Joseph Ben Ephraim Caro (also spelt ‘Karo’) was apparently born in Toledo, Castille, Spain, in 1488 and died in 1575. After the Jews’ expulsion from

The Bible offers many instances of heroism. The most obvious ones are martial figures. Yet many also became heroes by peacefully holding on to their

Hebrew is the national language of the Jewish people. However, in the first century C.E, it largely fell out of everyday use. Eliezer Ben-Yehuda revived

David Ben-Gurion was the first Prime Minister of Israel. He came to epitomise the Labour Zionist movement, and steered its ideological development. He set the

The story of Batsheva appears in the second Book of Samuel in the Hebrew Bible. Her name is translated as meaning ‘Daughter of The Oath’.

The Baal Shem Tov is a towering figure in the history of Jewish spirituality. In founding and nurturing the Chassidic movement, he radically transformed Jewish

An extraordinary number of 20th century Jewish scientists were drawn into the field of nuclear research. As the Nazi dragnet tightened, dozens of them fled

Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag systematically reinterpreted the Kabbalah, completing the work begun by Rabbi Isaac Luria and his disciple, Rabbi Chaim Vital. Today, Ashlag’s various followers

Rabbi Akiva (properly, Rabbi Akiva ben Yosef, ‘Akiva son of Joseph’) is one of the best known of the early rabbis, and belongs to the

  Abraham is the founder of the Jewish nation, the patriarch who settled in the land of Israel. Yet as the first ethical monotheist, he

The name Abigail, means ‘cause of Joy’. The Biblical Abigail became the wife of David, the King of Israel. Her story is one of love

This section of our website contains information about a large selection of famous Jews throughout history, ranging from Biblical to modern times. There are also