Author: trmarvin
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Jewish Learning Starter Pack: A Book List and Guide for Beginners
New to Jewish learning? I was raised secular with just a little bit of Hebrew school, so I had to start nearly from scratch as an adult. I ended up with a Ph.D. in Jewish studies and learned full-time in yeshiva for four years. (You can read more about my story here.) I’m here to…
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The Western Wall Tunnels Guide
The Western Wall (Kotel) has been excavated by archaeologists since the mid-nineteenth century, but more recent, twenty-first century excavations have opened up the site anew to visitors, who can now experience the parts of the Western Wall beneath the built-up city in several proprietary tours. This guide discusses the various options and what you’ll see…
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36 Great Books on Jewish Women’s History
Having ventured to recommend 54 essential readings in Jewish history, I wanted to dedicate a list to Jewish women’s history specifically. My focus here is on history, as opposed to Jewish feminist thought or sociology, so expect historical writing, spanning antiquity to modernity. I’ve kept to books in English that are affordable and accessible, i.e.,…
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Apollonia National Park (Arsuf, Tel Arshaf, Arsur)
Apollonia National Park, which was excavated beginning in the 1950s (continuing to the present) and opened to the public in 2002, preserves the remains of multiple layers of human habitation from antiquity until the high Middle Ages, including Phoenician, Hellenistic, Roman, Samaritan, Byzantine, Arab Muslim, and Crusader buildings, on a stunningly beautiful site perched above…
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Making Aliyah (with lots of books and kids)? Here are all my Aliyah Tips
My family made aliyah in the summer of 2024 with kids from upper elementary through high school—and a cat—after several years of planning. In terms of specific how-to instructions for the application process and general tips on how schools and healthcare work, there’s lots of up-to-date info to be had on the Nefesh b’Nefesh website…
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How to Start Learning Talmud
In traditional Jewish learning, we often refer to the “sea of Talmud.” This is not merely a picturesque metaphor; it expresses a key characteristic of the Talmud. Dipping into it is like entering a vast sea: there is no beginning or end, and all of it connected to the other parts and to its depths.…
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Premodern Travel to Israel and the Aliyah of R. Ovadia Bartenura in 1486-88
Introduction In spite of the hardships of travel, the sequence of repressive regimes that ruled in the Land of Israel, and lack of economic development and opportunity, Jews have always made their way back to their homeland when they were able. A few major figures, such as Yehuda ha-Levi and Ramban, are known for their…
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How to Set up a Note-Taking System in Notion
In case you hadn’t guessed already, I’m the person with the color-coded notes that everyone borrows. 🤓 Back in the day, I took handwritten notes. I went from handwriting to typing into (usually unruly) Word docs. Organizationally, I never progressed beyond “find in document.” Until I discovered Notion. I came upon Notion as a solution…
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When Were the “Middle Ages”? Periodization and Why it Matters
If the Middle Ages didn’t exist, would they have had to be invented? Below, I’m going to talk through the problematics of periodization in general and that of the Middle Ages in particular, suggesting ways to complicate our understanding of what we mean when we talk about medieval cultures. However, that doesn’t mean that periodization…
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How to Organize Google Drive for Research & Writing
You already use files every day and probably have some way of organizing them, even if it’s throwing a folder on your desktop called PROJECT X (ahem, like some people I know and love). Whether this is you, or whether organizing is your hobby (hi), you can make your work life immeasurably better by thinking…