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This third instalment of David’s overview series of Jewish History explores the years between 500 and 1000 CE, known as the period of the Geonim.

In this talk, David discusses:
· The geonim, including who they were and the significance of their spiritual authority 
· The political leadership of the Reish Galuta
· The great academies of Sura and Pumbedita and their rivalries
· The decrees of Justinian
· The first attempted forced conversions
· Persecutions in Spain
· Wars between Byzantine and Sassanid Empires
· The Himyarite Kingdom
· The rise of Islam
· The conquest of Spain by the Moors in 711
· Umayyad Caliphate in Spain
· The slow shift from Babylonia – in two basic directions
· Nehemiah ben Hushiel
· Anan Ben David and the start of the Karaite movement
· The Khazars
· Charlemagne & Louis the Pious
· Amram Gaon and the beginnings of the siddur
· Hiwi of Balkh
· The decline and revival of Sura
· Saadya Gaon – the ultimate Gaon
· Rav Sherira Gaon and Rav Hai Gaon - the close of the Geonic period & the decline of Babylonian Jewry
· Chisdai Ibn Shaprut and Shmuel HaNagid - symbols of the Golden Age of Spain
· The rise of Hebrew grammar
· Rabbeinu Gershom – the father of Ashkenazi Jewry.

He explains how this period in Jewish History sees the laying of the foundations for modern Jewish life and the gradual shift in the centre of Jewish life from Babylonia to Europe. He also examines the geo-political context of this period and the influence of broader historical developments.

This is the third part of David’s six-part overview series of Jewish History, an edited version of a live series given in 2020 for Chabad South Africa and Daminyan Shule in Melbourne. The lecture will be publicly available on 31st March.

Find the original (unedited) live talk here    • Jewish History in Six Parts [PART 3 -...  

Watch other videos from this series:

Part 1 -    • Jewish History in Six Chapters  #1 (5...  
Part 2 -    • Jewish History in Six Chapters #2 (1-...  

Explore more of David's Jewish History series here:

Women in Jewish History:    • Women in Jewish History  
The Talmudic Period: Chazal in the Age of Empires    • The Talmudic Period: Chazal in the Ag...  
The Geonic Period: Jewish History of 6th -10th Centuries    • The Geonic Period: Jewish History of ...  
From the Rambam to the Zohar: Jewish History of 12th & 13th Centuries    • Rambam to Zohar: Jewish History of 12...  
Hope in Darkness: Jewish History of 14th & 15th Centuries    • Jewish History of 14th & 15th Centuri...  
Worlds in Transition: Jewish History of 16th Century    • Worlds in Transition: Jewish History ...  
Communities in Search of Meaning: Jewish History of 17th Century    • Communities in Search of Meaning: Jew...  
Revelation & Revolution: Jewish History of the 18th Century    • Jewish History of the 18th Century- R...  

Learn more at davidsolomon.online
Support David on Patreon:   / davidsolomononline  

Images used in this video

Youtube cover – comprising images below and a picture of David by Stephan Rohl under CC licensing http://www.stephan-roehl.de​

Image in cover art: Jewish cantor reading the Passover story in al-Andalus, from a 14th century Spanish Haggadah. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.