Jewish History Moment

30/03/2026

Fun facts about your favorite Passover themed films, submitted by the listeners. Learn the behind-the-scenes tidbits about Cecil B DeMille’s Ten Commandments such as his Jewish connection and his prior silent movie classic. Also, the animated Prince of Egypt and how it was received upon release. When Do We Eat, the comedy from the Accidental Talmudist. Plus, Rugrats, Jabotinsky, Sesame Street and more. Link in first comment.

12/03/2026

PODCAST: Haile Selassie in Jerusalem

When Italian fascists invaded Ethiopia, Haile Selassie (Ras Tafari) took refuge in the Land of Israel. Hear rare audio from him and his daughter Princess Tsehai and how the Jewish community helped the exiled emperor. Gideon Force, led by Orde Wingate and Jews from the Land of Israel helped return the king to his throne. Link in first comment.

03/03/2026

There have been many mini-Purim holidays celebrated by Jewish communities around the world to commemorate miracles similar to the familiar Purim story we read in the Book of Esther. Link in first comment.

12/02/2026

PODCAST: Interview with Eilat Lieber of the Tower of David Jerusalem Museum who spearheaded the move to reopen the Rockefeller Museum and share it’s splendor with the Israeli public.

From ancient menorah symbols to statues of Egyptian pharaohs and carvings from the Temple Mount, this is a fascinating tour of a little-seen architectural gem.

What archeological treasures are on display in Jerusalem’s Rockefeller Museum? Find out in this interview with Eilat Lieber on the ancient statues, antique jewelry and relics from Biblical days.

02/02/2026

On this Tu Bishvat special, meet the young, enthusiastic team of the new TThe Galilee Eco Center as they talk about their inspiration for buying a tract of land in Israel’s north to revolutionize farming methods and teach a Jewish environmentally friendly way of connecting to the land of Israel and the people of Israel in modern times.

Meet the young, enthusiastic team of the new Galilee Eco Center which is following in the footsteps of the early Jewish pioneers in the Land of Israel.

30/01/2026

Refugees from war-torn Europe built a Hasidic village with farms, etrog groves, and an exact replica of the original Brooklyn 770 Lubavitcher building.

Refugees from war-torn Europe built a Hasidic village with farms, etrog groves, and an exact replica of the original Brooklyn 770 Lubavitcher building.

15/12/2025

Check out my article in the Jerusalem Post.

Shlomo Shamir’s daughter, Yael Driver, uncovers her father’s hidden rescue efforts and role in shaping Israel’s future.

06/11/2025

PODCAST: The ruins of ancient Beersheba attest to the importance of the city where Abraham lived. But the most intriguing artifact is the horned altar. This is one of the idolatrous “high places” King Hezekiah ordered torn down. Or was it King Josiah? Find out as we delve into the historical debate between Prof. Yohanan Aharoni, a refugee from warn-torn Germany and founder of the Tel Aviv University Institute of Archaeology, and IDF Chief of Staff Yigael Yadin, a war hero who went on to become a noted archeologist.

Did the Biblical Patriarchs once walk these sandy trails? Find out as we explore the breathtaking Tel Be’er Sheva archaeological site and learn about the controversial altar.

29/10/2025

Yael Driver is the editor of the new book Dance of the Fire: The Jewish Brigade in WWII: Facts, Myths, Appraisal, based on the memoir of her father Shlomo Shamir, covert commander of the Brigade. She sheds some light on little-known daring missions to rescue Holocaust Survivors following the Brigade’s fighting against the Axis Forces.

She explains how these Jewish volunteers from the Land of Israel fought in the Italian campaign and stayed in war-torn Europe after the war ended to track down Holocaust survivors. Through the process of her supporting research she met not only families of her father’s comrades and the family of one of her father’s British commanders, but also the family of one Italian P.O.W. who her father must have assisted. She further discusses the saga of Enzo Sereni and other daring acts during World War II.

Interview with Yael Driver, daughter of IDF Major-General Shlomo Shamir, who during WWII served as the covert commander of the Jewish Brigade.

23/10/2025

Interview with Cynthia Hannah of the new online course, The Land God Chose: What the Bible ACTUALLY says about Israel. Cynthia has spent over a decade studying Hebrew Scriptures and the wisdom of Chassidic, Kabbalistic, and Torah masters in Jerusalem. But it was after October 7th that she felt a profound calling to create a course that would cut through media distortion and reveal what the Bible actually says about the Land of Israel—its eternal covenant with the Jewish people, and how God’s redemptive plan is unfolding through the events we see in the world today.

Cynthia is also the author of Miracles from Israel: Biblical Promises Fulfilled, a powerful exploration of modern-day miracles unfolding as the Jewish people return to their ancestral land.

Discussion of the outpouring of pro-Israel sentiment in the face of global anti-Semitism and Hamas terrorism.

04/09/2025

PODCAST: The diary of Glikl Bas Leib of Hamburg, begun in the 1690s, holds invaluable historic insight into Jewish life in Europe. Meet Mat and Julie Tonti who are turning Glikl’s Yiddish writings into a graphic novel for modern readers. The husband-and-wife team discuss their journey to Germany where they visited Hamburg, Hamelin and other towns to investigate the life, love and loss of a woman whose experiences mirror our own today.

Learn about the mysterious disappearance of Avraham Metz and Aaron Ben Moses and the brave woman determined to find their murderers, one of the many stories of 17th century European Jewish life described in the diaries.

The diary of Glikl Bas Leib of Hamburg, begun in the 1690s, holds invaluable historic insight into Jewish life in Europe.

21/08/2025

The underdogs, Maccabi Tel Aviv Basketball defeated the Soviet team in a dramatic game that led to the championship.

Meet Tal Brody, the American Jew who made Aliyah and led the team to victory when he uttered the now famous words, “we’re on the map, and we are staying on the map – not only in sports, but in everything.” The dramatic reaction of Israel beating the Russian Soviet Union Red Army team led to cheering Israeli fans dancing through the streets.

Plus, coach Ralph Klein, the German-born Jew who survived the N**i Holocaust and became a sports hero, Aulcie Perry, who found a new home in the Jewish homeland, Miki Berkovich, Lou Silver, Shuki Schwartz, Shmuel Machrovsky and the others that helped clinch the FIBA European Champions Cup.

The Russia vs. Israel basketball game that changed Israeli sports and led to all-night cheering in the streets.