Moroccan Jews (and the Jews of Western Algeria in the areas adjacent to Morocco) to this day begin the Passover Seder with a short text in Judeo-Arabic at the center of which is the figure of Moses…
Separation: The Origin of the Women’s Section in the Synagogue
Some of us find it hard to believe that in Talmudic times women and men prayed together in the synagogue. When did a separate gallery for women become mandatory in Orthodox synagogues, and how did the separation of men and women in the prayer service come about?
How Did Jews Flee to Israel From the Arab World?
A look at some of the brave souls who risked their lives to reach Israel before and just after the state’s founding…
The Daring Life and Tragic Death of Tunisia’s Jewish Pop Sensation
Habiba Msika reveled in the pleasures of free love in 1920s Tunis. A rejected paramour ultimately took her life
Revealed: Rare Documentation of the Portuguese Inquisition
A recently discovered manuscript documents the first 130 years of the Portuguese Inquisition’s tribunals, mainly in Lisbon. Recorded on the pages are trials conducted by inquisitors and others against newly converted Christians accused of continuing to practice Judaism in secret…
Out of the Vault: Incredible Torah Scrolls Revealed
Check out these clips featuring four of the most stunning and interesting Torah scrolls from the National Library of Israel collection
8 Nights, 8 Treasures, 8 Languages
Join us for a Hanukkah video journey across cultures and time, featuring treasures from the National Library of Israel!
Is Fish and Chips a Jewish Delicacy?
The little-known Jewish connections to a few of the world’s favorite foods
Five-Hundred Years in the Life of the Amon Family
From the surrender of Spain to the court of Suleiman the Magnificent and beyond, they were there
Putting the J in Majorca
After hundreds of years underground, Jewish life on the Spanish island is reawakening
