Category Archives: Marc B. Shapiro

What Would A Haredi Israel Look Like?

Historian Marc B. Shapiro blogs: I can’t speak about the haredi man on the street, but examination of the writings of the haredi leadership – and in the haredi world that is what really matters – shows that time and … Continue reading

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Distorting Jewish History

Historian Marc B. Shapiro writes: “While the examples Horowitz discussed are motivated by a Victorian style of writing, the example I give is probably motivated by a desire to shield the masses from the knowledge that even in pre-Reform Europe … Continue reading

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Were The Africans Unattractive?

According to Wikipedia: “The word Cushi, also spelled Kushi (Hebrew: כושי‎) is a Hebrew term generally used to refer to a dark skinned person usually of African descent and was recently interpreted as being similar in meaning to the English … Continue reading

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The Jews Of Palermo

Historian Marc B. Shapiro writes: “Note how R. Ovadiah testifies that while the Jews in Palermo were careful about not drinking non-Jewish wine, which was noteworthy since elsewhere in Italy Jews routinely consumed this, their sexual morality and observance of … Continue reading

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When Is It Kosher To Forge?

Throughout my life, I’ve noticed that otherwise righteous people are willing to lie if they think it can do good. Historian Marc B. Shapiro writes: “If you are convinced of the correctness of your position, it is not hard to … Continue reading

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