Jewish Conspiracy Theories – What’s Not to Love Rabbi Jonathan Gross can’t recall a time that he wasn’t intrigued with the excitement and mystery that are at the heart of conspiracy theories. “Investigating conspiracy theories on one level is interesting and challenging. But once you become absorbed with the story, you realize that you have to learn more about the history, the facts, and the surrounding context of the story to understand it completely,” he explained.

As an example, the conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination of President John F. Kennedy began immediately at the time of his death on November 22, 1963. Interest and investigation of these theories have ebbed and flowed over time, yet they are a lasting part of the American culture and remain a source of intrigue to this day. “In the Oliver Stone docu-drama ‘JFK,’ Stone examines the events leading to the assassination and the alleged cover-up that followed through the eyes of the former district attorney Jim Garrison” said Gross. He noted that even though Stone may have exercised artistic license in the telling of the tale, “if you follow the conspiracy theory, you have to learn about the politics, the relationships, and the events of the time. In the same way, exploring Jewish conspiracy theories has always led me to a fuller knowledge of the history of the Jewish people.”

After reading a book new to the Kripke Jewish Federation Library, “The Aleppo Codex” by Matti Friedman, Rabbi Gross reflected on how studying conspiracy theories has been such an enjoyable way for him to learn. With the kernel of an idea, he has developed a three-week class called “Jewish Conspiracy Theories.” The classes will focus on some fascinating true stories of intrigue, unsolved mysteries, and airbrushed scandals that have captured the imagination of the Jewish people. Sessions will meet May 3, 10, and 24 from 11:00 am – 12:00 pm in the Kripke Jewish Federation Library.

The challenge for Gross was to narrow the field down to a manageable number of conspiracies. After all, a lot has happened over the past 1,000 or more years. The three stories he has selected for the class will include “The Stolen Crown of Aleppo,” “The Kidnapping of Yossele Schumacher Class” and “The Modern Sabbateans.”

Here’s a quick taste of the first conspiracy that will be covered. “The Stolen Crown of Aleppo” includes the quest to discover what really happened to Judaism’s most important book which was created by Tiberian scribes in circa 939. Housed since the 15th century in the Great Synagogue of Aleppo, Syria, it was thought to have been destroyed in a fire in 1947. It was then discovered that it had been rescued and kept in a secret hiding place. Who rescued it? How did it land in Israel’s Ben-Zvi Institute? Why were nearly half of its pages were missing by the time it arrived? And how does it tie to the founding of the State of Israel?

Intrigued? Want to learn more? Then register for the class today by contacting Mark Kirchhoff, (402) 334-6463 or [email protected]. The class fee is $27, reduced to $21 for those in good standing with the Annual Campaign of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. “Jewish Conspiracy Theories” is presented by the Center for Jewish Life as part of its mission to maximize involvement of Omaha’s Jewish community in imaginative, compelling and meaningful Jewish experiences.