Aegean Adventure
4 Lectures

Drawing on Talmudic sources, Berel Wein's Aegean Adventure, discusses the precarious relationship between Jewish and Greek civilizations during the Classical era. The rabbis of the time did a tightrope walk over the pervasive Greek culture, attempting to counter Greek paganism, immorality, and violence while embracing its language and aesthetics. Modern Jews have much to learn from their balancing act Rabbi Wein also describes Jewish life in the Ottoman Empire-16th through the 19th centuries. Turkish Jews flourished as scholars and businessmen through most of the Empire's reign, despite pervasive corruption and discrimination against the Jews. As the Empire weakened and discrimination increased, Zionism took a necessary center stage. Uncover the Ottoman journey from golden exile to aliyah.