Sir Simon Michael Schama (77) is a British historian specializing in art history, Dutch history, Jewish history, and French history. He is a University Professor of History and Art History at Columbia University. In the United Kingdom, he is perhaps best known for writing and hosting the 15-part BBC documentary series A History of Britain. Among his acclaimed books is The Story of the Jews — a three-volume work, two of which have been published so far.
Quotes: “Passover takes place in the home rather than the synagogue and centers around an epic meal — the seder — so you remember Passover as storytelling, you remember it in food, and you remember it in the family.” ||| “The Jews invented a portable religion in the shape of the Bible, the Torah, and eventually the Talmud, and with other portable forms of writing. So it’s now possible to carry the religion, that is embedded in that writing, away from the ruins of political and military power.”
Sources: Wikipedia (introduciton), BrainyQuote (quotation)
Learn more about Simon Schama on Wikipedia. ►
Watch “Five Minutes With SImon Schama” [5:49}. ►
Watch “Simon Schama: The Story of the Jews, Part 1” [1:29:24]. ►
Watch “Simon Schama: The Story of the Jews, Part 2 [1:18:56]. ►
Photo: Weitzmann Institute of Science
We welcome your comments. Click here.
