The Jewish People in Dispersion

12. Israel - Into the Future While we’ve focused on the modern state of Israel, millions of Jews of course continue to live in many lands of the Diaspora. But what for centuries had been expressed as raw antisemitism more recently finds expression as anti-Israel agitation. Perhaps the best the Jews can hope for is that there will be a revival of Jewish life and culture in the Diaspora. But whether or not this happens, the state of Israel today is alive and well, and it's not going anywhere. Indeed, there is nowhere else to go! Dr. Kenneth Hanson, http://drkenhanson.com/

11. Israel's First 35 Years The ancient prophet Jeremiah once excoriated those who cry “Peace,” when there is no peace. But in the infant modern state of Israel, no one had even a delusion of peace. In the wake of Israel’s 1948 War of Independence, the young nation continued to be beleaguered on every side. Yet, as we trace Israel’s first thirty-five years, we should recall the words of Prime Minister Golda Meir: “We Jews have a secret weapon; we have nowhere else to go!”Dr. Kenneth Hanson, http://drkenhanson.com/

10. The Rise of Israel In the aftermath of World War II and the Holocaust, that annihilated the great bulk of European Jewry, it seemed as though a Jewish state in Palestine was the last best hope of the Jewish people. Yet, the way seemed blocked, due to British policy that had been in effect for decades. Nonetheless, the state of Israel was about to be born. Dr. Kenneth Hanson, http://drkenhanson.com/

9. Antisemitism and Zionist The 1880s & 1890s are often identified as the period of Zionism’s birth. At that time a genuine cataclysm fell on Russian Jewry. But the greater the gloom & adversity of Jewish life, the more intense the recollection of ancestral pride. In the early twentieth century the Balfour Declaration was an authentic turning-point in Jewish history. Before, idea of a Jewish nation in Israel seemed a hopeless dream. But as Herzl had said, “If you will it, it is not a dream!” Dr. Kenneth Hanson, http://drkenhanson.com/

8. Failure of Emancipation We raise important questions in this episode. Were the Jews right to plant themselves firmly on European soil, proud of achieving full citizenship? Or should they have been more attentive to the continuing background noise of anti-Semitism, and taken proactive steps, to defend themselves, or even to leave, for Palestine? At the time nothing was elementary… Dr. Kenneth Hanson, http://drkenhanson.com/

7. From the French Revolution to the Jewish Enlightenment The story of the Jews is woven through the tapestry of world cultures, as we trace their legacy across the 18th and 19th centuries. The bleak spiritual landscape of the 1700s gave rise to a new currents within Judaism – from ultra-orthodox Hasidism to the Jewish “Enlightenment.” Moving on to the 1800s, we meet Napoleon and Czar Alexander I. All made an impact, for better or worse, on the Jews of Europe…Dr. Kenneth Hanson, http://drkenhanson.com/

6. Kabbalah, Messianism, and Spinoza The very word Kabbalah denotes a revelation — something “received.” Mysticism certainly hadn’t held a high place in Jewish culture during earlier periods. The Torah after all has a sternly rationalistic spirit -- being the possession of all Jews! Kabbalah was revealed only to a small number of ‘saints’ (kedoshim), who transmitted it to their disciples. But Kabbalah had an important role in the formation of spiritual culture -- beyond history & reason. Let's explore this amazing world of the Jewish mystics, and various responses to it, including the great Jewish philosopher, Baruch Spinoza...

5. The Spanish Exiles The expulsion of the Jews from Spain, in 1492, was truly catastrophic. Thereafter, the choice of new land was limited as well. Whole regions of western Europe, including England and Wales, France and Provence, Sicily and Sardinia, and the whole Iberian peninsula, were closed to Jewish settlement. In Germany Jews were expelled from most cities and barred from most jobs. Yet, this was only a grim foreboding of things to come...Dr. Kenneth Hanson, http://drkenhanson.com/

4. Expulsion from Spain On May 1, 1492 (the same year Columbus set sail) an edict was promulgated expelling the Jews of Spain - and an exodus of over 100,000 Jews followed. By the end of July, not a single professing Jew was left in Spain. This was the greatest tragedy since destruction of Temple in the year 70 of the Common Era! What was the background of this tragedy? It’s all here, in this most compelling video episode… Dr. Kenneth Hanson, http://drkenhanson.com/

3. Maimonides, Rationalists and Mystics In this episode we trace the course of the strange tale of Khazaria and uncover a profound new approach to Jewish texts, pioneered by one of the greatest personages in all of Jewish history – Maimonides. We learn of the enormous controversy that whirled around him, and the impact of his work, not just for the Jewish people, but for world philosophy and religion. The impact of these days can only be described as … extraordinary!

2. Karaites to Rashi In this episode we follow the course of Jewish history and culture during the Middle Ages, from the Arabian peninsula to continental Europe. We discover a "conservative," even "revolutionary" Jewish religious response to the victorious culture of Islam – Karaism. We even discover a surprising link between the Karaites (who settled in old Cairo, Egypt) and the Dead Sea Scrolls. We will also be introduced to the Jews of Spain, during the "Golden Age" of Muslim rule. Elsewhere in Europe we meet the great Jewish commentator, Rashi, and encounter the infamous "Blood Libel," the Disputations, and the affects of the Black Death on the Jewish population. Trials and tribulations never cease!Dr. Kenneth Hanson, http://drkenhanson.com/

1.Meet the Diaspora It's incredible, even unbelievable, when of people in dispersion become more numerous and more important than those in their historic homeland. Welcome to the Diaspora, which we trace from ancient times through the Middle Ages. These were troubled times, but also crucial, in defining who the Jewish people are, down to the present day. Dr. Kenneth Hanson, http://drkenhanson.com/