2022 Lectures (II) & 2023

THE ABSORPTION OF JEWS INTO LATE MEDIEVAL ITALY, Dr. Kathy Aron-Beller. This lecture took place on June 29th 2022.

At the time of the Roman Empire, and in the first ten centuries of the Middle Ages, that is approximately until 1350, almost all Italian Jews lived in the southern part of the peninsula (Rome, and southern Italy and Sicily). But 200 years later, around 1550, Jewish settlements were all in central and northern Italy, besides Rome. I would like to follow this immigration of Jews by looking at their absorption into the dynamic duchies and republics of Northern Italy such as Milan, Florence and Venice. What motivated Jews to move to these areas in the late medieval period and why did the Italians accept them? How should we define their experience here? The circumstances provide a possible key to the extraordinary capacity demonstrated by these states to tolerate and protect their Jews, refusing to expel them as other European kingdoms did during this turbulent period. Our study will include a visit to these important places as well as reflecting what it was that kept Roman Jews in Rome.

Originally from London, Katherine Aron-Beller is lecturer of Jewish History in the Rothberg International School of the Hebrew University and at Tel Aviv University. Her areas of expertise are medieval Jewish history, early modern Jewish-Christian relations, the early modern Inquisition and Anti-Semitism. In 2007-8 she was a Visiting Assistant Professor at the George Washington University in Washington DC. At present she is a Visiting Scholar of the Stephen Roth Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism and Racism. She is the author of Jews on Trial: The Papal Inquisition in Modena 1598-1638 (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2011), the co-editor of The Roman Inquisition: Centre versus Peripheries (Leiden: Brill, 2018) and many other articles on the Catholic Inquisition, anti-semitism and the Jews of Italy. She is now finishing a book called "Christian Images and Jewish Desecrators: The History of an Allegation," 400-1700." Dr.Aron-Beller has been a scholar in residence on many trips with Jewish Historical Seminars including trips to Spain, Portugal, England, Sicily and Italy.

EGYPT, BIBLE, ISRAELITES AND JEWS, Jacob Shoshan. This lecture took place on July 17, 2022.

Egypt, Bible, Israelites, and Jews: Join us and our tour guide Jacob Shoshan, as we travel in time and sail along the mighty Nile River, tracing Jewish History in the Eastern Sahara Desert. Discover 3,800 years of the unique relationships between 2 civilizations that have shaped the world as we know it today.

Jacob Shoshan was born in Jerusalem and is a licensed tour guide in Israel as well as a teacher and lecturer for The Tour Guide Colleges in Israel. He is also a Senior Tour Director and Lecturer for the Geographical Society, Israel. Jacob has visited 98 countries and led tours in 65 countries on all six continents and is fluent in 15 languages. He presents in-depth discussions on Jewish history, philosophy and culture and is deeply involved in Holocaust education.

THE JEWS OF SWEDEN, Jane Kempinsky. This lecture took place on Aug 2, 2022.

Let's visit Sweden – the country of IKEA, Nobel prize, 95.000 lakes and the first ice hotel in the world. Today Sweden is a home to some 20.000 Jews. It makes Swedish Jewish Community one of the largest in Europe. Jane Kempinsky invites you to visit three cities - breathtaking Stockholm, impressive Goteborg and industrial Malmo. The virtual tour will include: Stories of the first Jews who settled in Sweden in the 18th century;Visits to the beautiful old and modern Synagogues; Discussion of the role that Sweden played in saving European Jews during the WWII; A controversial story of German gold and its consequences in the modern Swedish life; New challenges that Jewish Community faces in Sweden.

Jane Kempinski is a tour guide from St.Petersburg, Russia who has been giving tours for about 15 years already and is absolutely in love with her city and her job. She is Jewish, born and raised in Leningrad and then St.Petersburg. Her family has been living in St. Petersburg since the early 1920’s originating from the Pale of Settlement – Ukraine, Belorussia and Poland. Jane started specific Jewish Heritage tours of St.Petersburg and about 12 years ago started incorporating and interconnecting Russian and Jewish history and culture. Her idea is to show St.Petersburg from the Jewish prospective, giving one a taste of what it is to be a Jew living in Russia.

THE JEWS OF MEDIEVAL AND EARLY MODERN CATALONIA, Dr. Kathy Aron-Beller. This lecture took place Dec 13, 2023.

Geographically, politically and culturally Catalonia was a medieval crossroads: between Christianity and Islam, between France and Spain, and between the united Crown of Aragon, and the independent principalities and counties that were joined under the Crown. In thirteenth century Catalonia, important Jewish communities existed in the major cities of Barcelona, Gerona, Vic and Lérida as well as smaller towns such as Tarragona, Montblanch, Villafranca, Besalú, Cervera, and Tortosa. This lecture will highlight the centrality of Catalan Jewry in medieval Jewish culture, the direction, the controversies, the daily life and the very rich literary works of Jewish culture that radiated from this small area of Spain.

DECENT AND MODEST JEWISH BRIDES - THE CUSTOMS AND ART OF THE KETUBBOT FROM THE ISLAND OF CORFU (GREECE), Prof. Shalom Sabar. This lecture took place on Dec 27, 2022.

The vibrant Jewish community residing on the captivating Greek island of Corfu in the early modern period was largely composed of two congregations: Romaniotes and Sephardim. The former, descendants of the old Jewish community in Europe from Roman times, preserved the ancient Romaniote (Byzantine) rite, known also as Minhag Korfu, while the Sephardi community was originally established by Jews who arrived from south Italy (Apulia) early on and later also north Italian Jews, exiles from the Iberian Peninsula, Marranos, and some Ashkenazim. The mixture of traditions is best reflected in the colorful and attractive ketubbot created on the Island. Talmudic and medieval traditions known from Eretz Israel and Egypt are joined together with Italian and other European customs. Strong contacts with the community of Venice, which ruled the island for several centuries, influenced the local Jewish art and led to the decoration of some of the most attractive and sophisticated ketubbot that are known to us today.

Shalom Sabar is a Professor Emeritus of the Dept of Art History and Jewish Folklore of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Shalom has been our amazing scholar in residence on many of our tours throughout many years. Shalom has introduced us all to the wonderful culture, art and folklore of so many Jewish communities throughout the world. His wonderful enthusiasm has rubbed off on everyone who listens to him!

FROM PORTUGAL TO THE NETHERLANDS: QUEEN ESTHER AND PURIM AMONG THE PORTUGUESE COMMUNITY OF AMSTERDAM, Prof. Shalom Sabar. This lecture took place March 1, 2023

Forced to convert to Christianity in 1497, the once prosperous Jewish community of Portugal started to lead new degrading ways of life as "New Christians" (Cristãos Novos). In their inner religion and culture, as it developed in the following centuries, some components of some of the Jewish rituals and holidays were secretly preserved at great risk. Among these, an unusual place was given to Purim, an apparently minor holiday, and its heroine, Queen Esther. In the lecture, we will examine how Purim gained such a special status and what Esther's role was in this development. This situation was intensified by the opportunity given to the Portuguese Jews to immigrate to the Netherlands during its "Golden Age" in the 17th century, where they were permitted to return to their Judaism freely. In the community that was established in the capital city of Amsterdam, magnificent Purim balls were celebrated in an elegant manner, and the artistic genre of elaborately illustrating the Esther scroll flourished. The illustrations in the scrolls amazingly correspond with the Esther story in Dutch art of the time, including that of Rembrandt; at the same time, they reflect the lives and ideologies of the Portuguese Jewish elite of Amsterdam's Golden Age.

Shalom Sabar is a Professor Emeritus of the Dept of Art History and Jewish Folklore of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Shalom has been our amazing scholar in residence on many of our tours throughout many years including our recent tour to Catalonia. Shalom has introduced us all to the wonderful culture, art and folklore of so many Jewish communities throughout the world. His wonderful enthusiasm has rubbed off on everyone who listens to him!

IT USED TO BE CALLED CZECHOSLOVAKIA, Jacob Shoshan. This lecture took place on Wed, March 22, 2023

Join Jacob on a virtual tour to two exciting destinations - Slovakia and Czechia - with a fascinating Jewish History. See a beautiful country side, fantastic edifices and beautiful synagogues. Hear about centuries of cultural and religious achievements - as well as the tragic events which befell those ancient Jewish communities during the dark years of the Holocaust.

Jacob Shoshan was born in Jerusalem. He is a licensed tour guide in Israel as well as a teacher and lecturer for The Tour Guide Colleges in Israel. He is also a Senior Tour Director and Lecturer for the Geographical Society, Israel. Jacob has visited 98 countries and led tours in 65 countries on all six continents and is fluent in 15 languages. He presents in-depth discussions on Jewish history, philosophy and culture and is deeply involved in Holocaust education. Jacob was our tour guide on our recent tour to Egypt.

THE WARSAW GHETTO UPRISING, Richard Rinberg. This lecture took place on April 17, 2023.

It is now 80 years after the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising – an act of Jewish resistance in the Warsaw Ghetto in German-occupied Poland during World War II. Jews suffered severe oppression in all of the 1,140 ghettos under German occupation; the Warsaw Ghetto was the largest in population size (450,000 people) and one of the most crowded (8-10 people per room). But worse was to come. In 1942, between Tisha B'Av and Yom Kippur, in less than 60 days, almost 300,000 Warsaw Ghetto Jews were deported to death camps. Most Warsaw residents did not believe that such a thing could happen in a city that was the capital of Jewish Europe. In early 1943, some young Jews decided to fight back… even though most had no military training. Heroically, they held out for almost a month, against the strongest army in Europe.

Richard Rinberg is an authorized guide at the Yad Vashem Holocaust History Museum and was born and raised in London, U.K. He studied Mathematics at University College, London, graduating with honors and is a Life Member of The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. His business career in the City of London included being elected an Underwriting Member at Lloyd's of London Insurance Market and a Member of the London Diamond Bourse. After retiring and making Aliyah with his wife and four children in 1996, he became President and then Chief Executive Officer of an Oil & Gas Exploration Company publicly traded on NASDAQ with offices in both Dallas, Texas and Israel. After retiring from business (a second time), he spends his time guiding at Yad Vashem and studying, researching and collecting Judaica and Jewish Art. His current project is, together with Professor Chaim Tawil, writing a book on the Akkadian background of the Hebrew Biblical text.

COUNTS, CARDINALS AND CATALOGUERS: THE REMARKABLE STORY OF THE HEBREW MANUSCRIPTS IN THE VATICAN LIBRARY, Prof. Gary Rendsburg. This lecture took place on Tues, June 13th.

Since its founding in 1475, the Bibliotheca Apostolica Vaticana – or more simply: the Vatican Library – has included an important collection of Hebrew manuscripts. Today, the number of Hebrew documents surpasses 800, with so many of them of outstanding quality and with great significance. Star attractions include: the Sifra manuscript dated to the 9th century (MS Vat. ebr. 66), making it perhaps the oldest extant Hebrew codex; and the Targum Neofiti manuscript (MS Neofiti 1), the only known copy of this particular Aramaic translation of the Torah, written by a Jewish scribe and dedicated to Cardinal Bishop Giles of Viterbo c. 1500. Our speaker, Prof. Gary Rendsburg, has worked at the Vatican Library on several occasions, including earlier this year, while serving as visiting professor at the Pontifical Biblical Institute. Please join us as he presents the remarkable story of the Vatican Hebrew manuscripts, how they entered the collection, why they are so important, how the catalogue was produced, and how they are freely available on the internet today.

Gary A. Rendsburg serves as the Blanche and Irving Laurie Professor of Jewish History at Rutgers University. His teaching and research focus on ‘all things ancient Israel’ – primarily language and literature, though also history and archaeology. His secondary interests include the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Hebrew manuscript tradition, and Jewish life in the Middle Ages. Prof. Rendsburg is the author of seven books and about 180 articles. His most recent book is How the Bible Is Written (Hendrickson, 2019), with particular attention to the use of language to create literature. In addition, he has produced two programs for the Great Courses program, one on ‘The Book of Genesis’ and one on ‘The Dead Sea Scrolls’. During his career, Prof. Rendsburg has served as visiting professor or visiting researcher at the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, the University of Sydney, Hebrew University, Bar-Ilan University, UCLA, the Getty Villa, the University of Pennsylvania, and most recently and most pertinently to the present lecture at the Pontifical Biblical Institute (Rome) (February-March 2023).

JEWS IN THE ART AND LIFE OF PABLO PICASSO, Jane Kempinsky. This lecture took place on Nov 8, 2023.

Our wonderful tour guide and lecturer, Jane Kempinsky is returning to give another Zoom lecture but this time on Pablo Picasso, the genius of the 20th century. Picasso was the painter who shook and changed the world and who never stopped, never froze in one style or genre. It took Jane a long time to love and appreciate his works and would like to now share her passion and admiration with you. No one can explain Picasso in just 45 minutes so Jane has chosen a specific subject which will let us look at the art and life of Picasso from the Jewish perspective. She will show you the images of Jews who surrounded Picasso - his friends, his art dealers and will discuss the role Jews played in Picasso's artistic life. But the most important - we will see the unique power of Pablo Picasso's brush.

Jane Kempinski is a former official St.Petersburg tour guide (she also guided a few of our tours to Russia). She is Jewish, born and raised in Leningrad and then St.Petersburg. Her family has been living in St. Petersburg since the early 1920’s originating from the Pale of Settlement – Ukraine, Belorussia and Poland. Jane made aliyah to Israel with her husband and daughter a number of years ago and since May 2020 she has been giving online tours and lectures dedicated to the history and heritage of Jews in diaspora - Eastern Europe, Caucasus, Northern Europe.

HEBREW WRITING IN EUROPEAN ART: FROM PSEUDOSCRIPT AND ANTISEMITIC TO ACCURATE AND PHILOSEMITIC, Prof. Shalom Sabar. This lecture took place on Nov 15, 2023

During our travels and visits to Europe's many fine museums, we are often surprised to encounter Hebraic inscriptions staring out from Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque works of art. This is a most perplexing phenomenon, as obviously neither the artists nor their intended audiences were versed in the Hebrew language. Indeed, the representation of Hebrew in European art is often not accurate, exhibiting a wide variety of scripts, ranging from meaningless and abstract shapes to carefully selected and authentic texts. The development of this phenomenon opens an unexpected window to multi-faceted historical, theological, and cultural insights and, most interestingly, surprising evidence regarding the relationships and contacts with contemporary Jews and converts who consulted the artists. Moreover, the works show that some artists even visited Jewish homes or attended Jewish rituals in their attempts to be authentic. Thus, while Hebrew symbolized for Christendom the despised Jewish faith and the humiliated Jews living in the midst of the towns where the works were produced, it was already given great importance by the early Church Fathers as the language of the Old Testament, the ancient Israelites, the Bible, and the Holy Land.

To register: USD 12 via PayPal.me/JHSeminars and contact: JHS@JewishHistoricalSeminars.com

One is able to register (USD 12) and view a recording of a past lecture for a number of days.