Diary of a Black Jewish Messiah

Placeholder author icon
By Alan Verskin *10

Published March 27, 2023

Jewish political activist and adventurer David Reubeni (1490-1532), was hailed as a messiah by many wealthy Jews and Iberia’s oppressed conversos. Diary of a Black Jewish Messiah (Stanford University Press) is the first English translation of Reubeni’s diaries, which were written in Hebrew. The book details his travels and personal travails, as well as the dramatic desperation of Renaissance Jewish communities while Reubeni tried to save them.

Paw in print

Image
PAW’s May 2026 cover, featuring a photo of an orange flower.
The Latest Issue

May 2026

The Attentionauts; Philip Stoltzfus ’79 and Lebanese American University in wartime.