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REVEALED: Dr. Eliezer Papo, Part I
This is part 1 of a 3-part conversation with Dr. Eliezer Papo, senior lecturer of Hebrew Literature at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Be’er Sheva, Israel. He serves as Chairman of the Moshe David Gaon Center for Ladino Culture and is the chief editor of El Prezente – Journal for Sephardic Studies. In this first episode, Dr. Papo unravels the story of the Jews in the period leading up to the expulsion of the Jews in Spain in 1492 and the advent of the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions.
REVEALED: Dr. Eliezer Papo, Part II
In this second part of a three-part interview, Dr. Papo continues to explore the world of Sephardic Jewish culture and Conversos, how Jewish, Spanish, and Portuguese cultures affected each other, and how Judaism, as practiced by Conversos in secret, was deeply affected by generations of living outwardly as Catholics.
REVEALED: Dr. Eliezer Papo, Part III
We concluded the last episode by discussing the distinctions between Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jewish traditions. Dr. Papo speaks about how Ashkenazi Jews ended up finding refuge in Sephardic synagogues. He also addresses the complex issues confronted by Conversos, who had great expectations coming to England with dreams of reverting to Judaism but confronted a reality that wasn’t nearly as welcoming as they expected.
REVEALED: Dr. Ariel Hessayon, Part I
Dr. Ariel Hessayon is an early modern historian who is a faculty member at Goldsmiths, University of London. Dr. Hessayon discusses the increasing number of pogroms directed against the Jews before their expulsion from England in 1290, and traces the history of the Jews in England up to and after their expulsion and details the events that led to their absence from England for over 350 years.
REVEALED: Dr. Ariel Hessayon, Part II
Dr. Hessayon explores the economic, social, and religious forces that led to Oliver Cromwell's re-admitting Jews to England in 1656 and the dynamic political forces that followed his death and King Charles II’s taking back the throne, all of which could have easily led to a second expulsion of the Jews from England.
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REVEALED: Dr. Jessica Roitman, Part I
Dr. Jessica Roitman is a Professor of Jewish Studies at the Vrije Universiteit: Amsterdam. She is a historian of early modern and modern Jewish History, and her research focuses on Jews and Jewish communities in the (Dutch) Caribbean. In this episode, Dr. Roitman explores the dynamics of the growing Amsterdam Jewish community in the 16th Century as New Christians, also known as Conversos, began finding refuge there and reverting to Judaism.
REVEALED: Dr. Jessica Roitman, Part II
Dr. Roitman delves into the growing role of Jews in trade in Europe and the Caribbean, and explores how economic pressures on the Jewish community of Amsterdam drove many Jews to depart seeking their fortunes in the New World.
Revealed: Dr. Diego Lucci, Part I
Dr. Diego Lucci is a professor at the American University in Bulgaria and has previously been a research fellow at the Institute of Historical Research at the University of London and the Maimonides Center for Advanced Studies at the University of Hamburg. His book on the Enlightenment debate on Jewish emancipation is an essential contribution to studying Jewish-Gentile relations in 18th-century Europe.
Revealed: Dr. Diego Lucci, Part II
Dr. Lucci, we explore the roots of antisemitism in early Christian thought and looks at how John Toland's writings completely changed the conversation around the equality of Jews in English and European culture.
Revealed: Michael Thurmond, Part I
Michael Thurmond, the chief executive officer of DeKalb County, Georgia, is the author of James Oglethorpe, Father of Georgia, Freedom: Georgia’s Antislavery Heritage, 1733–1865, and A Story Untold: Black Men and Women in Athens History. Thurmond explores the foundation of the Georgia Colony and Oglethorpe’s increasing resistance to the institution of slavery.
REVEALED: Michael Thurmond, Part II
Michael Thurmond continues to explore the foundation of the Georgia Colony and Oglethorpe’s increasing resistance to the institution of slavery and how he became part of the movement to abolish slavery after his departure from the Georgia Colony.
REVEALED: The Team Behind the Scenes
As we wrap up the first season of our show, we thought it would be informative and exciting for you, our listeners, to peek behind the scenes of Flames of Freedom and hear from our creative team as they discuss their approach to this critical chapter of American and Jewish history. We’ll also hear from many of the actors from our ensemble cast. It turns out they, too, have an interesting backstory and relationship to the characters and plotlines of Flames of Freedom.
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