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This Jewish history will change how you see our future.

JL;DR SUMMARY Joshua Hoffman explores an alternate history where the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem were never destroyed, suggesting how this might have significantly impacted Jewish life and global civilization. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish HistoryJerusalemTisha B'avSpiritualityJewish ValuesUnityExileCounterfactual HistoryTemplesCultural Leadership

Places mentioned

Jerusalem, Israel
"Jews praying at the Kotel (the Western Wall) in the Old City of Jerusalem (photo: Dylan Shaw/Unsplash)"
Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv District, Israel
"Set in an alternate reality where the Jewish state was overrun during the Six-Day War of 1967, the book imagines a world in which the Arab armies defeat Israel, Tel Aviv is occupied, and Jerusalem lies in ruins."
Rome, Italy
"Imagine a Jerusalem that rivaled Athens, Rome, or Constantinople in shaping global philosophy, science, law, and ethics with Torah and Jewish wisdom at the helm of intellectual life."
London, United Kingdom
"Imagine Jewish communities in Rome, Alexandria, London, and New York, all tied directly to the Temple via emissaries, livestreams of festivals, or annual caravans."
New York, United States
"Imagine Jewish communities in Rome, Alexandria, London, and New York, all tied directly to the Temple via emissaries, livestreams of festivals, or annual caravans."

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Retrieved 2025-08-04 05:31:17 UTC
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