When it comes to learning about Jewish history, there are many wonderful books and websites out there to help you with your own study and to refer to students and congregants.
However, as a rabbi or educator, it is hard to find time to extensively prepare for classes or learn about unknown but important figures from our past.
Enter Dr. Hillel (Henry) Abramson.
Dr. Abramson is the dean of academic affairs and student services at Touro College South, Miami, and has recently created a weekly series of short videos called, “This Week in Jewish History.”
The wealth of information, sources and visual aids in theses videos is invaluable to rabbis and educators as they are sure to save you countless hours of research time, if you were ever to give a “Jewish History Lecture Series.” Likewise, If you have a student or congregant who is looking to further explore topics in Jewish history and have a greater sense of and appreciation for our heritage, this series is one that they will find informative.
However, what really sets Dr. Abramson’s videos apart?
He doesn’t simply record himself talking for a couple of minutes about a particular Jewish figure and expect people to wake away feeling both informed and inspired. Instead, he enhances his weekly video lesson by using Prezi, so that people of all ages and backgrounds can learn both audibly and visually. (We have previously written about how you can use Prezi to enhance your classes and presentations in blog posts such as, Everything You Need to Know About Prezi and Using Prezi is Now Easier Than Ever Before.)
Below are two examples of how his weekly videos appear:
Jewish Teacher of Deaf-Mute People
Jacob Rodrigues Péreire (1715-1780) was one of the inventors of sign language.
Sarah Schenirer and the Revolution in Jewish Education for Women
Sarah Schenirer (1883-1935) founded the Bais Yaakov school system for women.
You can follow Dr. Abramson on Twitter to keep up with his latest videos and updates at @hmabramson and subscribe for free to his weekly series here. Enjoy!
