4. The Jews of Al-Andalus Part I (The History of Sephardic Jewry)

[@dcguy3]

I love your enthusiasm in this lecture. It's absolutely infectious. It reminds me why I find history so fun and why I want to be a history professor one day.

[@chigirl]

I take a trip around the world and through time through your lectures. Thank you for sharing this incredible history.

[@ConstantGardener-q9q]

How exciting! I’ve been waiting for your lectures on the Sephardic Jewry!

[@phinellahenderson745]

Hi Dr Abramson, Just a note not about Spain but Italy where I’m walking to Rome as a cultural itinerary. I noticed a large synagogue in Siena built in the eighteenth century and is now shut and being renovated. It’s in a classical style but without any identifying religious characteristics features in conformity with the law of the time. Then in a tiny medieval town to the south of Siena called Radicofani I was wandering around the silent dark alleys trying to find my way to the main street and to my hotel when I saw a sign to the Jewish quarter. I’d no time to explore this but found it interesting that there should be a presumably fairly significant Jewish community in such a small place. That having been said it is on the Via Francigena which is the ancient road to Rome so frequented by traders, dignitaries and pilgrims and therefore a good place to earn a living. Could be a research topic there. Apologies for posting on a non-Spanish topic.

[@charlesedwards5333]

Who wouldn’t want to study all day? Indeed!

[@SimmyKaplun]

Because after an hour of taking notes, your hands get kinda tired 😂

[@davidtyler3116]

Thank you once again Dr. Abramson! Excellent material!

[@charlesedwards5333]

Great stuff, that rare combination of fun and edifying

[@skegeles]

Thank you for this lecture. I visited Spain recently and learned about the "golden age", but I wondered what that really meant. (I was skeptical). I'm so glad I stumbled across your videos some time ago. I enjoy your lectures very much, between your deep knowledge and sense of humor.

[@moraemepasikhani9153]

I really enjoyed learning this part of history.

[@HenryAbramsonPhD]

Me too!

[@chrisvilavelha]

@@HenryAbramsonPhD Dr Abramson, please google "THE FIRST SYNAGOGUE IN THE AMERICAS - ITAMARACÁ -1634" ....... It was called "Magen Abraham" and led by Rav Jacob Franquo Lagarto.

[@davidsavage6324]

On the 1/3 Christian, Muslim and Jewish demographics of Convivensia; I recently came across another fascinating demographic snapshots from a lecture on Jerome and secrets of Hebrew mentioned that 3rd century Eretz Yisrael had a 1/4 each Christian, Rabbinite, Samaritan and pagan demographic.

[@heatherkrasna5288]

Can you please link to the song you mentioned at 1:09:33?

[@dcguy3]

Must say, the thumbnail is amazing. It's like you're pulling us towards the knowledge

[@AxelMegaton]

Barukh KhaShem, Alaha d'Ashuraye o Hudaye Khaya Ekhad!

[@robertsidi5269]

the graphics up on the Prof’s screen don’t display well on my screen.

[@hagalhagal9989]

Dear Dr Abramson, In Malta we have a traditional kind of singing called Għana Spirtu Pront, which is this kind of the back and forth poetry that you describe. For example kzbin.info/www/bejne/d57ClXpjbcidarM I like folk music and have found our singing to be strikingly similar to the Spanish jotas. For example kzbin.info/www/bejne/hpqbf5Zqq7mpnc0 the music between 1:30 - 2:00. Though maybe it is more similar to the mutetti Calabrisi (Calabria - South Italy) kzbin.info/www/bejne/f6rSpmqIgs9rf9k. Though there is only 1 song in Calabria that I could find similar to ours so do not know whether in Calabria this is a genre or even traditional. Anyways, in Spain, there are also jotas called jota de picadillo in which a man and woman duke it out, so there is a similarity between Malta and Spain in this aspect as well (Apart from Malta being part of the Aragonese crown from the 14th century for a 250 year period and another 250 year period as a fief to Knights of Saint John). kzbin.info/www/bejne/oIjbYYasqK2hqc0 It would be interesting to establish whether our Maltese folk singing would be a vestige of this Arabic Jewish poetry that you speak of in this series.

[@0THEDUDE666]

שלום ד"ר אברמסון, תודה על ההרצאה. בנוגע לשירי מלחמה בעברית יש גם את השיר 'יום הדין يوم الحساب' ממלחמת יום כיפור שמחזיק טון דומה בהתאמה לתקופה של שירת מלחמה בעברית. וכמובן גם בשירת המחתרות לא חסר ביטוי לצורך היהודי באלימות להגנה והתקפה על אויב

[@charlesedwards5333]

It hurts to read about professions of Jewish martial heroism as new. I guess it’s true but it reminds me of of Jabotinsty’s ‘here we are effiminate’ - a sort of conditional self hate. In any event, in Shum in 1095 were we armed and we fought in numbers , ourselves and wity the ‘Bishop’s men.’ Someone asked the Rebbe why there wasn’t more resistance in the murder of European Jewry. He said it’s a miracle that there was resistance at all. I think we have nothing to be ashamed of for trying to live as a tiny minority barred from arming ourselves. I think that the romantic current Jewish warrior mythology is an unfortunate necessity, like the teens with machine guns here. God bless them , everyone would take a bullet for me . But it’s not glamorous. It’s sad

[@idoben-yair429]

You seem to have missed combative artworks from earlier Israeli wars, such as "זה יום הדין" and "מיצרי טיראן"

[@hagalhagal9989]

Dear Dr Abramson, What do you think of the dynamic between exilarch and caliph in Baghdad as described by Benjamin of Tudela in the 11th century? Do you have an opinion on AJ Deus article The Poisoned Qibla Arrows? kzbin.info/www/bejne/haiTn6ywqbBpsKMfeature=shared Thomas Alexander describes the Muslim takeover to be the anti-Trinitarian Arian Visigoth nobles asking the Muslims, (who at the time were also anti-Trinitarian Christians) for help against the Visigothic kings who were Trinitarian. kzbin.info/www/bejne/p4rRg4trZd5kkLMfeature=shared Your account of Abd al Rahman is really interesting, especially in light of the Arab Jewish alliance to take Jerusalem from the Byzantines as described by Odon Lafontaine (kzbin.info/www/bejne/hZ65lJmXdsR-hdUfeature=shared) . Thomas Alexander also describes Abd al Rahman to be at least of Christian background. Thanks for posting these lectures for free :)

[@lk1kl2lk3kl4lk5kl6lk]

not a cowardly little jew with quivering knees is also a reference from when menachem begin spoke to joe biden

[@ThomasBoyd-d7j]

Awesome thanks. Catholic church did have it problems in Ireland yes Thomas. Ireland dump it yes less. Ireland circular society Thomas. Better off with United Kingdom ITALY Republic and USA. Father Casey reflect his response as Catholic priest on his own merits.

[@ThomasBoyd-d7j]

@@esty6374 Not Irish Catholic. Got Bullied by Father Casey Cole Irish priest

[@ThomasBoyd-x3x]

British government in England London United Kingdom introduced stringent Budget October 30 by Labour government in England it honest politically Thomas. United Kingdom better nation politically it effectively England London Scotland. Awesome thanks.

[@ThomasBoyd-d7j]

If Tories had won British government Scotland been toast politically Thomas Noer Minghiner Italian told you truth well Labour party win 412 seata. Did vote Labour party yes you better off today.

[@racsem2735]

Why don't you instead talk about what the Christians did to the Jews starting with the 1st. crusaders all the way to A.Hitler. A cool One Thousand Years of T.L.C.

[@Tamar-sz8ox]

There is nothing new under the sun You know Kabbalah ? Allah ( Kabba + Allah )

[@ThomasBoyd-d7j]

Italy Republic have run it catholic church it separate from Italy Republic 🇮🇹 Thomas. Noer Minghiner Italian yes Jewish Israel Likud party Israel government. Vience Italy Republic yes Jewish Italians they super rich. Never teach it Scotland No. Scotland better than Ireland yes.

[@zdzislawmeglicki2262]

About the colour yellow… Judas is said to have betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, and silver is not yellow. Also, Jesus was not a founder of Christianity, St Paul was. Christianity is not so much by Jesus, as about Jesus. As far as we know Jesus ministry was just Judaism plus some apocalyptic messaging that was common at the time shared with other Jewish groups, e.g., Essenes, John the Baptizer, etc. Now, the question, what pigment did they use to colour their fabrics yellow, and what were the fabrics themselves (flax, cotton, silk, wool)? Where and by whom were the fabrics produced? How affordable were they?

[@AaronMiller-rh7rj]

The other Apostles were busy too. Paul said it was all about the messiah. A founder is one that initiates or brings about.

[@zdzislawmeglicki2262]

@@AaronMiller-rh7rj I think all other apostles, i.e., the real ones who genuinely knew and followed Jesus, centered around Jesus' brother, James the Just, and formed the spine of Nazarene and Ebionite communities that continued in separation from and in argument with Pauline Christianity until their gradual demise following the Bar Kokhba Revolt. Paul won because he pulled Christianity away from Judaism thus giving it life of its own.

[@AaronMiller-rh7rj]

@@zdzislawmeglicki2262 hello, from what i read the apostles and paul were in agreement. Someone definitely separated Judaism and Christianity but i don't see that it was paul; although paul understood that there was separation.

[@zdzislawmeglicki2262]

​@@AaronMiller-rh7rj Here is what Paul said in Galatians about the Incident at Antioch: "When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong." So, if there was an agreement between Paul and the apostles it must have been a particularly violent one.

[@AaronMiller-rh7rj]

@@zdzislawmeglicki2262 (no need to "debate" the new testament here) paul saw that peter's actions were incorrect according to the faith.

[@fortunatomartino8549]

The jews who opened the gates to allow Muslims to slaughter the Visgoths. Wonderful people. Crying forever people

[@RobertPentangelo]

Always the victim, never the victimizer.

[@YehudaRubin-c3j]

Ah yes, the perfectly innocent Visigoths...

[@SimmyKaplun]

Thanks for another libel, dear

[@thomassteger2777]

You’ve got to stop with the questions during the lecture. They are distracting and disruptive.

[@YehudaRubin-c3j]

This is a college course, given to a class of students. He’s doing a favor to the KZbin community by uploading his expertise. You should be more appreciative of that, and not criticize his efforts to make sure those in the room are prioritized.

[@yehoshuaarochas]

​@@YehudaRubin-c3j agreed! Questions also help clarify the material, allows discussions, and encourages thinking! It also gives breaks for note takers ;)

[@SimmyKaplun]

Excuse me, but during an hourlong lecture given to us, the college students, and not to you, we sometimes have a few questions and need some clarification. Thank you for understanding

[@yehoshuaarochas]

​@@SimmyKaplunagreed! Questions also help clarify the material, allows discussions, and encourages thinking! It also gives breaks for note takers ;)

[@SimmyKaplun]

@@yehoshuaarochas Thank you, Mr. Arush👍

[@charlesedwards5333]

It hurts to read about professions of Jewish martial heroism as new. I guess it’s true but it reminds me of of Jabotinsty’s ‘here we are effiminate’ - a sort of conditional self hate. In any event, in Shum in 1095 were we armed and we fought in numbers , ourselves and wity the ‘Bishop’s men.’ Someone asked the Rebbe why there wasn’t more resistance in the murder of European Jewry. He said it’s a miracle that there was resistance at all. I think we have nothing to be ashamed of for trying to live as a tiny minority barred from arming ourselves. I think that the romantic current Jewish warrior mythology is an unfortunate necessity, like the teens with machine guns here. God bless them , everyone would take a bullet for me . But it’s not glamorous. It’s sad