by Rabbi Ken Spiro

The Crusaders came to liberate the Holy Land from the "infidels" - and woe to any Jew who stood in their way.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

Spain was the Medieval golden land of opportunity for Jews.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

The oldest and most stable of Jewish communities was spared the ravages of holy warriors.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

Mohammed reacted with anger when Jews refused to recognize him as the last of the prophets.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

Early Christianity attracted those unwilling to take on all of Judaism's precepts.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

At a time of cruel oppression, splinter sects spring up in belief that the apocalypse is at hand.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

In a time of chaos, the sages do the unprecedented and write down the Oral Law.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

The Romans sought to extinguish Jewish presence in Jerusalem by renaming Israel to Palestine.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

Despite the disastrous results of the Great Revolt, the Jews revolt yet again.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

Two thousand years of Jewish history at a glance.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

On the saddest day in the Jewish calendar, the 9th of Av, the Temple burns to the ground.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

The Jewish nation fights to save its spiritual center.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

In a seemingly suicidal move, the Jews take on the mighty Romans.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

In a time when many things were going wrong for the Jews, the sages Hillel and Shammai defined what was going right.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

A madman who murdered his own family and many rabbis, Herod was also the greatest builder in Jewish history.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

Jewish tradition maintains the Romans were descendants of Esau, the bloodthirsty brother of Jacob.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

The Jewish revolt against the Greeks sets a precedent as the world's first religious war.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

Terror reigned -- women were killed with babies tied around their necks.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

Jerusalem is at the center of the Arab-Israeli conflict. What are the spiritual, historical and political claims – from both sides?

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

Jewish thought heavily influenced the Founding Fathers and the fledgling United States.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

The heavily Bible-influenced Puritans bring the Word to the New World.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

The printing press spreads the word. The Reformation seizes the Church and spreads to Western governments.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

The Bible is the best selling book in human history. Its moral, spiritual and even political impact has been profound and unmistakable. How did that come to be?

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

To the Greeks, what was beautiful was holy; to the Jews, what was holy was beautiful. These views were bound to clash.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

Extraordinary sages define the essence of Judaism for the Jews of Israel and the Diaspora.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

The Holy Temple is rebuilt, but is not the same with the Ark of the Covenant missing.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

A feast celebrating God's abandonment of Israel puts into motion Haman's plot to annihilate the Jews.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

Another feast celebrating God's abandonment of Israel puts in motion a plot to annihilate the Jews.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

The Babylonians think God has abandoned the Jews and celebrate. But they have a surprise coming.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

The Kingdom of Judah lasts another of 134 years before it falls.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

The Assyrians conquer northern Israel and vanquish the nation with exile.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

The 10 northern tribes secede, splitting Israel in two.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

Who was King Solomon? When did he live? What was he famous for? Read on to learn more.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

King David established Jerusalem as Israel's capital over 3,000 years ago.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

Still too young to fight in the army, David becomes Israel's champion when he slays Goliath.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

King Saul was a great man who committed one terrible mistake, dooming his reign from the start.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

Jewish guidance came from the "judges," who were both warriors and prophets.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

This is no typical war of conquest.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

Every major disaster in Jewish history is connected to the 9th of Av. It all began with the 12 spies.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

Only a tiny portion of Jews participate in worshiping the golden calf. So why blame the whole nation?

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

The encounter between God and the Jews at Mount Sinai was a totally event in all of human history.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

In an all-time irony, Moses the savior of the Jewish people is raised in the house of the enemy of the Jews.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

To remedy the family animosity, Joseph sets the stage for a great test.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

Joseph demonstrates a classic pattern: The Jew arrives impoverished, works hard, and rises to the top.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

History repeats: The groove that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob carve will be for their descendants.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

God gave Abraham the Land of Israel as a laboratory to create a model nation for the world.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

Abraham gave rise to a nation of Hebrews -- people who live "on the other side."

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

By understanding the character of Abraham, the "proto-Jew", one can understand what Jews are all about.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

An enormous amount of information in the Bible has been borne out by archeology, through indirect or circumstantial evidence.

by Rabbi Ken Spiro

Jewish history teaches not only to avoid past mistakes, but to understand where destiny is leading us.