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The Spinka Chassidic Dynasty
Episode 457
The Spinka chassidic dynasty was established in the late 19th century as a sort of offshoot of the Zidichov dynasty, by Rav Yosef Meir Weiss (1838-19…
1 year, 1 month ago
Pioneer of Orthodoxy: Rav Rafael Cohen of Hamburg
Episode 456
With rising secularization in large urban centers of Western Europe during the 18th century, it would take a concerted effort by the traditional rabb…
1 year, 2 months ago
RERELEASE: The Great Phenomenon of Rav Shayale of Kerestir (update)
Episode 455
In honor of the 100th yahrtzeit of Rav Shayale of Kerestir (1851-1925), Jewish History Soundbites is proud to rerelease the original episode, the fir…
1 year, 3 months ago
The Popes & the Jews
Episode 454
For nearly two thousand years Jews lived in the shadow of the Catholic Church. As heads of the church, popes throughout the ages formulated an offici…
1 year, 3 months ago
Blood Libels
Episode 453
Among the many manifestations of medieval European antisemitism was the blood libel – the infamous false accusations of ritual murder which were used…
1 year, 3 months ago
A Lion from Bavel: The Ben Ish Chai
Episode 452
Rav Yosef Chaim (1835-1909), better known by his popular work Ben Ish Chai, was an important leader of the Baghdad Jewish community of the 19th centu…
1 year, 3 months ago
The Secularization of the Jewish People in the Modern Era Part IV
Episode 451
External forces of the modern era such as political & economic changes, emancipation, the collapse of the kahal autonomy, technological advancement, …
1 year, 4 months ago
The Secularization of the Jewish People in the Modern Era Part III
Episode 450
The secularization of the Jewish People in the modern era really begins as a slow but growing trend within the communities of the Spanish Jewish dias…
1 year, 4 months ago
The Secularization of the Jewish People in the Modern Era Part II
Episode 449
The modern era brought many external changes which challenged the centuries old Jewish communal structure. Political change, emancipation, wars, revo…
1 year, 5 months ago
The Secularization of the Jewish People in the Modern Era Part I
Episode 448
At the dawn of the 18th century, the overwhelming majority of the Jewish People were religiously observant in the traditional sense. By mid-20th cent…
1 year, 5 months ago