Tuesdays with Torah | The Road Less Traveled: Benjamin of Tudela and His Travel Diary: A Window in into 12th century Jewish World

Tuesdays with Torah | The Road Less Traveled: Benjamin of Tudela and His Travel Diary: A Window in into 12th century Jewish World

The 12th century was a time of great flux in history with the significant influences of Christian and Islamic cultures and their clash of power throughout the ancient world. One intrepid Jewish traveler, Benjmain of Tudela made his way from his native Spain to the Middle east, northern Mesopotamia, Persia, the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, Italy, Greece, western China and Europe, over the span of 13 years, at each stop making careful note in his diaries about the conditions and well-being of the Jewish communities, large and tiny, in every locale. One of the real “eye-witness” historians, when Benjamin of Tudela’s travel diary and extensive notes were published 700 years later, it opened a window onto Jewish life and how it differed widely based on local circumstances. Rabbi Kamrass will lead us through that window to learn about Jewish life in the middle ages, examining how its tensions and themes are both different and similar to ours today.