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Jewish History Nerds: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Unpacked
Whoever said history was boring clearly never heard these stories…Welcome to Jewish History Nerds! Join hosts Yael and Schwab each week as they take a dive into some deep cuts of Jewish history. From the Jewish Da Vinci Code to mass suicide pacts, explore true stories that feel larger than life.
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- 1 weeks ago54 min
The Jewish History Hiding in Japan and Korea
How did Jews escaping the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions end up in Japan? Dr. Henry Abramson joins Yael and Schwab for a special bonus episode to uncover the surprising story of Jewish life in the Far East. While Europe persecuted Jews, Japan’s religious landscape offered a strikingly different environment, shaped by Shinto, Buddhism, trade, migration, and a remarkably tolerant reception for some Jewish refugees seeking safety abroad. Plus, they explore South Korean's fascination with the Talmud. If you like this show, please rate and write a review wherever you get your podcasts. And be in touch. Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media. To learn more about Dr. Henry Abramson's trip to Japan and South Korea, check out his lectures on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TYJtzL_4y4&t=3s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpCjuQMk4H0 Birth of Beate Sirota Gordon, who wrote equality into the postwar Japanese constitution. Talmud as a New Intellectual Project by Sarit Kattan Gribetz The Talmud in Korea: A Study in the Reception of Rabbinic Literature by Sarit Kattan Gribetz, Claire Kim This podcast was brought to you by Unpacked, a brand of OpenDor Media. Follow @unpackedmedia on Instagram and check out our videos on youtube and Spotify. Visit jewishlives.org to explore and buy books from the Jewish Lives book series. Use the discount code JLIFE to get a discount. For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out: Borderlines with That Semite Soulful Jewish Living Stars of David with Elon Gold Unpacking Israeli History Wondering Jews
- 2 weeks ago28 min
How Jews Helped Invent America: Reflections With Dr Henry Abramson
What makes the American Jewish experience unique, and how have Jews shaped America in return? Historian, Dr. Henry Abramson, usually works behind the scenes but in this episode he join Yael and Schwab to reflect on 250 years of Jewish life in America, from Emma Lazarus and immigration to Superman, antisemitism, and Jewish creativity. They also explore stories still waiting to be told, including the remarkable Jewish adventurers who journeyed to Antarctica throughout history. Check out Dr. Henry Abramson's lectures on Jewish history here on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HenryAbramsonPhD If you like this show, please rate and write a review wherever you get your podcasts. And be in touch. Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media. This podcast was brought to you by Unpacked, a brand of OpenDor Media. Follow @unpackedmedia on Instagram and check out our videos on youtube and Spotify. Visit jewishlives.org to explore and buy books from the Jewish Lives book series. Use the discount code JLIFE to get a discount. For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out: Borderlines with That Semite Soulful Jewish Living Stars of David with Elon Gold Unpacking Israeli History Wondering Jews
- 3 weeks ago52 min
Why Did Sammy Davis Jr. Become Jewish?
Sammy Davis Jr. was already one of America's biggest entertainers when he made a choice few expected. He converted to Judaism. His journey began with a car crash that nearly killed him and grew through years of study, faith, and a powerful connection between Black and Jewish history. From the Rat Pack and the civil rights movement to JFK, Nixon, and Israel, Schwab and Yael explore Sammy Davis Jr.'s story in part 2 of a series of Jews in Hollywood, and what it reveals about the search for belonging in America. Sammy Davis Jr. recorded his hit song I've Gotta Be Me in 1968 for Reprise Records. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXYndNL4Mu8 If you like this show, please rate and write a review wherever you get your podcasts. And be in touch. Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media. This podcast was brought to you by Unpacked, a brand of OpenDor Media. Follow @unpackedmedia on Instagram and check out our videos on youtube and Spotify. Visit jewishlives.org to explore and buy books from the Jewish Lives book series. Use the discount code JLIFE to get a discount. For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out: Borderlines with That Semite Soulful Jewish Living Stars of David with Elon Gold Unpacking Israeli History Wondering Jews
- Aug 20, 202657 min
Al Jolson and The Jazz Singer: The Jewish Story Behind Hollywood’s First Talkie
Al Jolson was the biggest star in America, a Jewish immigrant who left the synagogue behind to conquer Broadway and Hollywood. Jonathan Schwab guides Yael Steiner through his journey from cantor's son to star of The Jazz Singer, the 1927 film that made synchronized sound a sensation and told a deeply Jewish story to all of America. Trading film history along the way, Yael and Schwab unpack assimilation, blackface, race, and how Jewish immigrants didn't just work in Hollywood, they built it. Tune in next week for part 2 on Sammy Davis Jr. If you like this show, please rate and write a review wherever you get your podcasts. And be in touch. Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media. Why Did Negroes Love Al Jolson and The Jazz Singer?: Melodrama, Blackface and Cosmopolitan Theatrical Culture by Charles Musser Credit: The Jazz Singer Singer Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures Release date October 6, 1927. Clip from The Jazz Singer starring Al Jolson: https://youtu.be/mTufuWn3jv8?si=PE35erbhfZsqnqAH This podcast was brought to you by Unpacked, a brand of OpenDor Media. Follow @unpackedmedia on Instagram and check out our videos on youtube and Spotify. Visit jewishlives.org to explore and buy books from the Jewish Lives book series. Use the discount code JLIFE to get a discount. For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out: Soulful Jewish Living Stars of David with Elon Gold Unpacking Israeli History Wondering Jews
- Aug 13, 202648 min
The Girl Rabbi of the Golden West: Ray Frank Revisted
As we look back at Jews in the Americas for the 250th, we’re revisiting the story of Ray Frank, the “Girl Rabbi of the Golden West.” In the 1890s, she became a celebrated Jewish orator, leading High Holiday services and filling opera houses across the American West. But her story is about more than a woman breaking into a male world. It’s about how Jewish life was taking shape in the expanding American West, and one woman who challenged what it meant to lead, teach, and live as a Jew. If you like this show, please rate and write a review wherever you get your podcasts. Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media. We really want to hear from you. Here is a photo of Ray Frank from 1890: https://jwa.org/media/ray-frank Sources and summary: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1v2WzLQvSagiMdKQMP_mqNoz4HqCDHWktsVD80sDPRQE/edit?usp=sharing Watch Yael and Schwab on YouTube. Visit jewishlives.org to explore and buy books from the Jewish Lives book series. Use the discount code JLIFE to get a discount. This podcast was brought to you by Unpacked, a brand of OpenDor Media. Follow @unpackedmedia on Instagram and check out Unpacked on youtube. ------------------ For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out: Soulful Jewish Living Stars of David with Elon Gold Unpacking Israeli History Wondering Jews
- Aug 6, 202654 min
How a Plate of Shrimp Changed American Judaism
The infamous 1883 Trafa Banquet was meant to celebrate America's first ordained rabbis. But a menu of shrimp, clams, oysters, and frog's legs in cream ignited a firestorm that changed American Judaism. Yael Steiner and Jonathan Schwab tell the story behind one of the most controversial meals in Jewish history. If you like this show, please rate and write a review wherever you get your podcasts. And be in touch. Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media. This podcast was brought to you by Unpacked, a brand of OpenDor Media. Follow @unpackedmedia on Instagram and check out our videos on youtube and Spotify. Visit jewishlives.org to explore and buy books from the Jewish Lives book series. Use the discount code JLIFE to get a discount. For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out: Soulful Jewish Living Stars of David with Elon Gold Unpacking Israeli History Wondering Jews
- Jul 30, 202640 min
Revisiting Emma Goldman: Anarchism, Feminism...and Judaism?
Please take a few minutes to fill out this short survey at unpacked.bio/podsurvey As we continue our series exploring Jewish American history, we're revisiting our episode on Emma Goldman, the revolutionary Jewish anarchist who helped shape feminism, free speech, and the American left. Schwab and Yael dive into the life and legacy of Emma Goldman, the influential Jewish anarchist who made waves in early 20th-century America. Discover how she challenged authority, championed workers' rights, women's rights, and free speech, and became one of the most influential radicals of her time. But Schwab and Yael also ask: what role did Red Emma's Judaism play in shaping her worldview? If you like this show, please rate and write a review wherever you get your podcasts. And be in touch. Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media. This podcast was brought to you by Unpacked, a brand of OpenDor Media. Follow @unpackedmedia on Instagram and check out our videos on youtube and Spotify. Visit jewishlives.org to explore and buy books from the Jewish Lives book series. Use the discount code JLIFE to get a discount. For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out: Soulful Jewish Living Stars of David with Elon Gold Unpacking Israeli History Wondering Jews
- Jul 23, 202635 min
How Emma Lazarus Gave the Statue of Liberty Its Voice
Please take a few minutes to fill out this short survey at unpacked.bio/podsurvey Yesterday marked Emma Lazarus's birthday. She wasn't an immigrant, but she gave the Statue of Liberty its voice. In Part 2, Schwab and Yael explore how the wealthy Jewish poet became a champion for refugees, an early advocate for Jewish nationalism, and the author of The New Colossus, the poem that forever changed America's most iconic symbol. The New Colossus By Emma Lazarus (born on July 22nd, 1849) Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,With conquering limbs astride from land to land;Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall standA mighty woman with a torch, whose flameIs the imprisoned lightning, and her nameMother of Exiles. From her beacon-handGlows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes commandThe air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries sheWith silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” Poems by Emma Lazarus If you like this show, please rate and write a review wherever you get your podcasts. And be in touch. Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media. And if you missed the first episode in the series, please check out The First Jews in the Americas: Fleeing the Inquisition. Emma Lazarus' family was part of the first wave of Jews to the Americas. This podcast was brought to you by Unpacked, a brand of OpenDor Media. Follow @unpackedmedia on Instagram and check out our videos on youtube and Spotify. Visit jewishlives.org to explore and buy books from the Jewish Lives book series. Use the discount code JLIFE to get a discount. For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out: Soulful Jewish Living Stars of David with Elon Gold Unpacking Israeli History Wondering Jews
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About Jewish History Nerds
Whoever said history was boring clearly never heard these stories…Welcome to Jewish History Nerds! Join hosts Yael and Schwab each week as they take a dive into some deep cuts of Jewish history. From the Jewish Da Vinci Code to mass suicide pacts, explore true stories that feel larger than life.
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