Hello podcast fans. It's producer Josh Cross here. If your email inbox right now is anything like mine, you're being inundated with the end of year giving asks. Well, I'm coming at you with one more. Here at Tablet, we are proud, thrilled really, to be able to offer you Jewish content, on podcasts, on our site, in newsletters, and even on Zoom. We've been bringing you old favorites, new shows and miniseries you've liked, and we've even got some new ones coming soon that you're going to love. But we can't do it without a little help from our friends,

which is where you come in. So before 2024 comes to a close, on behalf of the entire podcast team,

I really hope you'll consider supporting our work. Head on over to tabletmag.com

slash donate. Donate.

Welcome to Jewish Studies Unscrolled. I'm Alyssa Quint. On Unscrolled, we dive into Jewish history, culture, and the arts. I kind of think of it like pulling books off a Jewish studies bookshelf. In each episode, we bring on an expert guest

to take a close read of one Jewish text, from second century teachings in the Mishnah to the

Jewishness of Bruce Springsteen's work.

Today on the show, we'll be talking about Nathan Hanover's The Abyss of Despair,

and a 17th century hostage crisis that still resonates today, especially since the events of October 7, 2023.

Thank you. especially since the events of October 7, 2003. The redemption of hostages has long been a Jewish imperative.

Maimonides, the 12th century Torah scholar and philosopher,

even argued that this obligation takes precedence over the feeding and clothing of the poor.

You have no greater commandment than the redemption of captives, he wrote.

For the captive is to be classified among those who hunger, as well as those who thirst,

those who are naked and those who stand on the brink of death.

Cut to 500 years later to the Khmernitsky revolt of 1648. Don't worry if you've never heard of it.

Almost no one has. Here's what you need to know. The revolt happened in what is now Ukraine. Lots of people died, and lots of Jews were taken hostage.

What happened next was barely discussed by scholars, but it's really the most astonishing part.

Even though these events took place in the mid-1600s, no television, no WhatsApp,

no Instagram, Jewish communities throughout Europe and the Middle East were able to stay in touch.

By connecting through a network of emissaries and messengers, they managed to pay the ransoms of Jewish

hostages. This all began in the spring of 1648.

...