Mesopotamia, the cradle of civilization, gave rise to the founding father of the Jewish people - Abraham. His mission: to explain the reality of One God to human consciousness. His workshop: the Land of Israel. A cosmic confrontation develops between his offspring. Those who disputed his mission were Ishmael and Esau, Those who supported it were Isaac and Jacob. A similar cosmic dispute occurs with Joseph and his brothers.
The tape of this class contains Jewish History #3 and #4.
Most miracles are natural phenomena - but with precise, uncanny timing. The Ten Plagues are the exception: God turned all the laws of nature upside down to show who's boss. After the revelation at Mount Sinai, being Jewish meant so much more than subscribing to a religion - to the extent that this transformation became the core of our national identity.
Dispel the "ultra-Orthodox fanatic" image of Chassidim with an amazing review of how the movement rescued the persecuted Jews of the 18th century and how it strengthens Judaism even today. Meet some of the famous Chassidic personalities, and hear why the Vilna Gaon was opposed to Chassidus at that time. Hear how immorality and decadence in the Christian world spawned the Protestant Reformation and the venomous anti-Semitism of Martin Luther, whose vicious "suggestions" were actualized by the German Nazis.
During the Enlightenment, the less religious the Western world became, the better it treated its Jews. Jews were freed from the ghettos, welcomed into trades and professions and given civil rights. But even with this newfound freedom, Jews were still looked down upon. The Reform Movement of Judaism embraced this new ideology by totally divorcing itself from God and Torah - which led to a majority of German, French and Italian Jews who either assimilated or converted to Christianity.
From 1791-1915, 40% of world Jewry was confined to an area small in size - but very great in spirit. This 'Pale of Settlement' gave rise to a sophisticated social welfare system, the modern-day yeshiva, and the Mussar movement. Constant Czarist persecution and bloody pogroms eventually forced the Jews en masse to join anarchist, communist, socialist, or bundist movements bent on changing a backwards Russia, or escaping to the "goldene medina" - America.
The amazing story of the Jewish influence on the birth of American democracy was a well-kept secret. In what ways did the code of ethics of the Hebrew Bible affect the Puritans, the Founding Fathers, and their Declaration of Independence? And how did the face of American Jewry veer off so sharply a hundred years later into Reform and Conservative - thereby rejecting 3300 years of Torah tradition?
One anti-Semitic incident after another propelled the Jewish people towards the catastrophic 20th century Holocaust. Intellectual Jew-hatred in France, forced secularization in Communist Russia and fledging American fascism all fit so neatly into Hitler's master plan. The world was silent as millions of Jews were stripped of their political and economic rights and murdered with fierce efficiency.
Zionism was not Herzl's invention but he was the driving force behind it. The Zionist ideal got mixed reviews: Reform Jews refused to share any ties with Israel while Orthodox rabbis suspected the Zionists of ulterior motives. Meanwhile, World War I toppled the Ottoman Empire and brought Palestine under British control. Decidedly pro-Arab and anti-Semitic, the British weathered 30 years of bloody Arab uprisings and violent Jewish resistance before bowing out to the new State of Israel.
Zionism wasn't Herzl's invention, but he was its driving force. The Zionist ideal got mixed reviews: Reform Jews refused any ties to Israel while the Orthodox community suspected the movement of ulterior motives. Meanwhile, World War I toppled the Ottoman Empire and brought Palestine under British control. Decidedly pro-Arab and anti-semitic, the British weathered 30 years of bloody Arab uprisings and violent Jewish resistance before bowing out to the newborn State of Israel.
The quote that best fits modern Israel is, "Everything we did, we did wrong, but look at what we accomplished." Rabbi Spiro rattles off the facts and statistics on the Arab-Israeli conflict, Diaspora's support for the State of Israel, and the tragedy of constant strife among our own people. He ends this Crash Course series by showing how history propels us into a hopeful future, and how every individual can make a significant contribution to better the world we live in.
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