For hundreds of years, while Cuba was a Spanish territory, its Jewish people could not practice their religion. That changed after the Spanish-American War. For almost 60 years, changing patterns of Jewish migration resulted in a community rich in spiritual and cultural traditions. The coming of Fidel Castro to power in 1959 caused yet another …
Continue reading FPL12022 – La Communidad: The Jewish Community from Cuba to Miami

Acting on the premise of the proverb ÒWhere no counsel is, the people fall, but in the multitude of counselors there is safety,Ó the Mossad (IsraelÕs Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations) is celebrated as one of the most successful intelligence agencies in the world. Known for intelligence collection, covert operations, and counterterrorism, the Mossad …
Continue reading FPL12071 – The Mossad

On January 5, 1895, a shocking spectacle took place in the courtyard of the Parisian Ecole Militaire. Alfred Dreyfus, a young Jewish officer who had been court-martialed for allegedly passing military secrets to the Germans, was publicly humiliated, degraded and denounced in front of crowds shouting ÒDeath to the traitor!Ó and ÒDeath to the Jew!Ó …
Continue reading FPL12082 – The Dreyfus Affair: What Really Happened?

Masada is an ancient fortification located about 80 miles southeast of Jerusalem, overlooking the Dead Sea. Situated on top of an isolated rock plateau, it is one of Israel's most popular tourist attractions. Tour guides tell visitors that the final confrontation of the First JewishÐRoman War (66 Ð 73 CE) took place there when Roman …
Continue reading FPL12092 – What Really Happened at Masada?

This lecture examines the anti-Semitism and persecution that led to Nazi Germany's attempts to exterminate Germany's/Europe's Jewish population systematically. Focusing on the events from the Nazi accession to power in 1933 (Machtergreifung) to a date that will forever live in infamy, the night of November 9, 1938, Kristallnacht. November 9, 1938, is widely seen as …
Continue reading FPL12093 – Antisemitism in Germany: From “Machtergreifung” to the “Night of Broken Glass”

From the immigrant enclaves of the Parisian suburbs to the drizzly bureaucratic city of Brussels to the industrial heartland of Germany, EuropeÕs old demon, anti-Semitism, has returned coming out of the shadows. Numerous anti-Semitic attacks have raised the alarm about how Europe is changing and whether it remains a safe place for Jews. How often …
Continue reading FPL12152 – Rising Anti-Semitism in Europe: Is History Repeating Itself Once Again?