e-TiM: Online Program
e-TiM: The Jews of Ancient Egypt

This four-part series will take place Thursdays at 10:30am Eastern (5:30pm in Israel) from January 27 to February 17

In the late Second Temple period, Egypt was home to hundreds of thousands of Jews. Many of these Jews observed Shabbat, practiced their dietary laws, and circumcised their sons. They also read their holy scriptures in synagogues and even produced biblical interpretations. These Jews drew the attention—and concern—of Jewish leaders in Judea, who wanted Jewish communities of Egypt to look to them for guidance and advice. This series will explore the little-known history of the Jews of Egypt in the Hellenistic era, and will consider why this history is crucial to our understanding of how Judaism was practiced in the pre-rabbinic period.

January 27
Introduction: The Jews of Egypt in the Hellenistic Age

February 3
The Judeans of Elephantine; The Jews of Leontopolis

February 10
The Jews of Alexandria

February 17
Relations Between Judean Jews and Egyptian Jews

Meet the speaker

Dr. Malka Z. Simkovich

Dr. Malka Z. Simkovich is the Editor-in-Chief of the Jewish Publication Society, as well as the author of three books and over a hundred articles.  Her first book, The Making of Jewish Universalism: From Exile to Alexandria, was published in 2016, and her second book, Discovering Second Temple Literature: The Scriptures and Stories That Shaped Early Judaism, was published with JPS in 2018 and received the 2019 AJL Judaica Reference Honor Award. Her third book, Letters From Home: The Creation of Diaspora in Jewish

Dr. Malka Z. Simkovich bio & resources

Classes of e-TiM: The Jews of Ancient Egypt

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