Isaac Amon

As a Jewish historian, attorney, and former ISIS war crimes investigator, Dr. Amon presents on law and history, with a focus on the Inquisition and the Holocaust (isaacamon.com)

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About

The grandson of Ashkenazi, Sephardi, and Mizrahi Jews, Dr. Amon is a sought after speaker. As a Jewish/legal historian, former Legislative Director at MO Dep't of Corrections, ISIS war crimes investigator, and legal fellow at ICTY in The Hague, he often lectures on international criminal justice and Jewish history and memory, especially antisemitism, the Inquisition, and Holocaust (isaacamon.com)

Programs

Silence Reigns Around Us: The Holocaust & Sephardic Jewry

Holocaust awareness is usually associated with Ashkenazi Jews. Yet, the Shoah also devastated Sephardic Jewry, descendants of Iberian Jews who had survived massacres, forced conversions, expulsion, and the Inquisition. This presentation will be a meaningful overview of a largely unknown chapter (especially Salonica and Rhodes) in the annals of the Holocaust, WWII, and 20th century history.

Jews in Early America: Religious Freedom and the Constitution

In 1791, the Bill of Rights became part of the Constitution. As this talk shows, leading Jewish figures who knew the Founders had suffered the Inquisition or were children of those who had. In correspondence, letters, and debates, the Founders invoked the specter of the Tribunal. Their repugnance, alongside a Jewish presence, helped to enshrine religious freedom in the nascent Republic.

Crypto-Judaism: A Story of Memory, Identity, and Redemption

In this talk, we will journey across the globe with Crypto-Jews who were deprived of access to normative Judaism for centuries and lived their lives under threat of death by the Spanish & Portuguese Inquisitions. Nonetheless, they strove to remain faithful to their ancestral traditions. Their resilience created Jewish communities across Europe and the New World and continues today.

From Courtroom to the High Holidays: The Role of Confession in Judaism and Other Traditions

Confession for one's offenses is often presented as being between man and God. Yet, the criminal justice system has often sought to obtain the confession of the accused through physical and psychological techniques. By examining this history, we will come to appreciate the foresight of the Jewish approach, presaging (by centuries) a model only now arrived at by other traditions.

Evil On Trial: Nuremberg, Eichmann, and A Legacy for Today

After surviving the Holocaust, Raphael Lemkin coined the term genocide as no word existed to describe the magnitude of the Shoah. Through prosecuting the highest ranking Nazi leaders, the Nuremberg and Eichmann Trials laid out and enshrined this legal concept for posterity. This talk will showcase the enduring significance of these trials, which were extraordinary moments in history.

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Endorsements

Our Ezra Bessaroth Sephardic community enjoyed your talk, which was informative and enlightening. We retained much value from your presentation on Sephardic history and its display in our modern times. I thank you for your work and may Hashem bless your important mission.
— Rabbi David Benchlouch, Rabbi, Congregation Ezra Bessaroth, Seattle, Washington

Dr. Isaac Amon recently gave an absolutely amazing presentation surrounding The Jews in Early America. To say that this presentation was very informative is putting it lightly. His knowledge of the history of the Jewish people is awe inspiring. The attendees to our event gave rave reviews of this presentation, as well as his presenting style. We are very excited to have him return soon!
— Kathy Artis, Secretary, The City Congregation for Humanistic Judaism, New York City

Dr. Amon is a warm and personable presenter with a wellspring of knowledge on a wide range of meticulously-researched subject matter. By weaving little-known facts and vignettes on historical personalities, he makes his subject matter come alive in ways that bring relevance to today's most up to the minute headlines. Listeners can be assured of coming away with added appreciation for history.
— Rabbi Yaakov Berkowitz, Rosh Kollel, St. Louis Community Kollel, St. Louis, Missouri

Dear Dr. Amon, I'm thankful to you beyond words for your time with us. What I learned will haunt me for life, which is good. It wasn't till this morning over Shacharit that it fully sank in how lucky I am to have a siddur in hand and all the literature and knowledge I want. My deepest thanks, again, for your life-changing program. It will never leave me. May you go from strength to strength.
— R.S., Teacher, Temple B'nai Israel, Aurora, Illinois

My community, the Okanagan Jewish community in Kelowna, BC, Canada, co-hosted an educational presentation, which we were able to promote across Canada…[it was a] phenonemal presentation by Dr. Isaac Amon. The event was well received by attendees as evidenced by their tremendous feedback. Keep up the important work.
— Steven Finkleman, President, Okanagan Jewish Community, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada

It was an honor and joy to listen to your lecture last Wednesday. No doubt, it was profound research, well-articulated, and an intense conjunction of philosophy, theology, history, tradition, and politics. I am truly blessed to have witnessed that. You are and will continue to be a towering, formidable, and yet kind and cordial figure in whatever you pursue.
— J.S., Law Student, Tulane University Law School, New Orleans, Louisiana

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Interested in booking Isaac Amon to speak at your next event? Contact Jewish Speakers Bureau (infREMOVEo@jewREMOVEishspeakerREMOVEsbureau.com), America's only speakers bureau for Jewish-interest speakers, authors, entertainers, and experts.