his own, a Je

#195: The Holocaust - An Unprecedented Crime and an American Betrayal?

Join our WhatsApp group for weekly exclusive content: https://chat.whatsapp.com/FEgoaCOQoyU2VX49SwA8Aw?s=cl&p=a&ilr=4 This two-part podcast explores what sets the Holoca

#194: Three Extraordinary 20th Century Lives feat. Dr Yossi Adler & Rabbi Dr Akiva Tatz

Exploring the lives of three Jewish doctors. Living in very different settings, yet linked by a common thread: compassion. They left a lasting mark on medicine and Jewish

#193: Vaccines, Potions & Charlatans - Jewish Medicine in the 19th Century.

The 1800s was an era when medicine sat at the crossroads of science, ruses and discoveries. New vaccines and medical impostors competed for public trust. People broke wit

#192: Reform vs Orthodoxy: The Battle of 19th Century Europe

With the advent of Napoleon and emancipation, Jews were given an offer they found hard to refuse and the Reform movement made significant inroads.   Across many countries

#191: Moses Mendelssohn - Father of Reform?

Moses Mendelssohn was raised in an orthodox family, attended yeshiva for a decade of his life and was involved in Kehilla life for many years afterwards. But he is rememb

Hesped: Mrs Fernande Hersh a''h (1930 - 2026)

Born in 1930, she lived through many challenging events. Raised a family and was a regal figure. Yehi zichroh boruch

Baruch Dayan HaEmes: The Passing of Rabbi Aubrey Hersh’s Mother

Rabbi Aubrey Hersh’s mother was niftar on Tuesday 27 Nissan, aged 95. Rabbi Hersh is sitting shiva at Eagle Lodge, Golders Green Road. Messages can be sent via WhatsApp

#190: Bread of Defiance: Matzah and Pesach in the Soviet Union

For Soviet Jews, matzah represented a longing for freedom – one we take for granted. This episode tells the hidden story of those heroes who risked everything to keep Pes

#189: Chida: 40 Years of Danger, Journeys & Discovery

Rabbi Chaim Yosef David Azulai traversed Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa on behalf of his brethren in Eretz Yisrael. His missions raised vital funds, to keep th

#188: Journey through Music's Mysticism, Sound & History - featuring Alex Clare

What makes music such a powerful medium? How was music used to attain prophecy? Has AI destroyed pure music? Did Beethoven use our Kol Nidrei? How do you create a 'hit' s

#187: Wine in the Modern Era: feat. Nathan Herzog (President of Kedem Wines) & Rabbi Akiva Padwa (International Kashrus expert)

In the 19th century, the Herzog family supplied wine to the Emperor, while the 20th ushered in the era and risks of Prohibition in America and the profound transformation

#186: Wine - Romans to the Rishonim in History & Halacha

Tracing the journey of Wine, from Roman times and the laws of Yayin Nesech, to Lead Poisoning, wine dilution and Rashi's momentous ruling.   Spanning medieval France, It

#185: Spanish Inquisition - 350 Years of Jewish Defiance

The Church was determined to wipe out any vestige of Judaism from Spain, any custom, any law, any practice, and thousands of Jews would pay the price. Spain was not just

#184: Spanish Jewry II - 1460 - 1492: The Walls Close In

Post-1391 there was a period of uncertainty but many Conversos still found it possible to maintain a level of observance - sometimes even openly. It appeared that a Modus

#183: Spanish Jewry 1348-1460: Into the Abyss

The date of the Expulsion in 1492 is infamous. Less known or understood is the historical context that led there. How did a 1,000-year-old community lose its status and p

#182: 10th Teves: Our History - The Message - Our Future

We know from both Jewish and secular sources, that 2,500 years ago the Babylonians led by Nevuchadnezar, besieged Jerusalem on this day. Two years later the Temple was de

#181: The Menorah - History's Greatest Jewish Mystery

The Menorah was the most adopted symbol in the Jewish world. But where is the original?   We know of a Menorah in Rome in 70CE. The Talmud tells us it was examined. But w