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  • PBS

Heritage: Civilization and the Jews

  • 1984
  • Ended
  • Documentary
  • ~56m / ep
  • 1 season
  • 10.0/10

Acclaimed PBS series that recounts the history of the Jewish people from its origins to the current day. The series was written and narrated by the late Abba Eban, an Israeli historian and statesman.

Latest: Season 1 · 1984

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  1. E1. A People Is Born: 3800-586 BCE

    Oct 1, 1984 · 56m

    Episode 1 covers the period of the Bible, the life and culture in the ancient Near East and how it was a factor in the idea of monotheism, up to the period of the Babylonian exile.

  2. E2. The Power of the World: 586-72 CE

    Oct 8, 1984 · 56m

    Episode 2 covers destruction of Babylonia by the Persians to the time of the Roman Empire, including the Hellenistic period, the rise of the Hasmonean state, and the destruction of Judea and the second temple.

  3. E3. The Shaping of Traditions: 30-732

    Oct 15, 1984 · 55m

    Episode 3 covers Jewish history during the centuries of the rise and spread of Christianity and Islam, in both the Near East and Europe.

  4. E4. The Crucible of Europe: 732-1492

    Oct 22, 1984 · 57m

    Episode 4 covers the Carolingian empire in the 10th century to the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492.

  5. E5. Search for Deliverance: 1492-1789

    Oct 29, 1984 · 56m

    Episode 5 covers Jewish history from the time of the expulsion of the Jews from Spain to the French Revolution in 1789.

  6. E6. Roads from the Ghetto: 1789-1925

    Nov 5, 1984 · 56m

    Episode 6 covers 19th century Europe, the time of nationalism, industrialism, romanticism, and socialism, and of massive Jewish emigration from Europe and the growth of Zionism.

+3 more episodes — open all seasons to browse every episode.

Heritage: Civilization and the Jews | Watch