Podcast appearances and mentions of Jonathan D Sarna

In this expanded edition to a groundbreaking work, now in paperback, Lincoln and the Jews: A History (NYU Press, 2025), Jonathan D. Sarna and Benjamin Shapell reveal how Abraham Lincoln's unprecedentedly inclusive relationship with American Jews broadened him as president, and, as a result, broadened America. A conversation with Professor Jonathan D. Sarna. Co-authored with collector and scholar Benjamin Shapell, the book began as a lush coffee-table volume built around Shapell's remarkable Civil War–era collection: letters, photographs, and documents that reveal Lincoln's Jewish connections in real time. It has since been reissued in paperback by NYU Press, making it far easier to teach, carry, and assign. The shift mirrors the project's purpose: from a beautiful artifact to a working tool for rethinking Lincoln's world. Sarna stresses that Lincoln didn't “know Jews” in the abstract; he knew particular Jews who mattered. Abraham Jonas, an early ally, saw Lincoln as presidential material and encouraged the Republican Party to build a coalition of “outsiders,” explicitly including Jews. Lincoln also developed ties with German-speaking Jewish “48ers,” refugees of the failed 1848 revolutions who brought democratic ideals and anti-slavery commitments. Even in Illinois, Lincoln's visits to Jewish clothing stores signaled a new kind of everyday encounter between Americans and Jewish merchants. The book opens with a table of concentric circles of relationships between Lincoln and the Jews. Equally important is Lincoln's religious formation. Raised in a Protestant culture steeped in the Hebrew Bible and divine providence, he drew heavily on biblical language. His letters and speeches are studded with scriptural echoes, reflecting a worldview in which Jews remain central to God's historical drama rather than a superseded people. This helps explain his “live and let live” stance toward religious difference at a time when some ministers were moving toward more exclusionary theologies. Our conversation touched on Lincoln's reference to Haman from the Book of Esther in a letter to Joshua Speed. In an age of deep biblical literacy, Haman was a recognizable symbol of evil, later applied by some Jews to Grant after General Orders No. 11. Sarna also recounted the visit of a self-proclaimed prophet named Monk, who asked Lincoln to endorse a plan to “free the Jews” worldwide. Lincoln's witty, biblically informed response (from the book of Joel) both acknowledged Jewish suffering abroad and rejected the idea of a special “Jewish problem” in the United States. We also explored how 19th-century debates over the Mortara affair in Italy—where a secretly baptized Jewish child was taken from his parents by papal authorities—intersected with American slavery. President Buchanan's refusal to condemn Rome, Sarna noted, reflected fears that criticizing Church-sanctioned child removal could invite scrutiny of the United States' own separation of enslaved families. Lincoln and the Jews ultimately invites us to place Jews back into the center of the American story. Lincoln's friendships, his Hebrew Bible–shaped imagination, and his commitment to equality created a landscape in which Jews were not an abstract “question,” but neighbors and citizens. To understand Lincoln fully, Sarna suggests, we must see the Jews who walked beside him—and to understand American Jewish history, we must see how deeply it is entwined with Lincoln's moral and political world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

In this expanded edition to a groundbreaking work, now in paperback, Lincoln and the Jews: A History (NYU Press, 2025), Jonathan D. Sarna and Benjamin Shapell reveal how Abraham Lincoln's unprecedentedly inclusive relationship with American Jews broadened him as president, and, as a result, broadened America. A conversation with Professor Jonathan D. Sarna. Co-authored with collector and scholar Benjamin Shapell, the book began as a lush coffee-table volume built around Shapell's remarkable Civil War–era collection: letters, photographs, and documents that reveal Lincoln's Jewish connections in real time. It has since been reissued in paperback by NYU Press, making it far easier to teach, carry, and assign. The shift mirrors the project's purpose: from a beautiful artifact to a working tool for rethinking Lincoln's world. Sarna stresses that Lincoln didn't “know Jews” in the abstract; he knew particular Jews who mattered. Abraham Jonas, an early ally, saw Lincoln as presidential material and encouraged the Republican Party to build a coalition of “outsiders,” explicitly including Jews. Lincoln also developed ties with German-speaking Jewish “48ers,” refugees of the failed 1848 revolutions who brought democratic ideals and anti-slavery commitments. Even in Illinois, Lincoln's visits to Jewish clothing stores signaled a new kind of everyday encounter between Americans and Jewish merchants. The book opens with a table of concentric circles of relationships between Lincoln and the Jews. Equally important is Lincoln's religious formation. Raised in a Protestant culture steeped in the Hebrew Bible and divine providence, he drew heavily on biblical language. His letters and speeches are studded with scriptural echoes, reflecting a worldview in which Jews remain central to God's historical drama rather than a superseded people. This helps explain his “live and let live” stance toward religious difference at a time when some ministers were moving toward more exclusionary theologies. Our conversation touched on Lincoln's reference to Haman from the Book of Esther in a letter to Joshua Speed. In an age of deep biblical literacy, Haman was a recognizable symbol of evil, later applied by some Jews to Grant after General Orders No. 11. Sarna also recounted the visit of a self-proclaimed prophet named Monk, who asked Lincoln to endorse a plan to “free the Jews” worldwide. Lincoln's witty, biblically informed response (from the book of Joel) both acknowledged Jewish suffering abroad and rejected the idea of a special “Jewish problem” in the United States. We also explored how 19th-century debates over the Mortara affair in Italy—where a secretly baptized Jewish child was taken from his parents by papal authorities—intersected with American slavery. President Buchanan's refusal to condemn Rome, Sarna noted, reflected fears that criticizing Church-sanctioned child removal could invite scrutiny of the United States' own separation of enslaved families. Lincoln and the Jews ultimately invites us to place Jews back into the center of the American story. Lincoln's friendships, his Hebrew Bible–shaped imagination, and his commitment to equality created a landscape in which Jews were not an abstract “question,” but neighbors and citizens. To understand Lincoln fully, Sarna suggests, we must see the Jews who walked beside him—and to understand American Jewish history, we must see how deeply it is entwined with Lincoln's moral and political world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies

In this expanded edition to a groundbreaking work, now in paperback, Lincoln and the Jews: A History (NYU Press, 2025), Jonathan D. Sarna and Benjamin Shapell reveal how Abraham Lincoln's unprecedentedly inclusive relationship with American Jews broadened him as president, and, as a result, broadened America. A conversation with Professor Jonathan D. Sarna. Co-authored with collector and scholar Benjamin Shapell, the book began as a lush coffee-table volume built around Shapell's remarkable Civil War–era collection: letters, photographs, and documents that reveal Lincoln's Jewish connections in real time. It has since been reissued in paperback by NYU Press, making it far easier to teach, carry, and assign. The shift mirrors the project's purpose: from a beautiful artifact to a working tool for rethinking Lincoln's world. Sarna stresses that Lincoln didn't “know Jews” in the abstract; he knew particular Jews who mattered. Abraham Jonas, an early ally, saw Lincoln as presidential material and encouraged the Republican Party to build a coalition of “outsiders,” explicitly including Jews. Lincoln also developed ties with German-speaking Jewish “48ers,” refugees of the failed 1848 revolutions who brought democratic ideals and anti-slavery commitments. Even in Illinois, Lincoln's visits to Jewish clothing stores signaled a new kind of everyday encounter between Americans and Jewish merchants. The book opens with a table of concentric circles of relationships between Lincoln and the Jews. Equally important is Lincoln's religious formation. Raised in a Protestant culture steeped in the Hebrew Bible and divine providence, he drew heavily on biblical language. His letters and speeches are studded with scriptural echoes, reflecting a worldview in which Jews remain central to God's historical drama rather than a superseded people. This helps explain his “live and let live” stance toward religious difference at a time when some ministers were moving toward more exclusionary theologies. Our conversation touched on Lincoln's reference to Haman from the Book of Esther in a letter to Joshua Speed. In an age of deep biblical literacy, Haman was a recognizable symbol of evil, later applied by some Jews to Grant after General Orders No. 11. Sarna also recounted the visit of a self-proclaimed prophet named Monk, who asked Lincoln to endorse a plan to “free the Jews” worldwide. Lincoln's witty, biblically informed response (from the book of Joel) both acknowledged Jewish suffering abroad and rejected the idea of a special “Jewish problem” in the United States. We also explored how 19th-century debates over the Mortara affair in Italy—where a secretly baptized Jewish child was taken from his parents by papal authorities—intersected with American slavery. President Buchanan's refusal to condemn Rome, Sarna noted, reflected fears that criticizing Church-sanctioned child removal could invite scrutiny of the United States' own separation of enslaved families. Lincoln and the Jews ultimately invites us to place Jews back into the center of the American story. Lincoln's friendships, his Hebrew Bible–shaped imagination, and his commitment to equality created a landscape in which Jews were not an abstract “question,” but neighbors and citizens. To understand Lincoln fully, Sarna suggests, we must see the Jews who walked beside him—and to understand American Jewish history, we must see how deeply it is entwined with Lincoln's moral and political world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

In this expanded edition to a groundbreaking work, now in paperback, Lincoln and the Jews: A History (NYU Press, 2025), Jonathan D. Sarna and Benjamin Shapell reveal how Abraham Lincoln's unprecedentedly inclusive relationship with American Jews broadened him as president, and, as a result, broadened America. A conversation with Professor Jonathan D. Sarna. Co-authored with collector and scholar Benjamin Shapell, the book began as a lush coffee-table volume built around Shapell's remarkable Civil War–era collection: letters, photographs, and documents that reveal Lincoln's Jewish connections in real time. It has since been reissued in paperback by NYU Press, making it far easier to teach, carry, and assign. The shift mirrors the project's purpose: from a beautiful artifact to a working tool for rethinking Lincoln's world. Sarna stresses that Lincoln didn't “know Jews” in the abstract; he knew particular Jews who mattered. Abraham Jonas, an early ally, saw Lincoln as presidential material and encouraged the Republican Party to build a coalition of “outsiders,” explicitly including Jews. Lincoln also developed ties with German-speaking Jewish “48ers,” refugees of the failed 1848 revolutions who brought democratic ideals and anti-slavery commitments. Even in Illinois, Lincoln's visits to Jewish clothing stores signaled a new kind of everyday encounter between Americans and Jewish merchants. The book opens with a table of concentric circles of relationships between Lincoln and the Jews. Equally important is Lincoln's religious formation. Raised in a Protestant culture steeped in the Hebrew Bible and divine providence, he drew heavily on biblical language. His letters and speeches are studded with scriptural echoes, reflecting a worldview in which Jews remain central to God's historical drama rather than a superseded people. This helps explain his “live and let live” stance toward religious difference at a time when some ministers were moving toward more exclusionary theologies. Our conversation touched on Lincoln's reference to Haman from the Book of Esther in a letter to Joshua Speed. In an age of deep biblical literacy, Haman was a recognizable symbol of evil, later applied by some Jews to Grant after General Orders No. 11. Sarna also recounted the visit of a self-proclaimed prophet named Monk, who asked Lincoln to endorse a plan to “free the Jews” worldwide. Lincoln's witty, biblically informed response (from the book of Joel) both acknowledged Jewish suffering abroad and rejected the idea of a special “Jewish problem” in the United States. We also explored how 19th-century debates over the Mortara affair in Italy—where a secretly baptized Jewish child was taken from his parents by papal authorities—intersected with American slavery. President Buchanan's refusal to condemn Rome, Sarna noted, reflected fears that criticizing Church-sanctioned child removal could invite scrutiny of the United States' own separation of enslaved families. Lincoln and the Jews ultimately invites us to place Jews back into the center of the American story. Lincoln's friendships, his Hebrew Bible–shaped imagination, and his commitment to equality created a landscape in which Jews were not an abstract “question,” but neighbors and citizens. To understand Lincoln fully, Sarna suggests, we must see the Jews who walked beside him—and to understand American Jewish history, we must see how deeply it is entwined with Lincoln's moral and political world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/religion

Robert Siegel examines American antisemitism today with leaders in Jewish advocacy, history and public service.  With Abraham Foxman, Jonathan D. Sarna and Rabbi David Saperstein, in a program of the AFRMC.

Jonathan D. Sarna, author of "When General Grant Expelled the Jews (Jewish Encounters Series)"

Jonathan D. Sarna, author of "When General Grant Expelled the Jews (Jewish Encounters Series)"

Jonathan D. Sarna, author of "When General Grant Expelled the Jews (Jewish Encounters Series)"

Jonathan D. Sarna, author of "When General Grant Expelled the Jews (Jewish Encounters Series)"

Jonathan D. Sarna, author of When General Grant Expelled the Jews (Jewish Encounters Series)

Jonathan D. Sarna, author of When General Grant Expelled the Jews (Jewish Encounters Series)

Book review 4 of 5

This series is sponsored by Ari and Danielle Schwartz in memory of Danielle's grandfather, Mr. Baruch Mappa, Baruch Ben Asher Zelig HaLevi.In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak to Michael A. Helfand, a Pepperdine Law professor specializing in religious liberty, about the meaning of the First Amendment as it relates to the funding of religious schools.With education so deeply essential to the modern Jewish community, we are confronted with the high cost of private schooling. In America, is the government able to step in and help? Should it? Why doesn't the government fully fund religious schools?What is the “Lemon test”?Does “separation of the church and state” mean the government cannot support any religious institution, or only that it must support all religious institutions equally?Tune in to hear a conversation about the history and status of religious schools in American law.Interview begins at 9:58.Professor Michael Helfand is an expert on religious law and religious liberty. A frequent author and lecturer, his work considers how U.S. law treats religious law, custom and practice, focusing on the intersection of private law and religion in contexts such as religious arbitration, religious contracts and religious torts. He is currently an associate professor at Pepperdine University School of Law and co-director of Pepperdine University's Diane and Guilford Glazer Institute for Jewish Studies. He received his J.D. from Yale Law School and his Ph.D. in Political Science from Yale University. Professor Helfand is an executive board member of the Beth Din of America, where he serves as a consultant on the enforceability of rabbinical arbitration agreements and awards in U.S. courts.References:The New American Judaism by Jack Wertheimer“Remembering Rabbi Norman Lamm” by Michael A. HelfandTo Build a Wall by Gregg IversReligion and State in the American Jewish Experience by Jonathan D. Sarna and David G. Dalin

New Perspectives in American Jewish History: A Documentary Tribute to Jonathan D. Sarna (Brandeis UP, 2021) is a collection of annotated primary sources in the field of American Jewish History. Professors Raider and Zola, in cooperation of most of Professor Jonathan Sarna's doctoral students from over the years, have assembled a vast treasury of sources from as early as 1774 and as late as 2019, including a contribution from Jonathan Sarna. This book is a wonderful resource for anyone wishing insight into the development of Jewish life in the United States and an essential tool for any class concerning American Jewish history. In this interview I speak with Dr. Sarna and Dr. Zola. Jonathan D. Sarna is the Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History in the department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and director of the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies at Brandeis University Gary Phillip Zola is the Executive Director of The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives (AJA) and the Edward M. Ackerman Family Distinguished Professor of the American Jewish Experience & Reform Jewish History at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR). Mark A. Raider (not on the recording) is professor of modern Jewish History in the Department of History and director of the Center for Studies in Jewish Education and Culture in the University of Cincinnati. Phil Cohen is a rabbi in Columbia, MO. He's also the author of Nick Bones Underground. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

New Perspectives in American Jewish History: A Documentary Tribute to Jonathan D. Sarna (Brandeis UP, 2021) is a collection of annotated primary sources in the field of American Jewish History. Professors Raider and Zola, in cooperation of most of Professor Jonathan Sarna's doctoral students from over the years, have assembled a vast treasury of sources from as early as 1774 and as late as 2019, including a contribution from Jonathan Sarna. This book is a wonderful resource for anyone wishing insight into the development of Jewish life in the United States and an essential tool for any class concerning American Jewish history. In this interview I speak with Dr. Sarna and Dr. Zola. Jonathan D. Sarna is the Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History in the department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and director of the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies at Brandeis University Gary Phillip Zola is the Executive Director of The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives (AJA) and the Edward M. Ackerman Family Distinguished Professor of the American Jewish Experience & Reform Jewish History at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR). Mark A. Raider (not on the recording) is professor of modern Jewish History in the Department of History and director of the Center for Studies in Jewish Education and Culture in the University of Cincinnati. Phil Cohen is a rabbi in Columbia, MO. He's also the author of Nick Bones Underground. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies

New Perspectives in American Jewish History: A Documentary Tribute to Jonathan D. Sarna (Brandeis UP, 2021) is a collection of annotated primary sources in the field of American Jewish History. Professors Raider and Zola, in cooperation of most of Professor Jonathan Sarna's doctoral students from over the years, have assembled a vast treasury of sources from as early as 1774 and as late as 2019, including a contribution from Jonathan Sarna. This book is a wonderful resource for anyone wishing insight into the development of Jewish life in the United States and an essential tool for any class concerning American Jewish history. In this interview I speak with Dr. Sarna and Dr. Zola. Jonathan D. Sarna is the Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History in the department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and director of the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies at Brandeis University Gary Phillip Zola is the Executive Director of The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives (AJA) and the Edward M. Ackerman Family Distinguished Professor of the American Jewish Experience & Reform Jewish History at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR). Mark A. Raider (not on the recording) is professor of modern Jewish History in the Department of History and director of the Center for Studies in Jewish Education and Culture in the University of Cincinnati. Phil Cohen is a rabbi in Columbia, MO. He's also the author of Nick Bones Underground. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

In this episode, Natalia, Niki, and Neil discuss the history of cookbooks and the question of recipes as intellectual property. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:  As online recipes and cookbooks become big business, issues of plagiarism and copyright are becoming more common. Natalia referred to Helen Zoe Veit's Smithsonian article and larger body of work and, along with Niki, to this history of cookbooks in the Atlantic.    In our regular closing feature, What's Making History: Natalia recommended Amanda Mull's Atlantic article, “Peloton Is Stuck, Just Like the Rest of Us.” Neil discussed Jonathan D. Sarna's Forward article, “How Hanukkah Came To The White House,” and his column at The Week, “The History and Gravity of Hanukkah In The White House.” Niki shared her latest column for CNN, “Marcus Lamb's Career and Anti-Vax Message Speak to Power of Christian Broadcasters.”

Tension and compatibility in the long story of our Jewish and American identities. Dr. Jonathan D. Sarna is University Professor and Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History at Brandeis University, where he directs the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies. He also chairs the Academic Advisory and Editorial Board of the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives in Cincinnati and serves as Chief Historian of the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia. Author or editor of more than thirty books on American Jewish history and life, Dr. Sarna's American Judaism: A History (Yale 2004), recently published in a second edition, won six awards including the 2004 “Everett Jewish Book of the Year Award” from the Jewish Book Council. His most recent books are (with Benjamin Shapell) Lincoln and the Jews: A History (St. Martin's, 2015), and When General Grant Expelled the Jews (Schocken/Nextbook, 2012). Sarna's annotated edition of Cora Wilburn's previously unknown 1860 novel, Cosella Wayne (University of Alabama Press), has also just appeared. Dr. Sarna is married to Professor Ruth Langer and they have two married children.

00:00 Nationalism 02:00 Jonathan D. Sarna, "White Supremacy and Anti-Semitism: Lessons from the Capitol Attack," 1/13/2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SC_ZHXCqpb4 03:00 Dooovid joins 06:00 The Turner Diaries, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Turner_Diaries 25:00 Why Sharpshooters Are Training Orthodox Jews In USA Countryside, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkfWQ7e-iRs 42:00 Stalin's Jews, https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3342999,00.html 45:00 'Homegrown insurgency': General McChrystal compares MAGA rioters to Al-Qaeda - saying they also followed a 'powerful leader' - and claims that 'Stop the Steal' is a rallying cry like the Lost Cause was after the Civil War, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9154623/General-McChrystal-compares-MAGA-riot-evolution-Al-Qaeda.html 59:00 Avodah Zarah 17a: A farting prostitute and recovery from an addiction, http://talmudictreasures.blogspot.com/2014/03/avodah-zarah-17a-farting-prostitute-and.html 1:27:00 Health Professionals Hope Hank Aaron's Death Won't Deter People From Getting Vaccinated, https://www.newsweek.com/health-experts-hope-hank-aarons-death-doesnt-deter-people-covid-vaccine-1563914 1:43:00 Some Pretty Good Vaccine News Out of Israel, https://www.unz.com/isteve/some-pretty-good-news-out-of-israel-about-vaccines/ 2:10:00 Richard Spencer, Hunter Wallace talk about the Biden restoration, https://www.spreaker.com/user/altright/biden-restoration 2:12:00 Vox Day went down the QANON rabbit hole 3:06:00 Babylonian Hebrew joins 3:19:00 Katboy Kami on the importance of good looks for spreading a message 3:22:00 Lionel on self-hating whites 3:25:00 Nick Fuentes 3:37:00 Vaush: Cringing HARD at Styxhexenhammer's Bizarre Inauguration Day Video https://trovo.live/lukeford https://rumble.com/lukeford 90% of my livestreaming is here exclusively: https://dlive.tv/lukefordlivestreams Listener Call In #: 1-310-997-4596 Superchat: https://entropystream.live/app/lukefordlive Bitchute: https://www.bitchute.com/channel/lukeford/ Soundcloud MP3s: https://soundcloud.com/luke-ford-666431593 Code of Conduct: https://lukeford.net/blog/?p=125692 https://www.patreon.com/lukeford http://lukeford.net Email me: lukeisback@gmail.com or DM me on Twitter.com/lukeford Support the show | https://www.streamlabs.com/lukeford, https://patreon.com/lukeford, https://PayPal.Me/lukeisback Facebook: http://facebook.com/lukecford

Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz, President & Dean of Valley Beit Midrash interviews Professor Jonathan D. Sarna, Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History at Brandeis University on the topic of "The Rise of Anti-Semitism in America." DONATE: http://www.bit.ly/1NmpbsP For podcasts of VBM lectures, GO HERE: https://www.valleybeitmidrash.org/learning-library https://www.facebook.com/valleybeitmidrash https://www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz

The JTS Commentary for Parashat Lekh Lekha by Professor Jonathan D. Sarna of Brandeis University.

The JTS Commentary for Parashat Lekh Lekha by Professor Jonathan D. Sarna of Brandeis University.

This Sunday is the birthday of the iconic 16th American President and it turns out that Abraham Lincoln was in fact a pretty good friend of the Jews (at a time when it wasn't necessarily so popular to befriend the “Hebrews”). Abraham Jonas, who the president himself described as his “most valued friend”, was first to advise Lincoln to run for president. Issachar Zacherie, foot-doctor and spy, alleviated many a pains on Lincoln's feet but also helped the president secure his second election. These, and many others, are a testament to the important relationship between Lincoln and the American Jewish community. In celebration of Lincoln's 208th birthday, Two Nice Jewish Boys visited the Giv'at Ram campus of the Hebrew University for a special episode with Professor Jonathan Sarna. Professor Sarna's newest book “Lincoln and the Jews” is a fascinating biography examining the former president's close ties with the Jews of his time. The historical narrative is accompanied by Benjamin Shapell's vast and gripping collection of rare documents and photographs which really transport the reader in a way that few historical non-fiction books manage to do. Tune into our latest episode to hear about all this and more.

Jewish leaders used to insist that there was no such thing as "Jewish politics” in the United States: it does not exist and should not exist. The historical record going all the way back to Abraham Lincoln paints a different picture. Focusing on presidential elections, this lecture will survey Jewish politics in the United States from the Civil War to the present. Prof. Jonathan D. Sarna is spending this year as a fellow of the Israel Institute for Advanced Studies at the Hebrew University. Ordinarily, he serves as University Professor and the Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History at Brandeis University, where he chairs its Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program. He also is the past president of the Association for Jewish Studies and Chief Historian of the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia.

Valley Beit Midrash presents Professor Jonathan D. Sarna's (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Sarna)lecture entitled "Lincoln & The Jews." Professor Sarna is the Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History in the department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies at Brandeis University. Learn more about Professor Sarna's work HERE: http://bit.ly/1O9c25g DONATE: http://bit.ly/1NmpbsP The book that inspired this podcast can be purchased HERE: http://amzn.to/1OZOmAp To learn more about Valley Beit Midrash and our upcoming events, and to hear more podcasts, please visit www.ValleyBeitMidrash.org

1st Hour guest: Jonathan D. Sarna, author of "When General Grant Expelled the Jews" discusses General Ulysses S. Grant's Civil War era issued General Order 11 expelling all Jews from his region to avoid smuggling and how as President, Grant placed a great deal of effort atoning for his actions. 2nd hour guest: David Rubin, former Mayor of Shiloh, Israel and head of the Shiloh, Israel Children's Fund discusses the aftermath of the recent war against Hamas in Israel.

11 October, 2013 Professor Jonathan D. Sarna by Congregation Emanu-El

Award-winning historian Jonathan D. Sarna's newest book, "When Grant Expelled the Jews," gives a riveting account of General Ulysses S. Grant's decision, in the middle of the Civil War, to order the expulsion of all Jews from the territory under his command. The book gives the first complete account of this little-known episode in American history - including Grant's subsequent apology, his groundbreaking appointment of Jews to prominent positions in his administration, and his unprecedented visit to the land of Israel.

Award-winning historian Jonathan D. Sarna's newest book, "When Grant Expelled the Jews," gives a riveting account of General Ulysses S. Grant's decision, in the middle of the Civil War, to order the expulsion of all Jews from the territory under his command. The book gives the first complete account of this little-known episode in American history - including Grant's subsequent apology, his groundbreaking appointment of Jews to prominent positions in his administration, and his unprecedented visit to the land of Israel.

Jonathan D. Sarna, Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History at Brandeis University, discusses his new critically-acclaimed book, "American Judaism: A History." While American Jews have always worried about intermarriage, assimilation and continuity, Sarna argues that they have found answers in regeneration, revitalization and renewal. Sarna's talk entitled The Future of American Judaism was given as part of the 350th Commemoration of Jewish Life in America and was sponsored by the Herman P. and Sophia Taubman Endowed Symposia in Jewish Studies. Series: "Taubman Symposia in Jewish Studies" [Humanities] [Show ID: 11070]

Jonathan D. Sarna, Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History at Brandeis University, discusses his new critically-acclaimed book, "American Judaism: A History." While American Jews have always worried about intermarriage, assimilation and continuity, Sarna argues that they have found answers in regeneration, revitalization and renewal. Sarna's talk entitled The Future of American Judaism was given as part of the 350th Commemoration of Jewish Life in America and was sponsored by the Herman P. and Sophia Taubman Endowed Symposia in Jewish Studies. Series: "Taubman Symposia in Jewish Studies" [Humanities] [Show ID: 11070]

Jonathan D. Sarna, Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History at Brandeis University, discusses his new critically-acclaimed book, "American Judaism: A History." While American Jews have always worried about intermarriage, assimilation and continuity, Sarna argues that they have found answers in regeneration, revitalization and renewal. Sarna's talk entitled The Future of American Judaism was given as part of the 350th Commemoration of Jewish Life in America and was sponsored by the Herman P. and Sophia Taubman Endowed Symposia in Jewish Studies. Series: "Taubman Symposia in Jewish Studies" [Humanities] [Show ID: 11070]