Welcome to the Beth Israel Educational Audio page. On this page you will find links to sound files designed to illuminate various issues of interest to the Jewish community, currently featuring Dr. Walter Ziffer, Hebrew Bible and New Testament scholar.

Walter Ziffer, 2007

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF THE MP3 FILES ON THIS WEB SITE

Using the Ipod for Learning Judaism
If you haven't discovered the wonders of learning by using MP3 players such as the Apple iPod, then you are in for a real treat! These players offer a superb way to learn almost any topic, especially, in this regard, topics about Judaism.

However, many people who have not yet been introduced to this technology could possibly be intimidated by it. Accordingly, this video has been prepared to allay these fears, by showing just how easy it is to bring files into an Ipod, and then organize these files for learning purposes.

Click the link above to watch the video, which requires the Flash player (there is a 99% chance you have this installed already). Also, there is audio in the file, so make sure that your speaker volume is set to the correct level. If you're using Internet Explorer, press the F11 key to hide your toolbars to show more of the video (afterwards, hit F11 again to restore your toolbars).

IMPORTANT NOTE: Since this video was prepared, the prices for the players have changed, the model numbers have changed, and the amount of available space has changed. The essential principles remain the same, but the preferred player is now the Sansa Fuze 4 GB MP3 Player with microSD Expansion Slot, a very good buy at $49 street price in late 2008. The Sansa is superior to the iPod in a number of areas (for example, it's cheaper, it records, the memory is expandable, it allows you to subscribe to the excellent Rhapsody service more easily, it plays all the media formats on this site [unlike the iPod], and it also seems to be better built, even though the interface is not as slick as the iPod's).

Once you have learned how to make your MP3 player work, you will then be able to download the MP3 files on this web site to your hard drive, for later listening...

THE FILES

Windows Media (Listen Now and on Sansa Players [not iPods])

Walter Ziffer: On Being A Christian (Part 1 of 2)
Walter discusses his conversion to Christianity. The first 15 or so minutes of the file are also devoted to a discussion of his experience with anti-Semitism in pre-Holocaust Europe.

Walter Ziffer: On Mel Gibson's Passion (Part 2 of 2)
A continuation of the previous discussion. What could possibly be the attraction of watching what may be the most violent film in history? In this audio file, Walter explains (brilliantly I must say) the meaning of Mel Gibson's film Passion for Christians. I'd never thought I could understand the appeal, but after hearing Walter explain it over the course of 50 minutes or so, I have a much deeper understanding not only of Gibson's film but also of Christianity, and now can see what Christians see in the film, from their point of view. Essential listening!

Walter Ziffer: Preliminary Discussion on the Holocaust (Part 1 of 3) 25 min/23 mb/Windows Media 8 [2 min 30 sec download broadband]
Recorded on April 11, 2004. I began my discussion with Walter with some preliminary topics related to the Holocaust including the French law banning "ostentatious" religious apparel in schools, the topic of "6 million Jews" killed in concentration camps, and Holocaust revisionists.

Walter Ziffer: Life in the Work Camps (Part 2 of 3) 50 min/45 mb/Windows Media 8 [5 min download broadband]
In this section, the main part of our conversation, Walter describes what life was like in the camps in which he was interred during World War II. ESSENTIAL LISTENING.

Walter Ziffer: Theological Implications of the Holocaust, and Lessons Learned (Part 3 of 3) 38 minutes/35 mb/Windows Media 8 [4 min download broadband]
In the third and final section of this series, Walter discusses the theological implications of the Holocaust and what it has to teach us, as well as ways of preventing future Holocausts in the future. [Note: in the conversation, we discuss an article [printed out on April 10, 2004] on Holocaust theology published on the amazing Wikipedia; here's a link to that article, if you want to read along. Depending on when you are listening to the audio file, the contents of that article may have changed.]

Walter Ziffer: The Birth of Christianity from the Matrix of Judaism 98 minutes /Windows Media 9
This was a lecture given on October 11 at the University of North Carolina, Asheville. The room was filled, over 300 people were in attendance. The recording has some room noise, including a clicking pen.

MP3 (Download for later computer or iPod listening)

The files below, due to their size, should first be downloaded to your computer.
Right-click on the link, choose "Save Target As", and save it to your hard drive.

If you have a broadband connection, depending on the time of day and the speed of your connection, it will take anywhere from 2to 10 minutes (and perhaps longer) to download each file. But it will be worth it! Once you have the file, you can then load it into your iPod or other MP3 player for off-line listening (the recommended approach), or you can listen on your computer.

If you have a dial-up connection, downloading the files will take well over an hour per file.

Walter Ziffer: Is Judaism Important? 66 minutes / MP3
Is Judaism important? This hour-long conversation discusses the question from 3 angles: 1) yes, Judaism is important, but for negative reasons (as suggested by many atheists [including noted Oxford University biologist Richard Dawkins], with critical commentary of this view), 2) no, it is not important (another view with which Walter strenuously disagrees), and 3) yes, it is important, for positive reasons (the view which he holds).

Walter Ziffer: The Holocaust and God: A Survivor Reflects 37 minutes / MP3
Yom HaShoah Lecture by Dr. Ziffer at Congregation B'nai Israel in Gainesville, Fl., April 15, 2007.

Walter Ziffer: New Testament Series: Part 1: New Testament Literature and Analysis 100+ minutes/ MP3
The first file in a four-part series on the New Testament, designed to introduce Jews to an important topic with which they should be more familiar. This lecture was given on a Sunday morning at congregation Beth Israel in Asheville, North Carolina in November, 2006.

Walter Ziffer: New Testament Series: Part 2: Jesus of Nazareth: His Milieu, Life, and Death 100+ minutes/ MP3
The second file in this four-part series on the New Testament, covering the life of Jesus.

Walter Ziffer: New Testament Series: Part 3: Paul of Tarsus: His Modification of Judaism 60+ minutes/ MP3
The third file, giving what for Jewish people is an atypically sympathetic treatment of St. Paul.

Walter Ziffer: New Testament Series: Part 4: Judaism and Christianity: Religions in Competition 66 minutes/MP3
The final lecture in the series, covering how this offshoot of Judaism later emerged to be what many people see as a completely different religion, by exploring the source of early conflicts between Christians and Jews.

Walter Ziffer: Lecture to Sunday School Students: Life in Germany Pre-Holocaust (Part 1) 44 minutes/MP3
Presented to Sunday School students in Beth Israel on December 2, 2007. There were approximately 12 students in the room, with grades from 5 through 7 represented, along with about 6 parents. Walter discusses anti-Semitic incidents in Czechoslovakia, explaining the background of the Holocaust. Recorded without headset to better get the comments of the students.

Walter Ziffer: Lecture to Sunday School Students: Life in the Work Camps (Part 2) 47 minutes/MP3
The second part of the lecture to Beth Israel Sunday School students. In this section, recorded with a headset for better sound quality, Walter discusses the life in the work camps, with the most graphic details admitted to spare the sensibilities of the young students. Essential listening for those who want a shorter, less graphic version of those terrible times.

Walter Ziffer: In Search of God: From History to Metaphor 55 minutes/MP3
The Phyllis Free Solod lecture at the Center for Jewish Studies at UNCA, given on March 13, 2008.

Walter Ziffer: Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass): Tales of Shame & Tales of Heroism 73 minutes/MP3
A lecture at the Center for Jewish Studies at UNCA, given on November 5, 2008, the night after Barack Obama's election (which explains his references to contemporary events in the lecture). As usual, the auditorium was packed. Dr. Ziffer explains the political background of Kristallnacht, and how it foreshadowed the anti-Jewish atrocities that followed. The lecture discusses some specifically Christian reactions to the drama based on Walter's personal post-war experiences with Christians who played significant roles in the outcome of the tragedy.

Compiled/maintained by Barry Krusch.