Words you'll see
From the plain-language guide, plus terms added for the transcript topics.
- Antisemitism
- Hatred of, or prejudice against, Jewish people.
- Esau and Jacob
- Twin brothers in the Book of Genesis. Jacob was later called Israel, and the Israelites (Jews) trace their family line to him. Esau's descendants became a separate nation called Edom.
- Edom / Edomites
- An ancient kingdom south of the Dead Sea, a neighbor and sometimes an enemy of ancient Judah. It disappeared as a nation about 2,000 years ago.
- Idumeans
- The Greek and Roman name for Edomites living in southern Judea around the time of Jesus.
- Josephus
- A Jewish historian who wrote around 94 CE. His books are a main source for this period.
- Herod the Great
- King of Judea when Jesus was born. His father's family was Idumean.
- Sanhedrin
- The Jewish high court and council in ancient Jerusalem.
- Pharisees
- A Jewish religious group in Jesus' time. The Apostle Paul was one.
- Talmud
- A huge collection of Jewish legal and religious discussions written down around 200-500 CE. It records arguments between rabbis, not a single rulebook.
- Ashkenazi
- Jews whose families lived for centuries in Central and Eastern Europe.
- Zionism
- The movement to create, and now support, a Jewish homeland in Israel.
- Mossad
- Israel's foreign intelligence agency.
- Conspiracy theory
- A claim that a secret group is secretly controlling events, usually without real evidence.
- Goy / goyim
- Hebrew and Yiddish word meaning "nation"; in everyday use, a non-Jew.
- Added for transcript topics
- Hasmoneans / Maccabees
- The Jewish family that led a revolt against Greek-Syrian rule in the 160s BCE and then ruled Judea until Herod.
- Added for transcript topics
- John Hyrcanus
- A Hasmonean ruler of Judea; Josephus records that he brought the Idumeans into Judaism around 125 BCE.
- Added for transcript topics
- Antigonus
- The last Hasmonean king, replaced by Herod with Roman backing.
- Added for transcript topics
- Kerioth
- A town listed in the Bible as being in Judah; often linked to the name "Judas Iscariot."
- Added for transcript topics
- Kabbalah
- A tradition of Jewish mystical writing and thought, much of it published and studied openly.
- Added for transcript topics
- Noahide laws
- A Jewish religious teaching of seven basic moral laws for non-Jews. It has no means of enforcement.
- Added for transcript topics
- Third Temple
- The idea, held by some religious groups, of rebuilding the Jerusalem Temple destroyed in 70 CE.
- Added for transcript topics
- Antichrist
- In Christian belief, a figure opposed to Christ expected before the end times. Interpretations differ widely.
- Added for transcript topics
- Freemasonry
- A fraternal society that started in England in 1717. It is not Jewish.
- Added for transcript topics
- Bolsheviks
- The Communist faction led by Lenin that took power in Russia in 1917.
- Added for transcript topics
- ADL (Anti-Defamation League)
- An American organization founded in 1913 that campaigns against antisemitism and other bigotry.
- Added for transcript topics
- Protocols of the Elders of Zion
- A fake document claiming a secret Jewish plan for world control, exposed as a forgery in 1921.
- Added for transcript topics
A note on why this mattersthe claims in the video are old conspiracy theories in new clothes. Knowing where each one comes from, and where it goes wrong, is the best way to answer them calmly and fairly.