Hagar’s Son: Jewish Life in Arab Lands from the Middle East to the Maghreb
In 1948 nearly 1 million Jews lived in Arab and Muslim lands, with indigenous communities stretching back millennia; today there are just over 7,000 Jews there. We will begin by exploring our Sages’ words about Ishmael and his offspring. We will examine the Quranic roots of Antisemitism to understand how these continue to shape Arab and Muslim attitudes today. We will investigate this history by looking at four communities, including the oldest, the most populous, the most damaged, and one that still has a sizeable Jewish presence.
Mondays, November 7-December 5
Hagar’s Son: Jewish Life in Arab Lands from the Middle East to the Maghreb: Lesson 1
Due to a scheduling mix-up this class took place on Monday October 31st. I apologize to all who missed it. You can listen to the recording of the class in the archives. I am uploading all relevant documents here for your perusal. Please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions. I look forward to meeting you all at our next class! The web link for the article about the Bali bomber is http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/10/13/9-years-later-kuta-bombings-remembered.html
Hagar’s Son: Jewish Life in Arab Lands from the Middle East to the Maghreb: Lesson 2
Some of you may have noticed that the class time is set for 2:00 a.m. You’ll be relieved to know that in fact, it is not scheduled for the middle of the night! Because WebYeshiva’s offices are in Israel, the default time-zone is Israel time. You can change the display time to reflect your time zone by clicking “change” in the box that reads “Times on this page are displayed for…” If you have any technical questions about settings on your page, please don’t hesitate to contact Ezra, our technical support person: [email protected]. I hope to see all of you on Monday, but if you cannot make it, don’t worry – the class will be recorded, and you can sign up and listen to the archives. ======= Due to the scheduling mix-up last week, this week’s lesson was a repeat of lesson one. Thanks for a great class. I appreciated all the input, comments, and questions! Attached you’ll find the readings we discussed as well as two maps I forgot to show this time around. I look forward to getting together next week.
Hagar’s Son: Jewish Life in Arab Lands from the Middle East to the Maghreb: Lesson 3
CANCELED I’m sorry about all the technical issues tonight! I have lots of fascinating info about the Jews of Iraq that I am looking forward to sharing. As soon as I hear from the central office I’ll let you know about rescheduling. I’ve attached the information we would have discussed so that you can look it over for next time. Have a great week.
Hagar’s Son: Jewish Life in Arab Lands from the Middle East to the Maghreb: Lesson 4
Here’s a website with some information about Iraqi Jews in the U.S. http://www.iraqijews.org/usa.html Here’s an interesting article about Jewish treasures rescued from Iraq – http://news.yahoo.com/tug-war-over-iraqi-jewish-trove-us-hands-152147312.html I look forward to ‘seeing you’ next week! Happy Thanksgiving 🙂
Hagar’s Son: Jewish Life in Arab Lands from the Middle East to the Maghreb: Lesson 5
Hi All, From the quick clicks I got, it looks like Morocco is the winner. Maybe I can squeeze in a quick note about the island of Djerba off of Tunisia — it’s a fascinating place and a fascinating history! You’ll find copies of the documents we looked at tonight, including the ‘missing’ timeline, which I found (!) as well as some other information we didn’t have time to share. I think you’ll find the resources list valuable, if you have the time to look at some of it. Chodesh Tov, may the month of Kislev bring light and joy into your life and into the lives of all of Israel!