Jewish history

Discover how Jews risked their lives to preserve siddurim, High Holiday machzorim, and Passover Haggadot in Nazi camps, Soviet prisons, and hiding places, leaving behind extraordinary testimonies of faith, courage, and spiritual resilience

From a father’s curious blessing to a boy’s first tefillin and the modern bat mitzvah debate, the Jewish coming-of-age celebration has a history as varied as the communities that observe it.

Discover the fascinating history of the Jewish siddur, from handwritten prayer books to the first printed editions in 1486 and the traditions we follow today.

Discover the life and legacy of Haggai, one of Judaism's last prophets, whose powerful message inspired the rebuilding of the Second Temple in Jerusalem.

The origins of hafrashat challah, the evolution of the Shabbat loaf, and how an ancient kitchen ritual became a worldwide expression of Jewish identity and prayer.

Could ancient inscriptions hold clues about Abraham? Explore discoveries in Iraq and Egypt, along with historical traditions preserved for thousands of years.

A familiar Jewish prayer for foreign rulers may have carried more than one meaning. Discover its origins and the biblical verses that reveal a deeper story.

Laura Henley Harrison has been accepted into an international Jewish heritage preservation programme, and now she must learn the Hebrew alphabet. Behind this small task lies a big story: Jewish communities that lived among the ports and industrial towns of Wales, and a heritage that dedicated people are trying to preserve for future generations

How did Jews pray before siddurim were widely available? Discover the fascinating history of the 750-year-old Worms Machzor and its remarkable survival.

What does history reveal about the War of the Four Kings in the Torah? Explore ancient kingdoms, archaeological clues, and Abraham's remarkable battle.

Decades before Theodor Herzl, Rabbi Yehuda Alkalai envisioned a Jewish homeland. Discover his remarkable plans and surprising connection to Herzl's family.

From the Mishkan to Roman royalty, explore the fascinating history of purple dye and the painstaking process that made it a symbol of wealth.

Who hid 100 prophets from Jezebel? Obadiah, who worked inside King Ahab’s palace and secretly saved them. 9 facts about this remarkable prophet.

Pompeii was buried by Mount Vesuvius and rediscovered centuries later. Its ruins reveal a society steeped in corruption and immorality, with a surprising reference to Sodom and Gomorrah.

What was Jewish life like across the 14th-century world? Ibn Battuta’s famous travel account preserves fascinating glimpses of Jewish doctors, travelers, interpreters, and communities.

Jerusalem’s sages called him the “Saba Kaddisha.” Discover the extraordinary life, remarkable memory, and fearless independence of Rabbi Shlomo Eliezer Alfandari.