Delve into the Drama of Medieval Jewish History with Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schacter

Tikvah Ideas Logo
Creativity and Confrontation:
The History of Medieval Jewry

Join the distinguished historian Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schacter for a fascinating journey through the events, debates, and formative figures of medieval Jewish history.

An image from the Worms Mahzor
Friends,

We are pleased to announce that episode 1 of Tikvah’s newest online course—Creativity and Confrontation: The History of Medieval Jewry taught by Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schacter—is now available!

The Middle Ages are a period of Jewish history often overlooked today. When we reflect on Jewish history, many of us think of the trials of David, the debates of the rabbis, the disaster of the Holocaust, and the triumph of Zionism. But what about everything in between ancient and modern times? We typically remember that Jews were persecuted, and little else.

Persecuted they were, but the medieval period contained so much more. And that is what Rabbi Schacter shows in this new online course.

It was in medieval times that Jewish faith confronted Aristotelian reason. It was in medieval times that the figures who dominate Jewish commentary and philosophy—Maimonides, Rashi, Nahmanides, Yehuda Halevi—lived. It was in medieval times that Jewish communal institutions first came into being.

Medieval Jewish history is fascinating and vast. And in this course, you have the chance to learn about it with one of the master Jewish historians of our age.

When you enroll, you’ll receive episode 1 in your inbox in a matter of minutes, and we’ll send a brand new lecture to you every week for 10 weeks. All episodes are pre-recorded, and you can watch them on your own schedule.

In Rabbi Schacter’s view, medieval Jewish history is perhaps the most important period for us to understand if we want to appreciate the life of the Jewish people today. Find out why by enrolling in this new course now.

All the best,

Avi Snyder
Senior Director, Tikvah Ideas

 
This series is generously supported by Gary and Lee Rosenthal.
Please note: If you have enrolled in an online course with Tikvah in the past, you may need to log in to your account with your email address and previous password before enrolling in this new course. If you have any trouble, please write to us at info@tikvahfund.org.

Thank you for coming to last night’s Rays of Light in the Darkness Dinner!

We sincerely thank everyone who attended last night’s amazing event with Ambassador and Mrs. Michael Herzog, Chairwoman and UN Designate-Ambassador Elise Stefanik, Representative Jared Moskowitz, Mosab Hassan Yousef, and Shabbos Kestenbaum.

 

We greatly value your opinions, our supporters, and would love to hear any feedback and suggestions you may have. If you attended our event, please leave us feedback in the survey below for improvement on such matters as the speeches, the quality of food, and ease of registration. (We understand there might have been some kinks there—and deeply apologize.) Although we are now 20 years old, there is always room for growth!

 But before anything, we humbly ask that you PLEASE call your senator’s office immediately and tell them to vote against Senator Bernie Sanders’s three resolutions seeking to block vital military support for Israel while it is under existential threat. Senator Chris van Hollen (D-MD) is in support of these resolutions.

 

You can reach your Senators’ offices by dialing (202) 224-3121.

 

With profound and immense gratitude,

 

Sarah, and the entire EMET Team

“Never Again” redefined after Hamas Massacre

Dear Valdas,

In today’s briefing, Danny Seaman talked about the meaning of the phrase “Never Again” that was coined after the Holocaust.  In light of the horrific Hamas massacres of Israeli civilians on October 7th and the Israeli resistance and defense of October 8th he suggests a new meaning for the term.  Danny also reviewed a year of media coverage in the international press and how the tragedies of the war have impacted Israeli society very differently than the press corps.

Please click here to view the recording of the briefing from today.

Our next briefing will be on Wednesday at 10AM Eastern Time, 5PM Israel Time.  Click here to sign up for our next briefings if you have not already done so. If you have already registered for the briefings, then you do not need to register again.

Best regards,

Broad Campaign on the Horizon

Monday – September 16, 2024

Americans for a Safe Israel/AFSI mourns those murdered by terrorists, prays for those missing, held hostage and wounded. We pray that Hashem protects all of Israel’s security and defense forces and all the people of Am Yisrael.

Broad Campaign on the Horizon

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a special discussion that he held last Thursday, “We are heading towards a broad campaign of one intensity or another.” This is with regard to Israel’s northern front.

The heads of the defense establishment also claimed during Thursday’s discussion that a diplomatic settlement alone will not bring the residents of the north back home. Channel 13 News quoted a senior associate of Netanyahu as stressing that no date has been set for the military move, but it is a matter of anywhere from weeks to a few months.

Amit Sofer, head of the Merom HaGalil Regional Council, said in response to the report, “After almost a year of fighting in the north, we hear for the first time that the Prime Minister wants to expand the attacks in Lebanon. We support any formula that will bring security to the north, bring back the residents and keep the terrorists away from the border line. I believe that only crushing the enemy will bring such quiet. Now we also want to see actions and not just words.”

READ MORE ON OUR WEBSITE

In Area C There is No

Innocent Construction

The Regavim Movement reports that in recent months, an illegal structure has been built near the military base Baal Hazor by Arabs from the village of Malikh in central Binyamin.

The construction and development procedures are being carried out more than 200 meters from the existing buildings in the village of Malikh, effectively creating a new incursion from the village into the open area, allowing potential control of the nearby fields and a security threat to the military base and its access routes.

Meir Deutsch, CEO of Regavim, stated: “One of the important messages we learned from the events that occurred on the Gaza border before October 7th is the importance of maintaining open fields in general and especially around IDF bases. The security system must wake up immediately and understand that there is no innocent construction: The Palestinian Authority does not stop for a moment its vision of establishing a state.”

READ MORE ON OUR WEBSITE

Friedman: Sovereignty = Stability, Security, Prosperity for All

Ahead of the publication of his book One Jewish State, former US ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, sat down with the Sovereignty Journal. In the interview, he presents in detail the main points of his out-of-the box political strategy that advocates for Israeli sovereignty over all the territories of the Land of Israel, resulting in sovereign responsibility that fosters stability, prosperity and security for all inhabitants of the region.

One of Friedman’s key points is that “Israeli right has never been able to articulate a full vision for the region. Most have advocated for sovereignty over the Jewish settlements located in what is referred to as “Area C” since the disastrous Oslo Accords. None have offered a solution for Areas A and B—the territory that Oslo placed under almost complete Palestinian control. But carving out Area C for Israel while leaving Areas A and B to fend for themselves would ultimately turn those areas into Gaza—isolated hotbeds of angry Palestinians who undoubtedly would grow their existing terror network.”

With a fresh new way of approaching the long-standing desire and need for the application of sovereignty, we look forward to closely following Ambassador Friedman’s steps in bringing this plan to what we pray will be its unanimous approval and swift implementation.

READ MORE ON OUR WEBSITE

STOP THE LIE! Remove the Anti-Semitic Blood Libel Film “Farha” on Netflix

We must not pass in silence over the attempted blood libel.

The Jordanian film Farha, by director Darin J. Sallam, in which IDF soldiers are seen murdering a Palestinian family during the War of Independence, will be released on Netflix in December. The film takes place in 1948 in Mandatory Palestine and is about a 14-year-old Palestinian girl whose father locks her in a warehouse because of IDF attacks in the village.

The production claims to be “inspired by true events”, however this is a lie.

Please note that “Farha” started streaming on Netflix December 2022.