History

Embark on a journey of Jewish learning and discovery, exploring the depth of our History resources, where tagged items including audio, programs, and podcast episodes await your exploration.

What We Talk About When We Talk About War

Dr. Elliott Malamet

In this, what was the summer of our discontent, it is worth looking at the words that were commonly used to moralize about the present war. At the top of the list perhaps  is "proportional",  defined in the OED as "…
Article
Sep 11, 2014

May G-d Comfort...

Rabbi Jay Kelman

For most of the world, the year 1492 marks the anniversary of Christopher Columbus' voyage to America. Yet for Jews, the year 1492 is a year of tragedy, a date in Jewish history etched in infamy. It marked the end of perhaps the greatest…
Article
Jul 2, 2014

Powerless in Toronto

Rabbi Jay Kelman

It’s always important to remind ourselves to be thankful for those things we take for granted—like having electricity. As many of you know firsthand, and many others have undoubtedly heard, we Torontonians are slowly recovering from an…
Article
Dec 24, 2013

Can It Really Be That (Some) Jews Don't Learn Torah on Christmas Eve?

Dr. Marc Shapiro

An examination of the peculiar Chassidic custom to refrain from Torah study on Nittelnacht, Christmas Eve. Cosponsored by Congregation B'nai Torah.
Program
Nov 22, 2013

Finding Tekhelet: An Online Lecture Series in Three Parts with Baruch Sterman

Baruch Sterman

For centuries, shellfish-dyed fabrics ranked among the most expensive objects of the ancient Mediterranean world, fetching up to 20 times their weight in gold. Huge fortunes were made from and lost to them, and battles were fought over control of…
Program
Oct 31, 2012

The Catholic Church, Gay Rights and the Jewish Community

Rabbi Jay Kelman

The mark of maturity is the ability to disagree with others respectfully; to be able to appreciate the integrity and sincerity of an argument even as you may fundamentally disagree with it. This is easier said than done, and it is truly the rare…
Article
Jun 11, 2012

Our Days Are Numbered

Dr. Elliott Malamet

Mark Steyn put it quite simply in America Alone: “Experts talk about root causes. But demography is the most basic root of all.” Prognostications about the future of any country, race or civilization must begin and end with the hard numbers. Is a…
Article
May 6, 2012

The Unsinkable Ship: 100 Years After the Titanic Disaster

Rabbi Jay Kelman

Despite the passage of 100 years, the sinking of the Titanic holds a special fascination. In fact, the only time I’ve gone out to the theatres to see a movie in the last fifteen years was to see the original release of James Cameron’s Titanic. The “…
Article
Apr 15, 2012

No, Israel Isn’t Turning into an Iran-Style Theocracy (The New Republic)

tim

Gil TroyThe demonizing of Israel, dismissing the democratic Jewish state as a right-wing, religious, racist project, continues. The latest storyline describes ultra-Orthodox Israelis—known in Hebrew as haredim—as medieval Neanderthals rapidly…
Article
Feb 16, 2012

OAS

Rabbi Jay Kelman

Otta van Bismark, 19th century Chancellor of Germany, in introducing a social insurance program, set the rather arbitrary age of retirement of 65. This at a time when few people actually lived that long. Yet 65 has become sacrosanct for many.  While…
Article
Feb 1, 2012