Jewish History Nerds

Latest Episodes:

Babatha: The Jewish Mom of Ancient Times Jan 19, 2023

Show notes

Jewish History Nerds is a Signal Awards finalist. Vote for us in Listener's Choice by Thu 15 Oct: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/individual-episodes/genre/history

We've talked this season about some biggggg characters. Josephus, Napoleon, Shabbetai Zvi. And this week, meet...Babatha. A wholly unremarkable woman, except for the world she opened up for us through the documents found in her abandoned handbag...2,000 years ago. This week, Schwab and Yael explore gender and rights, Roman bureaucracy and the many legal systems in 2nd century Judea, and the value of a good handbag.

Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media. We really want to hear from you.

This episode was hosted by Jonathan Schwab and Yael Steiner. Our education lead is Dr. Henry Abramson. Audio was edited by Rob Pera, and we’re produced by Rivky Stern.

For more on Babatha, and this episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DRc7Oerrjm5x8ehqsRgvklmEpKgc_sdZlPXCQQUVW8Y/edit?usp=sharing

Eternal Outsider: The Uriel D'Acosta Story Jan 12, 2023

Show notes

Jewish History Nerds is a Signal Awards finalist. Vote for us in Listener's Choice by Thu 15 Oct: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/individual-episodes/genre/history

Every community has its weirdos. And in 17th century Amsterdam, the Jewish community’s resident weirdo was Uriel D’Acosta: converso, refugee, passionate Jew, and… dangerous heretic?

Join Yael and Schwab as they explore D’Acosta’s controversial legacy — from his influence on Spinoza to his ostracism at the hands of the Dutch Jewish community. And decide for yourself: what lessons does the story of Uriel D’Acosta hold for us today?

Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media. We really want to hear from you.

This episode was hosted by Jonathan Schwab and Yael Steiner. Our education lead is Dr. Henry Abramson. Audio was edited by Rob Pera, and we’re produced by Rivky Stern.

For more on Uriel D'Acosta, and this episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1b8nfO04BDAFCm6eEHenktP_Na4PAwltXs8fqyOdtqSE/edit?usp=sharing

Saul/Paul of Tarsus: Nice Jewish Boy? Jan 05, 2023

Show notes

Jewish History Nerds is a Signal Awards finalist. Vote for us in Listener's Choice by Thu 15 Oct: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/individual-episodes/genre/history

How did a nice Jewish boy wind up a Christian apostle? Meet Saul/Paul of Tarsus, the man responsible for, well, Christianity.

Like Jesus, Saul was a Jew. But unlike Jesus, Saul preached a completely modified version of Judaism. A version that eventually transformed into the Christianity we know today.

Yael and Schwab ask, why are we talking about Christianity on a Jewish history podcast? When did Christianity become a distinct religion from Judaism? And why should Jews care about early Christian history?

Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media. We really want to hear from you.

This episode was hosted by Jonathan Schwab and Yael Steiner. Our education lead is Dr. Henry Abramson. Audio was edited by Rob Pera, and we’re produced by Rivky Stern.

For more on Saul/Paul and this episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1e-kVcuC8LCk1shuVXoetZevMwTCq5rggcKlzUvrVGcw/edit?usp=sharing

Holy Fire: Voices of the Warsaw Ghetto Dec 29, 2022

Show notes

Jewish History Nerds is a Signal Awards finalist. Vote for us in Listener's Choice by Thu 15 Oct: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/individual-episodes/genre/history

In December of 1950, a construction worker happened upon a cache of old milk tins buried in the Warsaw Ghetto, the contents of which upended our understanding of the Holocaust.

The tins held the second of three caches of the Oneg Shabbos archives: a collection by ordinary people turned archivists who risked their lives to preserve the darkest moment of Jewish history. Among the photographs and diary entries, concert tickets and poems, lay the collected sermons of Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Shapira, also known as the Piaseczno Rebbe. In this episode, Yael and Schwab ask, what can we learn from Rabbi Shapira’s works? And what debt do we owe to the brave Oneg Shabbos archivists?

Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media. We really want to hear from you.

This episode was hosted by Jonathan Schwab and Yael Steiner. Our education lead is Dr. Henry Abramson. Audio was edited by Rob Pera, and we’re produced by Rivky Stern.

For more on the Aish Kodesh and this episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UPT1ADfGLblgPOaViGeyquYRE6l8V0Rvutxlk3CTgE8/edit?usp=sharing

Hebrew Hammer: The True Story of Hanukkah Dec 22, 2022

Show notes

Jewish History Nerds is a Signal Awards finalist. Vote for us in Listener's Choice by Thu 15 Oct: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/individual-episodes/genre/history

Ah, Chanukah. That festive time of year where we light candles, indulge in fried foods, and celebrate… a brutal civil war? Join Yael and Schwab as they complicate the story we all thought we knew. What did the Maccabees really fight for? How should we feel about their legacy? And who is Helen?

Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media. We really want to hear from you.

This episode was hosted by Jonathan Schwab and Yael Steiner. Our education lead is Dr. Henry Abramson. Audio was edited by Rob Pera, and we’re produced by Rivky Stern.

For more on Hanukkah, Judah Maccabee, and this episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19vHg-inRureVw3AlW2UA_uyUYMH12HH5qjvkXrMf_h4/edit?usp=sharing

Of Ports, Popes, and Pocketbooks Dec 15, 2022

Show notes

Jewish History Nerds is a Signal Awards finalist. Vote for us in Listener's Choice by Thu 15 Oct: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/individual-episodes/genre/history

No one expects the Spanish Inquisition… to have given rise to two of the most powerful Jewish women in history.

You may not have heard of Dona Gracia Mendes or Benvenida Abrabanel. You may not have learned about the vastly different ways they attempted to use their power in order to stop the persecution of Jews in the papal states. And you may not have considered the way that Gracia and Benvenida’s rivalry still echoes today.

Yael and Schwab weren’t, before this episode. But now, they’re here to unpack all of this and more. So get ready — just like the Inquisition, it’s going to be quite a show.

Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media. We really want to hear from you.

This episode was hosted by Jonathan Schwab and Yael Steiner. Our education lead is Dr. Henry Abramson. Audio was edited by Rob Pera, and we’re produced by Rivky Stern.

For more on these women, the Ancona affair, and this episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/17VKgT2Y22Toxzc7ju6PM8NpUPFnKQixHtrEKa0XUHq0/edit?usp=sharing

Khazaria...A Jewish Empire In Europe? Dec 08, 2022

Show notes

Jewish History Nerds is a Signal Awards finalist. Vote for us in Listener's Choice by Thu 15 Oct: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/individual-episodes/genre/history

Jews don’t seek converts. There are no Jewish missionaries, no street preachers, no televangelists.And yet, Jewish legend tells of an 8th century pagan king who converted his entire empire to Judaism.

Schwab and Yael ask, why? Why would anyone choose to become Jewish in 8th century Europe -- historically, not the friendliest place for Jews? Is this story fact, fiction, or something in between? If it’s true, where did all those Jews end up? And why are antisemites so obsessed with this obscure Jewish legend? The answers might surprise you.

This episode was hosted by Jonathan Schwab and Yael Steiner. Our education lead is Dr. Henry Abramson. Audio was edited by Rob Pera, and we’re produced by Rivky Stern.

For more on Khazaria and this episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MjD36b1gMWaB2OQO7Eh-c76Dhqm2wyUKdVyzGvfzNwY/edit?usp=sharing

Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media. We really want to hear from you.

Shabbetai Tzvi: A (Bonkers) False Messiah Story Dec 01, 2022

Show notes

Jewish History Nerds is a Signal Awards finalist. Vote for us in Listener's Choice by Thu 15 Oct. You have to sign up/log in to vote. https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/individual-episodes/genre/history

You've probably never met a character as colorful as Shabbetai Tzvi. The 16th century Jewish mystic and rabbi led thousands of Jews to leave their homes and possessions to follow him as their Messiah. With the encouragement of his hypeman, Nathan of Gaze, Shabbetai Tzvi was revered and loved, picking up followers left and right...until the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire threatens him with imprisonment unless he converts to Islam, which he does. This week, Yael and Schwab tell us the story of Shabbetai Tzvi and ask, what is the deeper meaning of this crazy story and character?

This episode was hosted by Jonathan Schwab and Yael Steiner. Our education lead is Dr. Henry Abramson. Audio was edited by Rob Pera, and we’re produced by Rivky Stern.

For more on Shabbetai Tzvi and this episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pNiZ8ZuIrIRJNzHh3CQy81AEA8CE429j4XNCdm9Yq6M/edit?usp=sharing

Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media. We really want to hear from you.

Does 'Liberte, Fraternite, Egalite' Include Jews? Nov 23, 2022

Show notes

Jewish History Nerds is a Signal Awards finalist. Vote for us in Listener's Choice by Thu 15 Oct: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/individual-episodes/genre/history

When we think about the French Revolution, our mind jumps to Marie Antoinette, Les Miserable, “America’s favorite fighting Frenchman.” We don’t generally think “hey, are Jews even people?” But that was the question on Napoleon’s mind as he built the French Empire. In this week’s episode, Yael and Schwab break down all the factors in Napoleon’s decision-making process as he tried to figure out whether Jews could be French citizens. It’s a story about liberte, egalite, fraternite. About Napoleon’s revival of an ancient Jewish court for the first time in 1,300 years. And about what it means to be a Jew in a wider society.

This episode was hosted by Jonathan Schwab and Yael Steiner. Our education lead is Dr. Henry Abramson. Audio was edited by Rob Pera, and we’re produced by Rivky Stern.

For more on Napoleon and this episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vuujRrD1gBYEmIJny-o2oief34hGpYW9EeMFYqlF2tc/edit?usp=sharing

Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media. We really want to hear from you.

Josephus: The Man Who "Invented" Jewish History Nov 17, 2022

Show notes

Josephus Flavius is maybe one of the wildest characters in Jewish history, and that's saying something. That's largely because unlike most historians, he didn't just chronicle the story; as Yael tells Schwab in this week's episode, Josephus, or Yosef ben Matityahu, wrote himself into the story - and what a story it is. This week, we learn about Josephus and the siege of Yodfat, and they ask, what does it mean for us to write yourself into the story of Jewish history?

Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media. We really want to hear from you.

This episode was hosted by Jonathan Schwab and Yael Steiner. Our education lead is Dr. Henry Abramson. Audio was edited by Rob Pera, and we’re produced by Rivky Stern.

For more on Josephus and this episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1D4Lwb-qwdYT2lW3vpGVaU_0bJCpnOSCwOWM9OMrCL3E/edit?usp=sharing

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