Jewish History

Who Are the Semites?

A historian traces the origins of the term.

Mercantilism and the Jews

When tolerance became profitable

Court Jews

Court Jews were purveyors who provided food, fodder, and munitions to the European courts in return for special privileges.

Ancient Jewish Thought

Ancient Jewish Thought. Ancient Jewish History. Jewish History and Community.

539 BCE to 632 CE: The Story

Overview of the basic story of Jewish history from 539 BCE through 632 CE.

Hasidism’s Many Critics: Mitnagdim and Maskilim

Traditionalists as well as modernists opposed Hasidism on social, theological and cultural grounds.

False Messiahs

What prompted Jewish messianic zeal in the 16th and 17th centuries?

Early Modern Jewish History

When did the modern era begin for Jews?

Jewish Communities Grow

Jewish communities from Boston to Berlin are growing and succeeding despite facing challenges.

A Rabbi’s Journey to Humanistic Judaism

Seeking to resolve questions and doubts, the author is led to the Secular Humanist Jewish rabbinate.