Mark Shiffer
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Mark Shiffer

Passion for History
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Mar 1, 2021, 6:38 PM
New film About the life of Rabbi Abraham Heschel
Martin Doblmeier has produced a new documentary on the life of famous twentieth century Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. The film, SPIRITUAL AUDACITY: The Abraham Joshua Heschel Story, takes a closer look at Heschel's life and achievements. And it is quite...
Feb 17, 2021, 5:37 PM
Jews and the American civil rights movement
It was a time of massive upheaval in the United States. The civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s was the catalyst for social change, as African-Americans sought full integration into mainstream American society. The role of Jews...
Jan 21, 2021, 7:37 PM
Moses Maimonides
Moses Maimonides, also known as Rambam, was a major medieval Jewish scholar, philosopher, and physician. Much of his writing is still popular and studied as an important contribution to Jewish thought. Maimonides was born in 1135 in the city of...
Dec 21, 2020, 5:44 PM
A History of Jews and Christmas
  December 25th in the Western world is typically a safe experience for Jews today. Aside from the constant risks of assimilation, the Christmas holiday has taken on a more secular status for many. Yet, this was not always the...
Nov 19, 2020, 1:10 AM
The Trial and Lynching of American Leo Frank
Leo Frank was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1884. He was the son of immigrant German Jewish parents. After graduating from university, in 1908 Frank found employment managing a pencil factory in Atlanta, Georgia. Shortly after moving to Atlanta,...
Nov 4, 2020, 6:30 PM
The Farhud and Iraq’s Jews
      As the Second World War raged around the world, the long history of Jews living in Iraq came to an end. Jews living in Iraq can be traced back to the destruction of the First Temple in 586 BCE. Many...
Oct 26, 2020, 6:47 PM
Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust
Pope Pius XII was head of the Roman Catholic world during the Second World War. His leadership during the Holocaust has been a particularly controversial topic. Like many people in history, the legacy of Pius XII is complex. Some critics...
Oct 14, 2020, 8:52 PM
A Brief History of Conservative Judaism
Conservative Judaism arose as a reaction to the liberal Reform movement of the 19th century. It sought a middling ground between Orthodox and Reform Judaism and became a significant denomination, especially in 20th century North America. Perhaps the final break...
Oct 8, 2020, 11:00 PM
A Brief History of Reform Judaism
  In the 18th and 19th centuries, political, economic, and social upheavals in Europe resulted in schisms within Judaism. One of the biggest was the formation of Reform Judaism. Emancipation in Europe led to many personal freedoms not previously enjoyed by...
Oct 1, 2020, 5:22 PM
The Dreyfus Affair, Anti-Semitism, and Zionism
On a clear and cold morning in Paris on January 5, 1895, a man in his mid-thirties marched toward a military square, surrounded by armed guards. Along the way, crowds shouted at the man, cursing and yelling "traitor" and...
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About Me
Mark Shiffer is a freelance writer living in Canada. He has a degree in history and loves writing about the subject. Mark particularly enjoys Jewish history, as it encompasses a massive time span and many regions of the world.
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