On June 5th, 2025, historian and journalist Richard Kreitner joined us at MSJE for an enlightening evening exploring his new book, Fear No Pharaoh: American Jews, the Civil War, and the Fight to End Slavery. Kreitner’s work examines the responses, both heroic and problematic, of 19th-century American Jews to slavery, revealing a spectrum of perspectives from abolitionist fervor to pro-slavery defense. Through the stories of figures like Judah Benjamin, Ernestine Rose, and David Einhorn, Kreitner explores how identity, faith, and politics intersected during one of America’s most tumultuous periods. Kreitner spoke with chair of the History Department at LSU, Dr. Aaron Sheehan-Dean.