In the 17th century, the University of Padua was the only European university that admitted non-Catholics, leading many Jews to flock to its medical school. One such student was Rabbi Samson Morpurgo. Edward Reichman recounts Morpurgo’s career, and shares some visually striking documents:

Last week, Russia negotiated a ceasefire between the Syrian government and rebel forces in the city of Daraa, where the initial protests that sparked the uprising against Bashar al-Assad began. The agreement ended a 75-day assault on the city, located near the country’s southwestern border, by Russian, Iranian, and Syrian forces. Jonathan Spyer explains the significance of these events: