Jewish History Nerds

In this season finale, Yael Steiner and Jonathan Schwab explore the powerful and surprising story of the Jewish National Fund's iconic blue tzedakah box—also known as the JNF "Blue Box." What began as a nostalgic household object for many Jewish families turns out to be one of the most influential and controversial symbols in modern Zionist history. Discover how this simple tin box, known as a "pushka" in Yiddish, became a global fundraising tool for land purchases in pre-state Israel, helped popularize the holiday of Tu Bishvat, and instilled Zionist values across generations of diaspora Jews—dime by dime. Click here [https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/19pmKt3Pu5F0bYDS7c_gXbFN-frH4g5P3?usp=sharing] to see a picture of Yael's great grandmother's blue box. Here ⁠ [https://shop.jnf.org/products/bluebox]is a link to the Blue Box, New Edition, on the JNF's website. Click here [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1F5U-4FfCYE3Qgi6blWSLL-Z86pzFSVV-/view?usp=sharing] to read about the Jewish National Fund in the Encyclopedia Judaica. Click here [https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1jmL5j9CZ9IMSY5clDrEtAkZFA6OOWXdb]to read excerpts from Eric Engel Tuten's history of the JNF. Here are links to protests in Canada [https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1jmL5j9CZ9IMSY5clDrEtAkZFA6OOWXdb] and Colorado [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fDLNAqxplTMJz0RZlK6lArFxBYJrhBIo/view?usp=sharing]. Be in touch. We want to hear from you. Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media. This podcast was brought to you by Unpacked, a brand of OpenDor Media. Follow @unpackedmedia on Instagram and check out Unpacked on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU63EiU7Y-8xcRntPIRVrzA]. ------------------- For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Soulful Jewish Living⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://jewishunpacked.com/podcast-series/soulful-jewish-living-mindful-practices-for-every-day/] ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stars of David with Elon Gold ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://jewishunpacked.com/podcast-series/stars-of-david-elon-gold/] ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Unpacking Israeli History⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://unpacked.media/podcast-series/unpacking-israeli-history/] ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wondering Jews [https://jewishunpacked.com/podcast-series/wondering-jews/]

This week, Schwab and Yael dive into one of the most disturbing and enduring symbols of antisemitism in European history: the Judensau, or “Jew Pig.” From its origins in 13th-century German churches to its persistent presence in modern cathedrals like those in Cologne and Wittenberg, this grotesque motif—depicting Jews in degrading, obscene interactions with pigs—embodied and perpetuated centuries of Christian antisemitic propaganda. Be in touch. We want to hear from you. Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media. Click here [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RvG1Qc8T8fbAXZxyE0Rh5ibmjJisS-Ri/view?usp=sharing] for Isaiah Shachar's book, The Judensau. Click here [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oaJlPrnjVsV8cOFKJMr89x2jo8ojnFOI/view?usp=sharing] for Daniel Leeson's work on The Judensau. Click here [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/germany-nazism-medieval-anti-semitism-plain-sight-180975780/]to see images of the Judensau on the church in Wittenberg. Click here [https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/anti-jewish-medieval-sculpture-can-stay-church-top-german-court-rules-2022-06-14/]for additional images of the Judensau. Click here [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judensau_at_the_choir_stalls_of_Cologne_Cathedral]to see images of the Judensau in Cologne. Click here [https://www.timesofisrael.com/top-german-court-rules-church-can-keep-antisemitic-bas-relief/]for a news article about the court order to keep the Judensau in Wittenberg. This podcast was brought to you by Unpacked, a brand of OpenDor Media. Follow @unpackedmedia on Instagram and check out Unpacked on ⁠⁠⁠⁠youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU63EiU7Y-8xcRntPIRVrzA]. ------------------- For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Soulful Jewish Living⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://jewishunpacked.com/podcast-series/soulful-jewish-living-mindful-practices-for-every-day/] ⁠⁠⁠⁠Stars of David with Elon Gold ⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://jewishunpacked.com/podcast-series/stars-of-david-elon-gold/] ⁠⁠⁠⁠Unpacking Israeli History⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://unpacked.media/podcast-series/unpacking-israeli-history/] ⁠⁠⁠⁠Wondering Jews [https://jewishunpacked.com/podcast-series/wondering-jews/]

This week, Jonathan Schwab and Yael Steiner explore the rich history of some of India’s Jewish communities, including the caste-influenced divisions among the so-called "Black Jews, White Jews, and Brown Jews" of Cochin. Using the Cochin Copper Plates as an entry point, Yael and Schwab explore how Indian Jewish life flourished—largely free of antisemitism—until almost the entire population made Aliyah after 1948. Yael explains that the Cochin (Cranganore) Copper Plates, dating possibly as far back as 1000 CE and inscribed in Tamil, bestowed unique privileges to the Jewish community on India’s Malabar Coast Jews and a Jewish leader named Joseph Rabban. Whether or not you're a "history nerd," you will appreciate this unique story, which reframes what we think of as "Jewish history." Click here [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BE8SJmchB0Br2wLsilD-xe9J0hZq7Fy6VzMEenbalQc/edit?usp=sharing] or a summary and sources referenced in the episode. Click here [https://jewsofcochin.blogspot.com/2013/07/cochin-jewish-copper-plates-theme-of.html]to see pictures of the Cochin Copper Plates. Be in touch. We want to hear from you. Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media. This podcast was brought to you by Unpacked, a brand of OpenDor Media. Follow @unpackedmedia on Instagram and check out Unpacked on ⁠⁠⁠youtube⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU63EiU7Y-8xcRntPIRVrzA]. ------------------- For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out: ⁠⁠⁠Soulful Jewish Living⁠⁠⁠ [https://jewishunpacked.com/podcast-series/soulful-jewish-living-mindful-practices-for-every-day/] ⁠⁠⁠Stars of David with Elon Gold ⁠⁠⁠ [https://jewishunpacked.com/podcast-series/stars-of-david-elon-gold/] ⁠⁠⁠Unpacking Israeli History⁠⁠⁠ [https://unpacked.media/podcast-series/unpacking-israeli-history/] ⁠⁠⁠Wondering Jews [https://jewishunpacked.com/podcast-series/wondering-jews/]

What can a coin tell us about history, power, and identity? This week, hosts Jonathan Schwab and Yael Steiner explore the Roman Judea Capta coins—propaganda minted to celebrate Rome’s brutal suppression of the Jewish revolt and the destruction of the Second Temple. Why would a global empire spotlight a small province like Judea on its currency? Schwab unpacks the fascinating world of numismatics, showing how coins served as ancient mass media and a tool for emperors like Vespasian to craft political narratives. This episode dives deep into coins as artifacts, propaganda tools, and symbols of survival and resistance. Click here [https://docs.google.com/document/d/16AKM2z5ROGo_rvrpObf_fRF-8YtsfTCjy-6_IilDsl8/edit?usp=sharing] for a summary and sources referenced in the episode. Click here [https://amuseum.org/book/page15.html] for images of the Judea Capta Coins. Click here [https://en.israelmint.com/default/25000619.html] to see images of the Israel Liberata Coin. Be in touch. We want to hear from you. Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media. This podcast was brought to you by Unpacked, a brand of OpenDor Media. Follow @unpackedmedia on Instagram and check out Unpacked on ⁠⁠youtube⁠⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU63EiU7Y-8xcRntPIRVrzA]. ------------------- For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out: ⁠⁠Soulful Jewish Living⁠⁠ [https://jewishunpacked.com/podcast-series/soulful-jewish-living-mindful-practices-for-every-day/] ⁠⁠Stars of David with Elon Gold ⁠⁠ [https://jewishunpacked.com/podcast-series/stars-of-david-elon-gold/] ⁠⁠Unpacking Israeli History⁠⁠ [https://unpacked.media/podcast-series/unpacking-israeli-history/] ⁠⁠Wondering Jews [https://jewishunpacked.com/podcast-series/wondering-jews/]

This week, Yael Steiner and Jonathan Schwab trace the rich story of the menorah, one of Judaism’s oldest and most powerful symbols. The menorah has become an all encompassing symbol of Judaism in part because of the commercialization of the Christmas and Hanukkah season in the United States. But it has a complex history that started long before big box stores. From its origin in the Book of Exodus to its central role in the Holy Temple, and from the Roman plunder depicted on the Arch of Titus to its prominent place on the State of Israel’s national seal, the menorah has transcended time and geography to become a potent emblem of Jewish resilience, ritual, and identity. Click here [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1l-19fhQgzGCs1bPdwaU0ekyC16U8GNvoks0lPVLVkDs/edit?usp=sharing] for a summary and sources referenced in the episode. Click here [https://herzlinstitute.org/en/theodor-herzl/the-menorah/] to read The Menorah by Theodor Herzl. Click here [https://www.britannica.com/topic/menorah] for images of the menorah. Be in touch. We want to hear from you. Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media. This podcast was brought to you by Unpacked, a brand of OpenDor Media. Follow @unpackedmedia on Instagram and check out Unpacked on ⁠youtube⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU63EiU7Y-8xcRntPIRVrzA]. ------------------- For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out: ⁠Soulful Jewish Living⁠ [https://jewishunpacked.com/podcast-series/soulful-jewish-living-mindful-practices-for-every-day/] ⁠Stars of David with Elon Gold ⁠ [https://jewishunpacked.com/podcast-series/stars-of-david-elon-gold/] ⁠Unpacking Israeli History⁠ [https://unpacked.media/podcast-series/unpacking-israeli-history/] ⁠Wondering Jews [https://jewishunpacked.com/podcast-series/wondering-jews/]