History & Ideas

Two Centuries of Rebellion

The stark difference in the ways Jews and Romans entertain themselves provides insights into the values of each culture.

The spirit of discovery in the Renaissance will push Europe to expand its trade horizons and reshape its economy.

Consolidation of power will dramatically alter politics, wars, and loyalties in Europe.

The Northern Renaissance may be infused with the same spirit as the Italian Renaissance, but it manifested in uniquely northern European ways.

Modern politics cannot be fully understood without Machiavelli.

Dr. Polisar breaks down the causes and consequences of Israel's victory in the War of Independence, as well as its Declaration of Independence.

Arabs escalate violence against Jews as the British try to appease them. Meanwhile, Jews build the institutions that could serve as the nucleus for their state.

Efforts to move to the Land of Israel and build a state accelerate just as Zionist diplomacy pays off with the Balfour Declaration.

How Theodor Herzl became Zionism's chief diplomat, institution-builder, and ideological visionary.

Dr. Polisar explores how the Jews revived the Hebrew language, developed the Zionist idea, and began to resettle the land beginning in the early 19th century.

How did the Jews overcome seemingly impossible odds to establish a state whose accomplishments are described as miraculous even by secular people?