Jewish History

History of Palestine – I'm a bit confused about the term "Palestine." Today everyone uses it to refer to Arabs, but my grandfather played in Palestine Symphony Orchestra which changed its name to the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra when the Jewish state came into being… More »
Hitler's Pope – I have heard many Jews blame the Holocaust partly on the silence of the Pope (and Catholics in general). Wasn't this silence just an effort to preserve their own lives in the face of the inevitable destruction by Hitler? Remember… More »
Is Gaza Jewish? – I had mixed feelings upon seeing the Jewish communities of Gaza and their 9,000 residents being uprooted in 2005. There was the hope of an improved security situation, but on the other hand it seems wrong to declare a region… More »
SEE MORE »

Jewish Exile

Ashkenazi vs Sephardic Jews: Their Differences & Origins – What are the main differences between Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews? Can you explain to me something about the difference between Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jewry? What exactly do those terms mean and what are the general differences between the two groups? More »
Marrano Heritage – My mother's family comes from a long line of Marranos, the "secret converts" who fled Portugal in the 15th century and went to South America. A year ago I embarked on a search for who I really am. For me,… More »
Ten Lost Tribes – Do you have any idea where the Ten Lost Tribes of the northern kingdom of Israel are today? Is anyone trying to find the descendants of these people? More »
SEE MORE »

Messiah & Redemption

Anointing and “The Anointed One” (Messiah) – When was anointing done in Biblical times? Is it still practiced today? More »
Awaiting the Messiah – Is there any obligation to await the Messiah’s arrival or to do anything to bring him? Or is the Messiah’s arrival just a general concept – something we know will one day occur but not really relevant to our everyday… More »
Burial in Israel – I see that many people fly a body to be buried in Israel. Is there a special merit to be buried there? I heard someone suggest that my deceased father, who is buried in the U.S., will suffer when the… More »
SEE MORE »

Archeology

Ancient versus Modern Hebrew Script – It’s known that the ancient Israelites wrote in a totally different script of Hebrew than the one used today. Wouldn’t the earlier one have been the original script of Hebrew – the one the Torah was given in? If so,… More »
Walkway to the Mount – From your Western Wall camera (http://www.aish.com/w/) I notice what appears to be a large covered walkway leading up the Temple Mount. Can you explain what that is? More »
Who was the Pharaoh of the Exodus? – I always had the impression that the Pharaoh of the Exodus was Ramesses II, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Does the Torah or Talmud shed any light on his identity? More »

Dating of Events

Calendar Discrepancy – I am fascinated by history, and in browsing your website's Western Wall Tunnel Tour (http://www.aish.com/sem/wtt/). I was surprised by the dates of various events in Jewish history. According to your timeline, King Solomon built the First Temple in 825 BCE.… More »
MOST POPULAR QUESTIONS
FacebookTwitterLinkedInPrintFriendlyShare
EXPLORE
LEARN
MORE
Explore
Learn
Resources
Next Steps
About
Donate
Menu
Languages
Menu
Social
.