Popular Shows by Yehuda Geberer יהודה גברר
476 episodes
#
Name
Release Date
Duration
1
The Development of American Postwar Yeshivos
The Development of American Postwar Yeshivos
Feb 14, 2026
44:09
Reflecting upon the phenomenal growth of the American Yeshiva society in the second half of the 20th century, one tends to focus on the great accomplishments of individual leaders such as Rav Aharon Kotler, Rav Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, the Satmar Rav, institutions such as Torah Umesorah, RIETS, RJJ, BMG and other internal development within American Orthodoxy. However there's a broader narrative, with gradual processes taking place in broader American society which facilitated the growth of yeshivos during this time. Economic, social and demographic changes in the United States in the postwar era, LBJ's Great Society and the Vietnam War draft, are all external factors which facilitated the growth of the American yeshiva community. External factors are often overlooked but are no less important in understanding Jewish history. Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: [email protected]
2
Come on and Ride the Train: The Kastner Story Part IX
Come on and Ride the Train: The Kastner Story Part IX
Feb 7, 2026
1:06:39
In this final installment of the Kastner train series, the legacy of the Kastner trial is explored in three ways. In a series of interviews in 1957 known as the Sassen documents, Adolf Eichmann described his view of the role that Kastner played in the negotiations. In 1961 famed Hollywood screenwriter and novelist Ben Hecht authored Perfidy, a harsh critique of Kastner and the Zionist leadership. Who was Ben Hecht and what are the limitations of Perfidy. Finally, a broad swath of scholars, historians, historical figures and writers are presented in a sweeping summary of the spectrum of views criticizing and defending Kastner. Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: [email protected]
3
Come on and Ride the Train: The Kastner Story Part VII
Come on and Ride the Train: The Kastner Story Part VII
Jan 17, 2026
1:09:46
Following the war’s end in 1945, the controversy surrounding Kastner’s wartime activities began to emerge. Some pointed to the fact that he rescued an entire trainload of Jews, while others accused him of failing to warn Hungarian Jewry of the impending deportations to Auschwitz. The Jewish People in general and Israeli society in particular were reeling from the trauma of the Holocaust. The trial involving the story of Kastner and his negotiations takes place in the context of Israeli society of the 1950’s. Two salient features hover in the background across broader society. A traumatized people facing not its murderers but rather alleged Jewish collaborators, and the inter Israeli politics, with many resentful against the Mapai political establishment who were the leaders of the Israeli government during this time. These two undercurrents serve as the backdrop for the unfolding trial, which was instigated by a pamphlet published by Malkiel Grunwald in August 1952 accusing Kastner of Nazi collaboration. The State of Israel sued Grunwald for libel, and the latter retained the legal counsel of a brilliant and talented lawyer named Shmuel Tamir, who came to dominate the subsequent trial proceedings. Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: [email protected]
4
[RERELEASE] The 1837 Tzfas Earthquake (replay)
[RERELEASE] The 1837 Tzfas Earthquake (replay)
Jan 24, 2026
55:42
Reposted with a new introduction, this episode will serve as a temporary break from the ongoing series on the Kastner train. On January 1, 1837, a devastating earthquake hit the upper Galilee and southern Lebanon, destroying towns, villages, property and roads, disrupting commerce and claiming the lives of thousands of victims. The ancient and mystical city of Tzfas was essentially destroyed at the epicenter of the earthquake’s damage, with most of its citizens killed, and the remainder being rendered homeless and penniless in the wake of this natural disaster. The traumatic event left a decisive impact on the trajectory of the Old Yishuv, with the wider social, economic and religious ramifications of this displacement being felt for decades. The rise of Yerushalayim with the downfall of Tzfas, messianic tension and subsequent disappointment, the funding apparatus of the Old Yishuv, and many other elements of Jewish life, would be heavily influenced by this one natural disaster which changed the Jewish history of the Holy Land. Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: [email protected]
5
Come on and Ride the Train: The Kastner Story Part VIII
Come on and Ride the Train: The Kastner Story Part VIII
Jan 31, 2026
1:17:16
Who were the primary characters involved in the Kastner trial and how did their personal life stories impact the trial proceedings? What did the witnesses at the trial reveal about the Kastner negotiations? What was discussed and what wasn’t discussed about the Holocaust in Hungary at the trial? What was the verdict of the trial? How did the Supreme Court react to the verdict of the lower court? All this and more as we continue to explore the contentious history of the Kastner train and trial. Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: [email protected]
6
The Imrei Emes: Visionary Leader of Ger
The Imrei Emes: Visionary Leader of Ger
May 13, 2019
5:20
Jewish History Lecturer and Yad Vashem Historian, Yehuda Geberer shares the story of the Imrei Emes for a group in Ger. Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
7
Marriage Age in Jewish History
Marriage Age in Jewish History
Oct 25, 2025
43:18
During the 18th & first half of the 19th centuries, many members of the financial and rabbinical elite in Jewish Eastern Europe engaged in the practice of marrying off their children at a very young age. Why did they do that? How widespread was this practice? Why did it end? And what ramifications did this have on European Jewish life during this time and afterwards? Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: [email protected]
8
The Great Phenomenon of Reb Shayala of Kerestir
The Great Phenomenon of Reb Shayala of Kerestir
May 7, 2019
19:27
Introducing a new Jewish History Podcast from Jewish Historian and Tour Guide Yehuda Geberer. Enjoy the story of the incredible phenomenon of Reb Shayala Kerestir that has taken the Jewish World by storm. Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
9
Come on and Ride the Train: The Kastner Story Part II
Come on and Ride the Train: The Kastner Story Part II
Dec 13, 2025
1:03:21
What did Hungarian Jewry look like on the eve of World War II? What was its size, religious composition and communal organization? What happened to Hungarian Jewry prior to the Nazi invasion in March 1944? What were the Nazi plans for Hungarian Jewry following the occupation? How were the deportations carried out and what was their scope? Who was the Jewish leadership in Budapest during this time? What were the roles of the Neolog (Hungarian Reform), Orthodox, secular and Zionist leaders in Budapest during the Nazi occupation? This overview will provide much needed context to understand the broader story of the Kastner train and ensuing controversy. Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: [email protected]
10
Come on and Ride the Train: The Kastner Story Part III
Come on and Ride the Train: The Kastner Story Part III
Dec 20, 2025
59:55
On April 7, 1944 two Slovakian Jews named Rudolf Vrba & Alfred Wetzler made a daring escape from Auschwitz and made their way back to Slovakia. They submitted a detailed and accurate report of the horrifying truth of the Auschwitz extermination facilities, along with details regarding the transports arriving in the camp and the overall camp structure. The Slovakian Jewish leadership attempted to pass on the vital information to the outside world, and crucially to the Hungarian Jewish leadership as well. Although the Hungarian Jewish leadership received the information by the end of April, the truth about Auschwitz was not disseminated to the Hungarian Jewish masses by the time the deportations from Hungary to Auschwitz commenced on May 15. Till the end of his life, Rudolf Vrba bitterly accused both the Slovakian and Hungarian Jewish leadership of not spreading the truth about Auschwitz to the Hungarian Jewish masses. Rudolf Kastner was one of many Hungarian Jewish leaders who received the Vrba-Wetzler report. What did he do with the information he received? What could he have done? Was his actions different in any way from other leaders who had access to this information? Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: [email protected]
11
The Execution of Adolf Eichmann
The Execution of Adolf Eichmann
Nov 30, 2024
38:33
With the recent passing of Shalom Nagar, the former prison guard who was the executioner of Adolf Eichmann in 1962, we examine the story of the events leading up to and including his execution. While the story of his capture by Mossad agents in Argentina is dramatic and well known, the story of his appeals and attempt at receiving a pardon, as well as the symbolic ending in his execution is an important part of the story and a closing chapter in Holocaust history. Cross River, a leading financial institution committed to supporting its communities, is proud to sponsor Jewish History Soundbites. As a trusted partner for individuals and businesses, Cross River understands the importance of preserving and celebrating our heritage. By sponsoring this podcast, they demonstrate their unwavering dedication to enriching the lives of the communities in which they serve. Visit Cross River at https://www.crossriver.com/ Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: [email protected]
12
Come on and Ride the Train: The Kastner Story Part I
Come on and Ride the Train: The Kastner Story Part I
Dec 6, 2025
44:30
NEW SERIES ON JEWISH HISTORY SOUNDBITES On June 30, 1944, a train departed Budapest, Hungary, carrying 1,684 Jews as its passengers. This occurred during the peak of the Nazi deportations of Hungarian Jewry to Auschwitz in the horrific summer of 1944. This particular trainload however, following a short stint in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, was permitted to cross the border into Switzerland and freedom. The entire project was orchestrated through direct negotiations with the SS through the efforts of a young Zionist leader in Budapest named Rudolf Kastner. Though the lives of those on the train were saved, the entire operation was deemed controversial due to the fact that Kastner chose not to spread the word of the impending deportations among the wider masses of Hungarian Jewry. This resulted in an even more controversial courtroom drama in the 1950’s in Jerusalem, in a trial erroneously known to history as the Kastner trial. This multi part series now being launched on Jewish History Soundbites podcast will examine the story of the negotiations, rescue, aftermath, trial and legacy. It will attempt to provide a historical context as it was understood by the diverse array of characters involved in the narrative at the time. Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: [email protected]
13
Come on and Ride the Train: The Kastner Story Part V
Come on and Ride the Train: The Kastner Story Part V
Jan 3, 2026
59:31
Who ultimately got rescued on the Kastner train? How was the list assembled? What were the SS criteria for those Jews to be included on the list? How diverse was the representation of the various factions of Hungarian Jewry on the train? Who financed the bribes to the SS in order for the train to be rescued? On this episode the discussion shifts to the actual composition of those rescued on the train, what role did Rudolf Kastner himself play in assembling the final list, the SS perspective on who should be included on the train and how it was financed and by whom. In addition, several of the greatest Hungarian rabbis who were rescued on the train are profiled, although the most famous of all - the Satmar Rav - will not be discussed on this installment, and will have to wait for next episode. Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: [email protected]
14
The Maharsha
The Maharsha
Jan 18, 2025
45:41
Someone whose Talmudic commentary has completely dominated Torah study for four centuries, Rav Shmuel Eliezer Aidel’s (circa 1555-1631), better known as the Maharsha, emerged as a leading rabbinical figure and teacher during the golden age of Polish Jewry in the late 16th & early 17th centuries. Financially supported by his mother in law Aidel for many years, the Maharsha was able to both teach Torah to his students, as well as author his all-encompassing commentary to both the the Halachic as well as Aggadic passages of the entire Shas. Following his mother in law’s passing, he assumed several successive rabbinical positions, before finally settling in the prominent community of Ostroh, where he remained until his passing. There he opened a yeshiva, and served the needs of the community. He also served in a broader leadership capacity within the autonomous governing council known as the Vaad Ha’arbah Aratzos – the Council of the Four Lands, recognized by the government in the old Polish Kingdom. The Maharsha’s influence on Torah scholarship remains prominent until this very day. Cross River, a leading financial institution committed to supporting its communities, is proud to sponsor Jewish History Soundbites. As a trusted partner for individuals and businesses, Cross River understands the importance of preserving and celebrating our heritage. By sponsoring this podcast, they demonstrate their unwavering dedication to enriching the lives of the communities in which they serve. Visit Cross River at https://www.crossriver.com/ Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: [email protected]
15
The Eichmann Trial
The Eichmann Trial
Dec 7, 2024
42:01
The trial for former SS officer Adolf Eichmann, one of the architects of the Final Solution, which took place in Jerusalem between April – August 1961, wasn’t merely a trial for one individual and his heinous crimes. The trial showcased the story of the Holocaust and broadcast it worldwide for the world, the Jewish People and the State of Israel to confront and make part of its consciousness. Examining various aspects of the Eichmann trial and its proceedings will present a narrative of exposing the story of the Holocaust as we know it today. Check out a previous episode of Jewish History Soundbites which dealt with the Kapo trials during the 1950’s prior to the Eichmann trial: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/collaboration-or-cooperation-eliezer-greunbaum-jewish-kapos/ Cross River, a leading financial institution committed to supporting its communities, is proud to sponsor Jewish History Soundbites. As a trusted partner for individuals and businesses, Cross River understands the importance of preserving and celebrating our heritage. By sponsoring this podcast, they demonstrate their unwavering dedication to enriching the lives of the communities in which they serve. Visit Cross River at https://www.crossriver.com/ Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: [email protected]
16
The Frank Family & The Slabodka Roshei Yeshiva
The Frank Family & The Slabodka Roshei Yeshiva
May 15, 2019
7:45
Yad Vashem Historian Yehuda Geberer shares the story of R' Shraga Feivel Frank and his wife Golda whose many descendants founded the great yeshivas of great Yeshivas of Slutzk, Kletzk, Chevron, BMG-Lakewood, Ner Yisroel, Har Etzion, Yeshivat Hadarom, Woodlake Village and more.. Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
17
Come on and Ride the Train: The Kastner Story Part IV
Come on and Ride the Train: The Kastner Story Part IV
Dec 27, 2025
55:00
What were the actual negotiations between Kastner and other Jewish rescue leaders and Eichmann and the SS? How were the negotiations initiated and how did they develop? When did they take place? Who were the personalities on the negotiating team on each side? What were the goals of the SS in the negotiations and what were the goals of the Jewish rescue leaders like Kastner? The tense negotiations proceeded over the course of April-June 1944 in Budapest, and went through several stages. Understanding the who, when and why of the negotiations themselves, will broaden our understanding of the entire Kastner story. Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: [email protected]
18
RERELEASE: Tales of Sukkos & Simchas Torah (update)
RERELEASE: Tales of Sukkos & Simchas Torah (update)
Oct 4, 2025
46:00
In honor of the upcoming Sukkos & Simchas Torah holidays, here's an updated version of an old episode of Jewish History Soundbites, containing entertaining historical tales & tidbits from Jewish history. With updates and additions to enjoy. Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: [email protected]
19
Self-hating Jews in Jewish History
Self-hating Jews in Jewish History
Nov 1, 2025
44:46
Unfortunately the phenomenon of isolated instances of Jews consumed with self hatred, while projecting antisemitic stereotypes on their brethren is nothing new. It has existed in one form or another throughout Jewish history. This historical saga is worth examining, coupled with specific stories of Jewish self hatred during the Nazi era. Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: [email protected]
20
Bekeshas, Boots & Blue Shirts: Jewish Dress in Modern Times
Bekeshas, Boots & Blue Shirts: Jewish Dress in Modern Times
Mar 6, 2021
39:17
What is distinctive Jewish dress? Is it distinctive? How is Jewish traditional fashion influenced by the surrounding society? When did chassidic dress develop? Why does Chassidic and traditional Jewish fashion still follow modes of Eastern European Jewish fashion? What makes the rabbinic frock Jewish and why is it for rabbis? Why are there different types of shtreimels? What is a 'tarbush'? Fashion and accepted clothing styles in traditional Jewish communities was and is a mode of expression of Jewish and distinctive communal identity throughout Jewish history. Through the challenges of modernity, this was brought into much sharper focus in the last century. In this episode we'll explore some of the trends of Jewish fashion in modern Jewish history. For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
21
Blood Libels
Blood Libels
Apr 9, 2025
54:58
Among the many manifestations of medieval European antisemitism was the blood libel – the infamous false accusations of ritual murder which were used against Jewish communities for a millennium, resulting in many innocent Jewish lives lost and a climate of fear and danger surrounding the Pesach holiday. Directly related to the Christian holiday of Easter, the specific accusation of ritual murder developed in England in 1144, with the first recorded blood libel surrounding the death of William of Norwich. It soon spread to continental Europe, and remains to this day in some parts of the world. Aside from the challenges inherent in confronting the blood libel itself, many seminal events in Jewish history had their roots in a blood libel, such that it has cemented itself as a tragic component of the collective Jewish experience. Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: [email protected]
22
Jewish Saviors of the Holocaust Part I: Monsieur & the Belgian Orphans
Jewish Saviors of the Holocaust Part I: Monsieur & the Belgian Orphans
Jul 5, 2022
46:59
Jewish History Soundbites is proud to launch a special series entitled ‘Jewish Saviors of the Holocaust’. It will explore the narratives of Jews under Nazi occupation risking their lives to save others during the Holocaust. Each unique profile will explore another story, angle and individual (or group of individuals) who though their own lives were at risk still did everything in their power to save others. The series opens with the story of Yona Tiefenbrunner, known to the orphans he saves as ‘Monsieur’. Born in Germany, he arrived as a refugee in Belgium shortly before the war’s outbreak. He initially opened an orphanage at his own expense in order to assist German Jewish refugee children. With the Nazi occupation of Belgium and the subsequent deportations in 1942, his Brussels orphanage emerged as an island of rescue, as the Nazis miraculously allowed the orphanage to operate and spare the children from deportation to the east. Maintaining a semblance of normalcy under increasingly challenging conditions, Yona managed to care for the orphans' physical and religious welfare until liberation. Following the war, the orphanage relocated to Antwerp and cared for children survivors until its closing in 1960. To dedicate an episode in the Jewish History Soundbites ‘Jewish Saviors of the Holocaust’ series, please contact Yehuda at [email protected] For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
23
Jewish Saviors of the Holocaust Part III: The Sobibor Revolt
Jewish Saviors of the Holocaust Part III: The Sobibor Revolt
Jul 17, 2022
28:25
Within the framework of Operation Reinhard, the Nazi extermination of Polish Jewry, the SS built three death camps in Eastern Poland - Belzec, Treblinka & Sobibor. The latter was the smallest of the three, and a quarter of a million primarily Polish and Dutch Jews were killed in its gas chambers during its year and a half of existence. It was at Sobibor that on October 14, 1943 a great prisoner escape took place. Led by the son of a Polish rabbi named Leon Feldhendler & a Soviet Jewish Red Army officer named Sasha Pechersky, these two unlikely leaders joined together to formulate a plan to save not just themselves but to give all of the 600 inmates at Sobibor an equal chance to escape. The revolt killed several SS officers, 300 Jewish prisoners made it to the forest and nearly 50 survived the war. As they broke for the fences, Pechersky demanded that anyone who survive should tell the world what went on in Sobibor. To dedicate an episode in the Jewish History Soundbites ‘Jewish Saviors of the Holocaust’ series, please contact Yehuda at [email protected] Jewish History Soundbites is coming to NY! Register here for the upcoming tour of the Mt. Judah cemetery with Yehuda Geberer on July 29, 9:30 am For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
24
The Tragic Death Of Rav Lazer Telzer
The Tragic Death Of Rav Lazer Telzer
May 16, 2019
13:35
Yad Vashem Historian and Lecturer Yehuda Geberer shares the story of the untimely death of the Telzer Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Elizer Gordon who tragically and suddenly passed way while fundraising in London in 1910. Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
25
The Great Escape: The Belzer Rebbe & the Farewell Speech in Budapest
The Great Escape: The Belzer Rebbe & the Farewell Speech in Budapest
Jul 8, 2019
22:29
After narrowly escaping death hiding out in various Ghettos, the Belzer Rebbe and his brother make it to the relative safety of Hungary, and from there to Eretz Yisroel. The farewell speech given by the Rebbe's brother together with his subsequent departure, caused a controversy that remains till this very day. A fresh look at an old story. Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
26
Escapees from the Chelmno Death Camp
Escapees from the Chelmno Death Camp
Aug 2, 2025
1:16:20
Special Tisha B'av episode: A recording of a live lecture delivered in May 2025 at the Shappell's Darche Noam Yeshiva in Yerushalayim, on the topic of the first Nazi death camp at Chelmno, near Lodz, Poland. The story of the daring escape attempts from this extermination site, and the escapees efforts at spreading the word to their brethren in nearby ghettos in order to sound the alarm regarding the Nazi implementation of the Final Solution. Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: [email protected]
27
Come on and Ride the Train: The Kastner Story Part VI
Come on and Ride the Train: The Kastner Story Part VI
Jan 10, 2026
1:04:37
The Satmar Rav, Rav Yoel Teitelbaum, was rescued on the Kastner train. How did this great leader of Hungarian Orthodoxy and chassidic community, who was well known for his vocal opposition to Zionism, receive a place of rescue on the train which was organized by the secular Zionist Aid and Rescue Committee of Budapest? Insights into his inclusion broadens our understanding of how the rescue train story developed. Other famous individuals were rescued on the Kastner train as well. In conclusion it’s worth summarizing the entire story of the negotiations with the SS and the rescue train’s departure from Budapest, through its stay in Bergen-Belsen. Clarifying the chronological sequence of events will provide a good review of the entire train story, so that we can transition to the story of the trial in the next installment. Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: [email protected]
28
Jews, Sports & Identity
Jews, Sports & Identity
Nov 8, 2022
32:50
Jews and sports is an exploration of Jewish identity and integration in the modern world. This was expressed as Jews became fans of sports teams, with the most famous baseball fan in history being an eccentric Jewish woman named Hilda Chester. Jews were always prominent in the labor movement, and it was a Jewish labor organizer named Marvin Miller who, as president of the Player’s Union, successfully rid Baseball of the reserve clause and emancipated the players from the owner’s grip. During the 1920’s and 30’s Jews were especially prominent in boxing. Benny Leonard and Barney Ross were famous boxing champions, but there were many others as well. Jewish participation in boxing is perhaps the most typical expression of both the struggles of the immigrant generation, along with the process of Americanization. Several victims of the Holocaust were famous Jewish athletes. Eddy Hamel of the Dutch National Football (soccer) team, Victor Perez the boxer, gymnasts, fencers and others as well. Though they may have been celebrities known for their physical prowess, Nazi racial theory considered them Jews and they suffered the same fate as European Jewry. Sponsored by the OU’s Teach Coalition, whose network of thousands of activists just like you, are urging you to go out and vote in the upcoming elections on November 8, 2022. For help contact the voter hotline at 646-459-5162 or https://teachcoalition.org/vote/ For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
29
Witnesses at the Eichmann Trial
Witnesses at the Eichmann Trial
Dec 14, 2024
46:23
The prosecutor at the Eichmann trial, Gideon Hausner, opened the trial with a speech to history. Evoking the memory of the Holocaust victims, and referring to them as the true accusers of Adolf Eichmann at the trial. With that speech both the dramatic atmosphere as well as the overall theme, were set for the entire ensuing trial. The over 100 witnesses took the stand not only to implicate Eichmann for his role in the Final Solution, but also to tell the world, the Jewish People and Israeli society what the Holocaust was all about. Through the often dramatic moments of witness testimony over the course of the trial, the broad scope of the Holocaust narrative was finally confronted. A clear before and after the trial was delineated in the collective memory of the Jewish People and the world at large regarding the history and memory of the Holocaust. Cross River, a leading financial institution committed to supporting its communities, is proud to sponsor Jewish History Soundbites. As a trusted partner for individuals and businesses, Cross River understands the importance of preserving and celebrating our heritage. By sponsoring this podcast, they demonstrate their unwavering dedication to enriching the lives of the communities in which they serve. Visit Cross River at https://www.crossriver.com/ Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: [email protected]
30
After the Eichmann Trial
After the Eichmann Trial
Dec 21, 2024
38:31
The Jewish People, Israeli society and the world at large confronted the Holocaust in the years following the Eichmann trial. Survivors began submitting testimony and writing their memoirs, historians and scholars embarked on research projects in a more systematic fashion and the Holocaust became a permanent element of the international consciousness. Hannah Arendt’s book, Eichmann in Jerusalem, generated much controversy and response. Her exploration of the ‘banality of evil’, as well as her controversial statements regarding the trial itself and Jewish leadership during the Holocaust, resulted in a slew of books, articles and general polemics to disprove many of her ideas and statements. Eichmann’s defense of ‘just following orders’, generated responses as well. From Stanley Milgram’s famous authority experiments at Yale, to Phillip Zimbardo’s Stanford prison experiment, social psychologists seemed as keen as understanding the Holocaust as much as historians. Cross River, a leading financial institution committed to supporting its communities, is proud to sponsor Jewish History Soundbites. As a trusted partner for individuals and businesses, Cross River understands the importance of preserving and celebrating our heritage. By sponsoring this podcast, they demonstrate their unwavering dedication to enriching the lives of the communities in which they serve. Visit Cross River at https://www.crossriver.com/ Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: [email protected]
31
Chassidus & Ahavas Yisroel
Chassidus & Ahavas Yisroel
May 15, 2019
16:33
Jewish History Lecturer and Yad Vashem Researcher Yehuda Geberer delves into the legendary love for fellow Jews that was exhibited by Chassidic Leaders such as Rabbi Yisroel Baal Shem Tov, Rabbi Elimilech of Lizhensk and the Chozeh of Lublin. Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
32
Radical Mussarites: The School of Novardok
Radical Mussarites: The School of Novardok
Jun 3, 2021
29:45
The Novardok Yeshiva was both a mussar philosophy as well as a movement. Founded by Rav Yosef Yoizel Horowitz (1850-1919), the Alter of Novardok, in 1896, it soon grew into tens of branches across Russia. Known for its rather radical approach to mussar, educational philosophy and growth, it was seemingly influenced by the general revolutionary zeitgeist in the Russian Empire at the turn of the century. Exiled during World War One, the entire movement would eventually make a daring border crossing into Poland in order to escape from Soviet Russia. The flagship yeshiva was established in Bialystok under the leadership of the Alter's son in law Rav Avraham Joffen. Several other primary branches were established in other cities, with tens of smaller branches across the country. Often it was chassidic students who were recruited to join its ranks. Decimated during the war, attempts were made at rebuilding in Israel through several pre war branches that had been established there, as well as the United States, with limited success. In France however, Rav Gershon Leibman succeeded in reestablishing the Novardok network with his Ohr Yosef schools, which primarily served Moroccan students. For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
33
It's All in the Family: The Curious Case of Mary Ben-Gurion
It's All in the Family: The Curious Case of Mary Ben-Gurion
Jan 4, 2020
24:35
Amos Ben-Gurion was the son of David & Paula Ben-Gurion. While serving in the Jewish Brigade in the British Army during World War II, he was wounded and wound up in a Liverpool hospital. While there, he was taken care of by a nurse named Mary Callow. They eventually decided to get married despite the fact that Mary was Christian. There thus followed a sage of the attempted conversion of Mary to enable her to become Mary Ben Gurion. The conversion was eventually done by a German born American Reform Rabbi named Joachim Prinz, known for his activism in the Civil Rights Movement. Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
34
The Death Marches
The Death Marches
Aug 8, 2024
47:55
Towards the end of 1944, as it became clear to the senior officers of the Nazi SS that the war was lost, they decided to evacuate the many concentration camps which held several hundred thousand inmates, and which stood in the path of the rapidly advancing Red Army. Himmler and his SS didn’t want to leave living witnesses to be liberated by the Allied armies, and they also wished to utilize the slave labor of concentration camp inmates in the remaining war industry in Germany for the duration of the war. During the winter of 1944-45, a mass evacuation of nearly a half a million prisoners commenced from large concentration camps such as Auschwitz-Birkenau, Stutthof and Gross-Rosen, along with many smaller camps, began under horrid conditions. Starved, diseased, freezing weather, lack of preparation for the journey, and constant shootings of those who lagged behind, made these death marches a murderous journey, in which tens of thousands were killed or died along the way. As trains were often unavailable, the bulk of these death marches took place on foot. This last deadly phase of the Holocaust was a tragic ending for many victims, and a traumatic memory for the few survivors. Cross River, a leading financial institution committed to supporting its communities, is proud to sponsor Jewish History Soundbites. As a trusted partner for individuals and businesses, Cross River understands the importance of preserving and celebrating our heritage. By sponsoring this podcast, they demonstrate their unwavering dedication to enriching the lives of the communities in which they serve. Visit Cross River at https://www.crossriver.com/ Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: [email protected]
35
The Secularization of the Jewish People in the Modern Era Part I
The Secularization of the Jewish People in the Modern Era Part I
Feb 15, 2025
49:54
At the dawn of the 18th century, the overwhelming majority of the Jewish People were religiously observant in the traditional sense. By mid-20th century, the overwhelming majority of the Jewish People practiced a decidedly secular lifestyle. How and why did this secularization take place? This new series launched on Jewish History Soundbites will explore this topic in this and upcoming episodes, and provide definitive answers to this important historical question. Over the course of the 18th-19th centuries there emerged internal Jewish movements in Germany, Galicia & Russia who advocated for changes within the Jewish communal, educational & religious structure. Haskala, Reform and others rose to prominence on the Jewish scene and prompted a long and combative response from the Orthodox establishment. Though it may be enticing to suppose that it was these internal Jewish movements which were the cause of secularization, in reality this was not the case. Secularization was almost exclusively caused by primarily external factors, all of which were distinctive features of the modern era. Political changes, emancipation, legislative changes, economic changes, technological advancements, the industrial revolution, wars, revolutions, urbanization, immigration trends, colonialism & other external factors of modernity, all combined to generate a silent trend towards secularization. This was a movement without ideology, platform or leadership. It was a reality of growing secularization which was a direct result of the modern era and its challenges. Sign up for our upcoming trip of a lifetime – Jewish history Europe trip: https://www.lalechet.com/tour/EuropeHeritage Cross River, a leading financial institution committed to supporting its communities, is proud to sponsor Jewish History Soundbites. As a trusted partner for individuals and businesses, Cross River understands the importance of preserving and celebrating our heritage. By sponsoring this podcast, they demonstrate their unwavering dedication to enriching the lives of the communities in which they serve. Visit Cross River at https://www.crossriver.com/ Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: [email protected]
36
A Lion from Bavel: The Ben Ish Chai
A Lion from Bavel: The Ben Ish Chai
Apr 5, 2025
45:48
Rav Yosef Chaim (1835-1909), better known by his popular work Ben Ish Chai, was an important leader of the Baghdad Jewish community of the 19th century, whose influence reached across the Ottoman Empire and beyond. Having grown up in the rabbinical aristocracy of Baghdad, he succeeded his father’s position in 1859, serving the Jewish community for the next half century. This was primarily through his masterful oratorical skills, which he delivered twice daily, every Shabbos and on special occasions to the entire community. He wrote tens of works on the entire gamut of Torah literature, and financed his own publication costs to have them printed in Jerusalem. He made a historic journey to the Land of Israel in 1869, and at the end of his life inspired the Calcutta based philanthropist Yosef Avraham Shalom to fund the establishment of the famed Porat Yosef yeshiva. His innovative halachic methodology influences the world of Sephardic psak until today. Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: [email protected]
37
Tribute to Rav Dovid Kamenetsky
Tribute to Rav Dovid Kamenetsky
Sep 20, 2025
46:37
Torah scholar, author of many acclaimed seforim on the Torah of the Vilna Gaon and others, historian and author of the definitive work on Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzinski, are just a few of the many accomplishments of Rav Dovid Kamenetsky. His untimely passing leaves a void in the realm of his important historical research, but more importantly in what he represented as a person. He was beloved by all who knew him, whether it was in the National Library where he conducted his research for over four decades, or in his many interactions in his personal and professional life. This modest tribute is but a slice of his legacy and accomplishments, and may it serve as an albeit small contribution in cementing the legacy of this great man. Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: [email protected]
38
Tourbites: Paris
Tourbites: Paris
Sep 13, 2025
44:01
Aside from the generic tourist attractions & fantastic restaurants, Paris is also rich in Jewish history. Some locations evoke tragedy such as the Drancy transit camp which was the point of deportation during the Holocaust, and the Place Hotel de Ville where the Talmud was burnt on the orders of King Louis IX in 1242. Others are more quaint, such as the Pletzl, the historic neighborhood of Eastern European Jewish immigrants in the heart of the city. We also visit the gravesite of Rav Yosef David Zintzheim (1745-1812), a towering leader of French Jewry during the challenging times of the French Revolution, the Reign of Terror, emancipation of French Jewry and the Napoleonic era. As the head of Napoleon’s ‘Sanhedrin’ in 1806-1807, he navigated the challenging questions posed by Napoleon regarding integrating France’s Jews without compromising an iota of Halacha or Jewish tradition. Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: [email protected]
39
The Mirrers Who Didn’t Make It
The Mirrers Who Didn’t Make It
Jul 24, 2023
41:10
It’s well known that the Mir Yeshiva collectively and successfully escaped war torn Europe, being stranded first in Kobe, Japan, followed by a long exile in Shanghai, China. While mostly true, there were students who were unable for one reason or another to escape together with the yeshiva, and remained behind being martyred by the Nazis and their collaborators along with millions of their brethren. One of the prominent ones was Rav Yona Karpilov (Minsker). As a student of Rav Elchanan Wasserman and Rav Baruch Ber Leibowitz, he arrived in Mir in 1926 as a budding scholar, and soon emerged as one of the closest students of the Mir mashgiach Rav Yerucham Levovitz, as well as one of the yeshiva’s leaders guiding many of the younger students. He was also part of a contingent who studied in Brisk under Rav Yitzchak Soloveitchik, the Brisker Rav. Many theories have been presented as to why he didn’t succeed in obtaining one of the coveted Sugihara visas in the summer of 1940, but ultimately he was in Kovno the following summer and not in Shanghai with his friends. He was murdered by Lithuanian collaborators in 1941. This episode is sponsored by the OU. Make your Tish B'Av more meaningful with the OU. Renowned speakers, special programming, and live kumzits straight from the Kosel! For more information and to pre-register see below. https://go.ou.org/ejljxmkA To support the efforts to publish Yonas Eilem, the writings of Rav Yona Minsker Hy”d: https://charidy.com/yonasilem For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
40
Feivels Going West: Jews in the Wild West
Feivels Going West: Jews in the Wild West
Oct 30, 2022
26:59
The German Jewish immigration of the mid 19th century caused a demographic explosion of the American Jewish community from a mere 5,000 in 1830 to approximately 250,000 in 1880. Economic opportunity, the California Gold Rush and a general American migration to the frontiers of the west, led thousands of these immigrants to try their luck as peddlers and merchants in San Francisco and other mining towns in the Wild West. When Levi Strauss arrived from Bavaria with his family in 1847 he initially settled in NY. The Gold Rush enticed him to open a branch of the family’s dry goods business in San Francisco in 1854 where he serviced the mining community. Two decades later he began marketing Levi’s pants, which were the world’s first blue jeans with rivets to secure the pockets in the rough environment the miners operated in. Josephine Marcus was the daughter of German Jewish immigrants in NYC who migrated to California and later to Tombstone, Arizona where she married the legendary Wild West figure Wyatt Earp. Sponsored by the OU’s Teach Coalition, whose network of thousands of activists just like you, are urging you to go out and vote in the upcoming elections on November 8, 2022. For help contact the voter hotline at 646-459-5162 or https://teachcoalition.org/vote/ For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
41
Jewish History Tourbites Presents - Hidden Among the Tombstones: A Walk through the Warsaw Jewish Cemetery
Jewish History Tourbites Presents - Hidden Among the Tombstones: A Walk through the Warsaw Jewish Cemetery
Nov 23, 2024
1:02:08
As the largest Jewish community in prewar Europe, Warsaw, Poland is a prime destination on many European Jewish history tours. One of the unique elements of a visit to Jewish Warsaw is a walk through its vast cemetery. Full of history, kivrei tzadikim and the rich tapestry of prewar Polish Jewry, it provides a singular perspective into a vanished world. While the majority of tours focus on several highlights of the cemetery such as the first chief rabbi of Warsaw the Chemdas Shlomo, the mass grave of victims of the Warsaw Ghetto, the Netziv of Volozhin & Rav Chaim Brisker, the Modzhitz, Slonim & Radomsk Rebbes, etc., there is really so much more there than meets the eye. This episode will explore some of the less frequently visited personalities and memorials of the Warsaw cemetery, including other prominent Warsaw rabbis such as Rav Avraham Tzvi Perlmutter, many other Chassidic leaders such as the Biala, Vorka, Radzymin, Amshinov, Radzyn, Pilov, Sokolov and other rebbes, cultural and political aspects of prewar Warsaw such as the Yiddish writers, Yiddish theater, the Bund, Judenrat head Adam Czerniakow, and much much more. Get ready for an urban lively journey through a historic cemetery! Cross River, a leading financial institution committed to supporting its communities, is proud to sponsor Jewish History Soundbites. As a trusted partner for individuals and businesses, Cross River understands the importance of preserving and celebrating our heritage. By sponsoring this podcast, they demonstrate their unwavering dedication to enriching the lives of the communities in which they serve. Visit Cross River at https://www.crossriver.com/ Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: [email protected]
42
The History of Torah Vodaath Part I: Torah, Chassidim & Zionists
The History of Torah Vodaath Part I: Torah, Chassidim & Zionists
May 23, 2019
19:42
Yeshiva Torah Vodaath has had a tremendous influence on American Jewish life throughout the last century. Here is the fascinating story of both the dreams and challenges faced by the visionary founders of "America's Yeshiva". Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
43
The Making of a Rebbe: The Lubavitcher Rebbe's Rise to Leadership
The Making of a Rebbe: The Lubavitcher Rebbe's Rise to Leadership
Jul 6, 2019
23:09
Undoubtedly from the most influential Jewish leaders of the last century, the last Rebbe of Chabad left an indelible imprint on the landscape of contemporary Jewish life. In honor the 25th yahrtzeit of his histalkus, we'll follow some key junctures on his path to leadership. Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
44
A Rebbe With a Geshmak: Remembering Rav Elya Baruch Finkel
A Rebbe With a Geshmak: Remembering Rav Elya Baruch Finkel
Mar 19, 2020
31:07
Rav Elya Baruch Finkel (1947-2008) was one of the most memorable personalities of the Mir in Yerushalayim. From the clarity of his shiurim, the warmth he exuded to all who knew him, to his phenomenal sense of humor that marked every interaction with him. He was both an aristocrat in his familial background, yet accessible and down to earth. Able to impart sage advice to those who sought it, while also able to enjoy a leisurely conversation regaling his listeners with stories from the past. A short compendium of personal recollections of this great man. Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
45
On the Way to Canaan's Land: The Five Aliyot to Palestine
On the Way to Canaan's Land: The Five Aliyot to Palestine
Aug 30, 2021
36:26
Known to history as the five waves of 'Aliyah', immigration to the Land of Israel, the late 19th and early 20th century saw a slow but steady stream of Jewish immigration which laid the foundations of what later become the State of Israel. These waves of immigration were part of a larger trend of general and specifically Jewish immigration to the west during this time. The first aliyah was a product of the Chovevei Zion movement and established the first agricultural colonies. The second aliyah was a result of the nascent Zionist movement and beginning of the socialist and nationalistic nature of the immigration. On the heels of World War I and the Balfour Declaration came the third aliyah, a very idealistic and nationalistic wave of immigrants who established many of the early kibbutzim. The fourth aliyah was primarily from Poland and was more urban in nature, while the fifth was largely a result of the Nazi rise to power in Germany and included many German Jewish refugees. This episode is sponsored by Beis Medrash Mevakshei Emes of the Mishkafayim neighborhood in Bet Shemesh in honor of their current fundraising campaign. Join at cmatch.me/Bmme For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
46
The History of Soviet Jewry Part I: From the Pale to the Revolution
The History of Soviet Jewry Part I: From the Pale to the Revolution
Mar 13, 2022
47:51
The Russian Revolutions of 1917 drastically transformed the lives of the largest Jewish community in the world. Emancipation was finally achieved, the hated Czar was finally deposed and they could finally reside outside the Pale of Settlement. With the founding of the Soviet Union in 1922, new challenges arrived on the scene. The new found freedom led to widespread assimilation. Couple with the mass internal migration to urban centers, this brought a great breakdown of traditional Jewish life. The Soviet communist government was openly hostile to organized religious life, and its rabbis were hounded and exiled. This series on the history of Soviet Jewry is sponsored by Shuvu - Chazon Avraham, a unique network of schools in Israel whose student body is primarily composed of children of immigrants from the former Soviet Union. The students represent a closing chapter of Jewish history, a bookend effect as it were as descendants of the Soviet Jews who experienced the Revolution and its results. Support Shuvu’s educational projects here: https://www.shuvuusa.org/donate For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
47
David Ben-Gurion & the Jewish Character of the State of Israel
David Ben-Gurion & the Jewish Character of the State of Israel
Jun 18, 2021
36:01
Considered by many as the founding father of the State of Israel, David Ben-Gurion (1886-1973) had a unique vision of the Jewish character of the Jewish state. With an antagonism towards religious practice and his negative view of the 'diaspora Jew', he also had a sense of realpolitik and understood the practical gains of reaching a status quo agreement. On October 20, 1952 he paid a visit to Israel's most venerable sage, Rav Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz, the Chazon Ish. Though thoroughly secular himself, he had a strong love for Tanach. And though he wouldn't set foot into a synagogue in Israel, in the Diaspora he viewed it as a place where Jews got together and expressed their common identity and community. Zionism in his view had achieved the twin goals of creating a Jewish state in the historic Land of Israel and - for those residing there - the ingathering of exiles. It had thus served its purpose, and he declared that, 'I'm an Israeli, not a Zionist'. With a myriad of accomplishments and a controversial legacy, the story of Ben Gurion and the Jewish character of the state he had done so much to found, is a chapter of Jewish history with reverberations down to this very day. Sponsored by: With the New York City election day around the corner, it’s time to drop the excuses and VOTE. When it comes to funding for our schools and communities, elected officials pay attention to the people who vote. It’s simple: If you're not voting, you don't have a voice. Make sure you vote early, by mail, or on June 22! Have questions or need help with your voter plan? Call or email the Orthodox Union’s Teach NYS at (646) 459-5162 or email [email protected]. When you vote, elected officials take note. For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
48
The History of Soviet Jewry Part III: Refuseniks & Immigrants
The History of Soviet Jewry Part III: Refuseniks & Immigrants
Mar 25, 2022
44:50
Soviet Jewry in the 1970’s and 80’s was a large community which was struggling to define its Jewish identity. Following the Six Day War in Israel, the Refusenik movement gained traction, with many young Soviet Jews applying for exit visas, and willing to sustain the consequences when their applications were denied. Anatoly Sharansky, Ida Nudel, Eliyahu Essas, Yosef Mendelevich, Yuli Edelstein, and many others were exiled or went to prison for the crime of desiring to exit the Soviet Union. For some there was a resurgence of Jewish observance. In the 1980’s emigration increased, and the last great emigration from Russia began. Many arrived in Israel, while others went to the United States or Germany. In Israel they integrated while maintaining elements of their own culture. Rav Avraham Yaakov Pam thought it imperative to create a school system where children of immigrant families from the Soviet Union would be accommodated, and where they would be introduced to religious education. This series on the history of Soviet Jewry is sponsored by Shuvu - Chazon Avraham, a network of schools in Israel whose student body is primarily composed of children of immigrants from the former Soviet Union. Support Shuvu’s educational projects here: https://www.shuvuusa.org/donate For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
49
Rav Naftali of Ropshitz
Rav Naftali of Ropshitz
May 16, 2019
10:53
Jewish History Lecturer and Yad Vashem Researcher, Yehuda Geberer shares the story of the great Rav Naftali Tzvi of Ropshitz. Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
50
The History of Torah Vodaath Part II: The Great Rosh Yeshiva Search
The History of Torah Vodaath Part II: The Great Rosh Yeshiva Search
May 26, 2019
19:43
How did America's Yeshiva find its first Rosh Yeshiva? Who were the luminaries that followed and eventually led the burgeoning Makom Hatorah that is now more than 100 years old? We delve into the story behind the early transplants from Europe's Torah Centers that left behind a legacy that would shape the character of "America's Yeshiva. Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
51
More Than Just A Gadol: The Story of Rav Yitzchok Hutner Part I
More Than Just A Gadol: The Story of Rav Yitzchok Hutner Part I
Dec 17, 2019
28:35
One of the most multifaceted individuals in Torah leadership of the last century was R' Yitzchak Hutner. Arriving from Warsaw to Slabodka in the wake of World War I, he eventually followed the Yeshiva on it's sojourn in Chevron. During this time he enjoyed a close relationship with Rav Kook. Following a stint in University in Germany, he eventually made it across the Atlantic, where he obtained a position in Yeshivas Chaim Berlin in Brownsville. As a charismatic leader and scholar with penetrating depth, the diversity of his thought and teachings is almost unmatched in contemporary Rabbinic writing. Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
52
A Rebbishe Rosh Yeshiva: The Story of Rav Yitzchok Hutner Part II
A Rebbishe Rosh Yeshiva: The Story of Rav Yitzchok Hutner Part II
Dec 21, 2019
26:03
Commencing at Yeshivas Chaim Berlin while it was still in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn, Rav Hutner embarked on an illustrious career in Torah education. As the demographics of the neighborhood changed, the Yeshiva had brief stint in Far Rockaway before settling down in Flatbush, back in Brooklyn. Over the first couple of decades at the Yeshiva's helm, Rav Hutner solidified control over the Yeshiva, while imbuing it with his own unique flavor. Active in the public sphere as well, Rav Hutner took a leading role on many of the hot issues of the day. In his later years, he fulfilled his dream of returning to Israel and founding a Yeshiva there as well. Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
53
Mossad Operations Part I: Yossele Schumacher & Operation Wrath of G-d
Mossad Operations Part I: Yossele Schumacher & Operation Wrath of G-d
Mar 26, 2020
24:40
With its daring operations and continuous mystique, the Israeli Mossad intelligence agency has quite a history. With the founding of the Mossad, it was tasked with securing Israeli intelligence beyond Israel's borders. Nazi hunting and spying in nearby Arab countries were just some of the Mossad operations in the early years. When Yossele Shuchmacher was kidnapped by his grandfather and smuggled out of the country, the affair became a divisive factor within the secular and religious in Israeli society. The Mossad was put on the case, finally locating him in Brooklyn after an exhaustive search. Following the terrible tragedy at the 1972 Olympics, with the murder of 11 Israeli athletes in the infamous Munich Massacre, the Mossad was tasked with revenge. Operation Wrath of G-d was to destroy the Black September terrorist organization which was the perpetrator of the attacks. This was largely successful and most of the principle operatives and terrorists were eliminated. Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
54
Growth & Consolidation: The Lev Simcha
Growth & Consolidation: The Lev Simcha
Jul 7, 2022
42:11
Rav Simcha Bunim Alter (1898-1992), the Lev Simcha of Ger, was a leader during a time period of growth and consolidation. Having grown up in Poland and emerged as a great Torah scholar, he moved to Palestine in 1934, and then returned to Poland shortly before the war and was a crucial player in facilitating his father’s escape from the Nazi inferno. Upon his older brother the Bais Yisrael’s assuming the mantle of leadership in 1948, the Lev Simcha sojourned in Paris and Antwerp for several years before returning to Israel. In 1977, at the age of 79, he became the leader of the Ger Chassidic community, and immediately embarked on a series of innovative measures to enhance the lives of his chassidim whom he cared for in a fatherly way. He pioneered the establishment of Chassidic communities on the periphery for cheaper housing, and encouraged his followers to look after their health and quit smoking. In many ways he expressed his practical understanding and ability to creatively confront the changing demographics his era had been presented with. On the world scene, he continued the legacy of his forebears as the leader of Agudas Yisrael in the political realm, and presented the idea of the Daf Yomi of Yerushalmy at the Knessiah Gedolah in 1980. For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
55
Chasam Sofer Part II: Old Traditions, New Message
Chasam Sofer Part II: Old Traditions, New Message
Oct 2, 2022
35:18
“Chadash Asur Min Hatorah” - Anything new is forbidden, has become a slogan in defense of Jewish tradition confronting the challenges of modernity. Formulated by Rav Moshe Sofer (1762-1839) the Chasam Sofer and longtime rabbi of Pressburg (Bratislava), he has become a symbol of the combatant and fearless leadership in defense of tradition against the onslaught of changes to that hallowed tradition. How did he do it? What were his methods? What was the context of the challenges he was facing? What complexities existed at the time which led the Chasam Sofer to exalt custom, restore the honor of the rabbinate and to be posthumously recognized as the father of Orthodoxy? Check out Part I about the Chasam Sofer and his family: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/hungarian-royalty-the-chasam-sofer-his-family/ For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
56
Aleksander the Great Chassidic Dynasty
Aleksander the Great Chassidic Dynasty
Jan 2, 2023
39:43
Based in the Lodz suburb of Aleksandrow, the Aleksander chassidic dynasty was one of the largest and most prominent in prewar Poland. Established as a branch of Vorka-Peshischa in the mid 19th century, it grew under the dynamic leadership of successive generations of the Danziger family at its helm. The Bais Yisrael Yeshiva network contributed to its growth in the early 20th century. Aleksander gained further renown during its 30 year dispute with its arch rival - the Ger chassidic community based near Warsaw. Although Aleksander attempted to remain apolitical, they did nominally join Agudas Yisrael towards the end of the 1930’s. Although given an opportunity to escape, the last great prewar leader of Aleksander Rav Yitzchak Menachem Mendel Danziger - the Akeidas Yitzchak, chose to remain with his followers. Having escaped from Lodz to the Warsaw Ghetto, he was deported along with his family and followers and martyred in Treblinka in the summer of 1942. A group of Aleksander survivors prevailed upon the only remaining member of the Rebbe’s family, Rav Yehuda Moshe Tyberg to lead and rebuild Aleksander. He did so and established an Aleksander court in Bnei Brak, even changing his family name to Danziger. Sponsored by https://torahpapers.com/ an English translation of the popular shiurim of Rav Baruch Rosenblum. For captivating, engaging Parshah shiurim, with a breadth of sources across the Torah spectrum, get your ready to print shiur weekly to your inbox. For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
57
The Holocaust Research of Professor Yehuda Bauer
The Holocaust Research of Professor Yehuda Bauer
Nov 2, 2024
48:24
The field of Holocaust research has been enriched over the decades in both its scope and depth by generations of historians and researchers worldwide. For more than 60 years one of the premier scholars in this field was Professor Yehuda Bauer, whose groundbreaking research covering a wide array of aspects of the Holocaust, genocide and antisemitism transformed the field and had a decisive impact on Holocaust historiography. Among the many diverse topics which he contributed towards were Jewish resistance during the Holocaust, rescue activities of Jewish groups under Nazi occupation and American Jewish organizations such as the Joint Distribution Committee, the road to the Final Solution, the destruction of the shtetls during the Holocaust, Displaced Persons camps and immigration of survivors to Israel, the Holocaust within the context of genocide, trailblazing genocide research, Nazi ideology and its role in the Holocaust, Antisemitism throughout history, and many others. Cross River, a leading financial institution committed to supporting its communities, is proud to sponsor Jewish History Soundbites. As a trusted partner for individuals and businesses, Cross River understands the importance of preserving and celebrating our heritage. By sponsoring this podcast, they demonstrate their unwavering dedication to enriching the lives of the communities in which they serve. Visit Cross River at https://www.crossriver.com/ Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: [email protected]
58
RERELEASE: The Great Phenomenon of Rav Shayale of Kerestir (update)
RERELEASE: The Great Phenomenon of Rav Shayale of Kerestir (update)
May 1, 2025
34:45
In honor of the 100th yahrtzeit of Rav Shayale of Kerestir (1851-1925), Jewish History Soundbites is proud to rerelease the original episode, the first ever on this podcast, about the unique historical story of this great tzadik. Enjoy! Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: [email protected]
59
The Great Shanghai Escape Part VII
The Great Shanghai Escape Part VII
Nov 28, 2023
41:56
The Soviets charged the refugees exorbitant fees for the exit visas and travel expenses. The Joint and the Vaad Hatzalah provided funds for these costs, with Rav Avraham Kalmanowitz investing herculean efforts to ensure the Mir contingent were able to fund their escape. Many refugees sold their personal belongings. They then embarked on a 10-12 day train journey on the Trans-Siberian Railroad across the vast expanses of the Soviet Union, arriving in the port city of Vladivostok. From there the Sea of Japan was crossed and the refugees settled temporarily in Kobe and Yokohama. The refugees received a generally warm reception from the local Japanese as well as the small local Jewish community. When it became evident that Curacao wasn’t going to be practical as a final destination, Japanese and Jewish activists interceded with the Japanese Imperial government to extend the refugee’s visas. As a result, the refugee community was able to remain in Japan for several months. Cross River, a leading financial institution committed to supporting its communities, is proud to sponsor Jewish History Soundbites. As a trusted partner for individuals and businesses, Cross River understands the importance of preserving and celebrating our heritage. By sponsoring this podcast, they demonstrate their unwavering dedication to enriching the lives of the communities in which they serve. Visit Cross River at https://www.crossriver.com/ Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: [email protected]
60
The Baal Shem Tov Vol II
The Baal Shem Tov Vol II
Jun 5, 2019
19:57
What role did the Baal Shem Tov play in Jewish society? Did he face serious opposition? What was so revolutionary about his teachings? Beneath the myth and legend lies a great leader and personality whose story is one that longs to be told. Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
61
Operation Thunderbolt: The Heroes & Villains of the Raid on Entebbe
Operation Thunderbolt: The Heroes & Villains of the Raid on Entebbe
Jul 2, 2019
22:23
Revisiting the legendary story of the Entebbe raid by Israeli commandos in July 1976. Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
62
Rebbe! The Life of Rav Nochum Partzovitz
Rebbe! The Life of Rav Nochum Partzovitz
Nov 5, 2020
42:17
Rav Nochum Partzovitz (1923-1986), was most known for his approach to Talmudic study, which gained renown within the Yeshiva world. Having grown up in the Vilna suburb of Trakai, he proceeded to study at the great Yeshivas of Baranovitch, Kamenitz and finally Mir, from which he never left. Through the war years in Shanghai, where he studied together with Rav Leib Malin, through the post war years in New York, he established himself as the elite of the Mir Yeshiva student body. This reputation was cemented with his marriage to Rebbetzin Ettel, daughter of Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz, and Rav Nochum's subsequent appointment to the position as Rosh Yeshiva. With his simplicity, modesty and his popular shiurim, Rav Nochum was a beloved Rebbi in the Mir Yeshiva and a beloved individual to all who knew him. This yahrtzeit episode was originally recorded exclusively for Mir Yeshiva Yerushalayim. It is now being included for the benefit of Jewish History Soundbites listeners. If you enjoy this podcast and would like to donate to Mir Yeshiva Jerusalem, you can do so here: https://secure.themir.org/donate/ Thank you! Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
63
From Brisk to Beitar: The Life of Menachem Begin Part I
From Brisk to Beitar: The Life of Menachem Begin Part I
Jul 15, 2021
38:05
One of the most influential leaders in the history of the State of Israel, Menachem Begin (1913-1992) led a very colorful life and career. Though known for his public persona, he was a very complex character who faced many setbacks at every stage. Growing up in a somewhat traditional home in Brisk, he later joined the Beitar movement of Revisionist Zionism led by Vladimir (Zev) Jabotinsky. Arrested by the Soviets in the early part of the war, he was sentenced to slave labor in Siberia. In the interim, the Holocaust arrived in Brisk, and most of his family became its victims. The long shadow of anti-Semitism and the Holocaust would accompany him throughout his decades of public service, and would impact his decisions as a leader of both the underground and later as a politician. He emerged as the leader of the underground organization Etzel (Irgun), with the stated goal of forcing the British out of Palestine. With the founding of the State of Israel, he spent three decades in the opposition, leading campaigns against the reparations agreement with West Germany and the like, until finally winning the elections in 1977. Though he accomplished much as prime minister, including a historic peace treaty with Egypt, the unfolding disaster of the Lebanon War led to his retirement and ultimate seclusion during his later years. For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
64
Architect of American Orthodoxy: The Life & Times of Mike Tress Part II
Architect of American Orthodoxy: The Life & Times of Mike Tress Part II
Aug 26, 2021
42:14
He was a clean shaven, American born, public school educated, successful businessman. And he was also the architect of American Orthodoxy and a leading rescue activist during the dark years of the Holocaust. Mike Tress (1909-1967) grew up as an orphan in Williamsburg. Joining the nascent Zeirei Agudas Yisroel organization, he soon emerged as its leader, giving it a sense of mission and purpose. Spearheading shabbos campaigns, activating Pirchei and Bnos chapters, and founding Camp Agudah in the midst of a world war and rescue work, are just some of the projects which he initiated to promote Orthodoxy in the United States. His encounter with Rav Elchonon Wasserman during the latter's trip to the country in 1938 defined his life mission, and reverence for Torah leaders became part of his essence which he then imparted to his young charges. Perhaps the most fateful chapter of his storied career was his endless attempts at rescue work in the years preceding, during and following the war. Obtaining visas for refugees, raising funds for rescue and complete devotion to rebuilding both physically and spiritually following liberation, while personally commiserating with every individual and feeling their pain. Having sold his business and used all of his assets for communal work, he was truly an individual who lived his life to help others. For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
65
Great American Jewish Cities #23: Houston Part I
Great American Jewish Cities #23: Houston Part I
Oct 10, 2021
32:41
Jewish roots in southern Texas precede the Civil War. Jewish communities emerged in Houston, Galveston and other cities and towns across the Texan frontier. As commerce developed in the second half of the 19th century, the Jewish population grew and established synagogues. From the Reform Beth Israel - which started out as Orthodox - to the Orthodox Adath Israel, the immigrants from Germany and later Eastern Europe left an imprint on Jewish and general Houston society. Rabbi Yaakov Geller was a rabbi from Galicia, and Max Goodman was a shochet from Lithuania. Pioneers in recent history include the United Orthodox Synagogue of Rabbi Joseph Radinsky, Rabbi Shimon Lazaroff with Chabad and Rabbi Yehoshua Wender of the Young Israel of Houston. As South Texas’s Jewish history is explored, Houston, Galveston and other towns play their part in the unfolding Jewish story. For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
66
The History of Soviet Jewry Part II: Destruction & Memory
The History of Soviet Jewry Part II: Destruction & Memory
Mar 20, 2022
51:31
The Molotov-Von Ribbentrop non-aggression pact ultimately led to the annexation of large swaths of territory into the Soviet Union. The Jews of eastern Poland and the Baltic States now had to acclimate to the realities of Soviet Jewish life. With the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union - Operation Barbarossa - on June 22, 1941, the mass shootings of Soviet Jewry began. The Holocaust in the Soviet Union was unique in many respects. The Einsatzgruppen SS killing squads, along with local collaborators, murdered the Jews of the Soviet Union through mass shootings outside of the towns. Survival under Nazi occupation was rare, and was only possible by escape to the unoccupied areas of the Soviet Union or by serving in the Red Army. The Soviet government appointed the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee, headed by leading Soviet Jewish writers and intellectuals. They generated publicity regarding the Holocaust, and gathered data which was eventually published as the Black Book. The postwar Stalinist repression of Jewish life was one of the darkest periods of Jewish history in the Soviet Union. Sustaining Jewish life became nearly impossible, and those who struggled to do so did it heroically and against all odds. This series on the history of Soviet Jewry is sponsored by Shuvu - Chazon Avraham, a network of schools in Israel whose student body is primarily composed of children of immigrants from the former Soviet Union. Support Shuvu’s educational projects here: https://www.shuvuusa.org/donate For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
67
The Revenge of the Yekkes: The Story of the Ritchie Boys
The Revenge of the Yekkes: The Story of the Ritchie Boys
Sep 5, 2020
29:06
With the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the end of World War Two, here is a return to the story that Jews played in winning the war. The Ritchie Boys were a group of German speaking Americans, of whom some were recent German Jewish refugees, recruited by the US military. They were needed for their language skills, translations, interrogations and some espionage too. Following the D-Day invasion, the Ritchie Boys were attached to front line units where they interrogated recently captured German soldiers. The information obtained was used on the battlefield, defining strategy and saving lives. With their return to their native Germany, they participated in the liberation of concentration camps while confronting the knowledge that their own close relatives had been among the victims. The feeling that their contribution to the war effort had made a significant difference to the outcome, was in a certain way a sense of closure and even triumph. Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
68
From Warsaw to Selma: The Complicated Life of Abraham Joshua Heschel
From Warsaw to Selma: The Complicated Life of Abraham Joshua Heschel
Oct 11, 2020
22:00
One of the most complex characters of the 20th century, Abraham J. Heschel's (1907-1972) life experience in many ways mirrored the Jewish search for identity in modern times. Born into an aristocratic Polish chassidic family, he shifted over to academic studies in Berlin. Escaping the Nazi regime, he settled in the United States, eventually receiving a position in the Jewish Theological Seminary. He lectured and wrote on Jewish mysticism, philosophy and chassidic thought. Leaving the ivory tower in his later years, he became an activist in the Civil Rights Movement alongside Martin Luther King Jr. In all probability, Heschel has the distinction of being the only one to have marched in both the Rabbi's march on Washington in 1943, as well as the third Selma Civil Rights march in Alabama in 1965. Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
69
From Brooklyn to Beit Safafa: The Incredible Life of Rabbi Mordechai Elefant
From Brooklyn to Beit Safafa: The Incredible Life of Rabbi Mordechai Elefant
Dec 2, 2020
28:36
One of the most energetic and at the same time eccentric characters on the Jewish scene of the post war was Rabbi Mordechai Elefant (1930-2009). Growing up in New York in the 1940's he became a student of both Rav Aharon Kotler and Rav Leib Malin. Moving to Israel in the 1950's, he forged a connection with the Rav Velvel Soloveitchik - the Brisker Rov and with other leading rabbis of the day. He immediately threw himself into a lifelong objective of building and fundraising for Torah institutions. The nucleus of what was to become his ITRI Yeshiva began in the Romema neighborhood of Jerusalem. He would later build a small neighborhood there aptly named Kiriyat Itri. The Yeshiva itself eventually settled in its permanent campus on the outskirts of the Beit Safafa neighborhood following the Six Day War. Renowned for his fundraising talent, political connections with Israeli politicians like Moshe Dayan and Teddy Kollek, United States politicians like Hubert Humphrey and Gerald Ford, his eccentricities and antics, and most of all his boundless energy and desire to build Torah. Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
70
Jews of the Maghreb: The Uniqueness of Moroccan Jewry
Jews of the Maghreb: The Uniqueness of Moroccan Jewry
May 28, 2021
25:59
There is a certain uniqueness to the storied and ancient Jewish community of Morocco. At least 2,000 years old, it became the numerically largest Sephardic community in the world by the mid 20th century. On the other hand, for several centuries the community and many of its Torah leaders were relatively unknown beyond the confines of Moroccan Jewry. This was primarily due to its relative isolation. Nestled on the western edge of the African continent, it remained distant from both Europe as well as the vast Ottoman Empire. This isolation assisted in preserving and enriching the heritage and culture unique to Moroccan Jewry, as well as limiting the scope of its influence within the wider Jewish world. Medieval Morocco was host to luminaries such as the Rambam for several years while he was on the run from the Almohads, as well as the tzadik Rabi David UMoshe who arrived initially to fundraise for the Jewish community of Jerusalem and stayed on to lead the Berber Jewish community of the Atlas Mountains. This episode has been sponsored by Legacy Judaica. Join the upcoming auction on Sunday, May 30, for a chance to bid on some fascinating treasures of Jewish history: http://legacyjudaica.bidspirit.com/ For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
71
Architect of American Orthodoxy: The Life & Times of Mike Tress Part I
Architect of American Orthodoxy: The Life & Times of Mike Tress Part I
Aug 24, 2021
33:08
He was a clean shaven, American born, public school educated, successful businessman. And he was also the architect of American Orthodoxy and a leading rescue activist during the dark years of the Holocaust. Mike Tress (1909-1967) grew up as an orphan in Williamsburg. Joining the nascent Zeirei Agudas Yisroel organization, he soon emerged as its leader, giving it a sense of mission and purpose. Spearheading shabbos campaigns, activating Pirchei and Bnos chapters, and founding Camp Agudah in the midst of a world war and rescue work, are just some of the projects which he initiated to promote Orthodoxy in the United States. His encounter with Rav Elchonon Wasserman during the latter's trip to the country in 1938 defined his life mission, and reverence for Torah leaders became part of his essence which he then imparted to his young charges. Perhaps the most fateful chapter of his storied career was his endless attempts at rescue work in the years preceding, during and following the war. Obtaining visas for refugees, raising funds for rescue and complete devotion to rebuilding both physically and spiritually following liberation, while personally commiserating with every individual and feeling their pain. Having sold his business and used all of his assets for communal work, he was truly an individual who lived his life to help others. For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
72
Great American Jewish Cities #23: Houston Part II
Great American Jewish Cities #23: Houston Part II
Oct 12, 2021
36:15
In this second installment on the Jewish history of Houston and South Texas, the renaissance of Orthodox through the pioneering efforts of Rabbi Joseph Radinsky of the United Orthodox Synagogue, Rabbi Shimon Lazaroff of Chabad and Rabbi Yehoshua Wender of the Young Israel of Houston. The development of air conditioning led to a population explosion in Houston in 1960’s, and the S&L scandal led to its reduction in the late 80’s. Nevertheless, institutions were built, schools grew and a Kollel was founded in recent times as well. 40 miles to the west lies the town of Hempstead. Its rise and decline as a Jewish community is through the story of the Schwartz family and its patriarch Rabbi Chaim Schwartz. The port of Galveston was home to a prestigious community, as well as the oldest established Jewish community in Texas. With Rabbi Henry Cohen’s arrival in 1888, he’d leave his imprint on Texas and American Jewish history through his activities over the ensuing more than six decades. The most prominent role played by Galveston was with the ‘Galveston Plan’, an attempt to reroute Eastern European Jewish immigrants to Galveston due to the overcrowding of New York. With a direct Bremen-Galveston route in place, over 10,000 Jews arrived in the port between the years 1907-1914. For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
73
Brisk Management: Another Look at Rav Chaim Brisker
Brisk Management: Another Look at Rav Chaim Brisker
Mar 1, 2022
38:30
Rav Chaim Soloveitchik, known as Rav Chaim Brisker (1853-1918), has enjoyed an outsized influence on the methodology of Talmudic study and the development of the modern Torah world. As a historical figure he was not only influential but beloved as well, with countless stories of his kindness, care and leadership initiative as rabbi in Brisk as well as in wider rabbinic circles across the Pale of Settlement. From his adopting abandoned children on his doorstep to his attempts at implementing pension plans for deceased rabbis widows and orphans, his care and attention to detail bespoke the responsibility he felt towards the less fortunate of society. His Torah teaching career commenced at age 27 in the Volozhin yeshiva, and he later had informal interactions with students while in Brisk. From these oral teachings, together with a limited textual legacy in the form of his published works, his imprint on the development of the Torah world is felt until this very day. See previous episode about Rav Chaim Brisker: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/voice-of-clarity-a-tribute-to-rav-chaim-brisker/ For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
74
The Baal Shem Tov Part III
The Baal Shem Tov Part III
Jun 23, 2019
19:15
The inner world of the Baal Shem Tov and early Chassidus brings us to the core of what the movement eventually was to become- a revival of Jewish spiritual life. Let's explore some of tales and teachings of the Baal Shem Tov to understand what he was all about. Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
75
Birobidzhan: Stalin's Autonomous Jewish Region
Birobidzhan: Stalin's Autonomous Jewish Region
Sep 8, 2019
24:45
One of the odder stories of the Jewish People under Soviet rule is the forming of the Jewish Autonomous Region of Birobidzhan. Founded by Stalin in 1928 as a territorial solution for the Jewish People, it never quite took off as planned. Harsh living conditions and eventually Stalin's purges prevented any major Jewish growth in the region. However, when Birobidzhan was conceptualized as a realistic option, it caused quite a stir in the Jewish world. Does the Jewish People need a territory to solve it's national woes? That's what the Zionist movement was proposing with the new Jewish Nationalism. Perhaps any territory would suffice, as long as the Jewish Nation had some form of territorial center- even in faraway Birobidzhan. That's how many Jewish socialists and Jewish communists reacted to it's initial founding. The Birobidzhan plan flopped, but the questions of Jewish identity and nationalism continued on as before. Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
76
To Save A World: Rav Aharon Kotler's Endless Activism
To Save A World: Rav Aharon Kotler's Endless Activism
Nov 28, 2019
25:38
Kletzker Rosh Yeshiva, Agudist, member of Agudas Harrabonim, head of Vaad Hatzala, Rosh Yeshiva of Lakewood/BMG, founder and head of Chinuch Atzmai, Torah Umesorah & more. Rav Aharon Kotler (1891-1962) wore many hats in the diverse array of initiatives that he undertook to build the future of the Jewish people worldwide. With his boundless energy and devoted lieutenants, he partnered with people from all types and backgrounds to further the projects that he spearheaded. With his bold vision, he set out to invest in Jewish education in both the United States and Israel. In 1956, he led a campaign launch a Torah School network in Israel in the form of Chinuch Atzmai. The guest of honor at the inaugural dinner was Rav Yoshe Ber Soloveitchik, and was a historic event in the annals of the American Jewish community. Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
77
Jewish Saviors of the Holocaust Part II: From a Tunnel in Novogrudok to the Bielski Partisans
Jewish Saviors of the Holocaust Part II: From a Tunnel in Novogrudok to the Bielski Partisans
Jul 14, 2022
42:49
On the night of September 26, 1943 232 Jews escaped through a tunnel from the Novogrudok Ghetto. Nearly 170 survived, primarily by joining the Bielski partisans who operated nearby in the Naliboki forest. This was likely the greatest escape in Nazi occupied Europe throughout the entire war and Holocaust. The tenacity and courage of the last Jews of the Novogrudok ghetto to dig a 250 meter tunnel leading to the forest, combined with the capability of joining Tuvia Bielski and his partisans, facilitated one of the most astounding stories of Jewish survival during the Holocaust. Tuvia Bielski famously said that he prioritizes saving lives over killing Germans. The result was that his partisan unit was a family camp which saved over 1,200 Jews, among them the escapees of the Novogrudok tunnel. To dedicate an episode in the Jewish History Soundbites ‘Jewish Saviors of the Holocaust’ series, please contact Yehuda at [email protected] Jewish History Soundbites is coming to NY! Register here for the upcoming tour of the Mt. Judah cemetery with Yehuda Geberer on July 29, 9:30 am For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
78
United We Split: The Leadership of Rav Yosef Tzvi Dushinsky
United We Split: The Leadership of Rav Yosef Tzvi Dushinsky
Sep 18, 2022
46:02
Rav Yosef Tzvi Dushinsky (1867-1948) was the rabbi of the Eidah Chareidis community in Yerushalayim & headed the branch of Agudas Yisrael in that country for 15 crucial and tumultuous years. Having grown up in Hungary, he had previously served as rabbi of Galanta and Chust (Slovakia) for four decades. In Yerushalayim he oversaw the sweeping changes which were taking place in the Yishuv with immigration, the Great Arab Revolt, the policies of the British Mandatory government, World War II, the Holocaust, the UN Partition Resolution and the founding of the State of Israel. As a responsible and outspoken leader, Rav Dushinsky courageously led his community through this unique era, and aside from his rabbinical duties - along with his position as rosh yeshiva in the yeshiva which he founded - he took an active political role as well. Ultimately the changing demographics due to the immigration of more moderate Agudists from Poland in Germany led to a split between the Eidah Chareidis and Agudas Yisrael, which was overseen by Rav Dushinsky and remains to this very day. Following his passing in 1948 he was succeeded by his only son Rav Yisroel Moshe Dushinsky (1921-2003), who built the Dushinsky community around the yeshiva and transformed it from an Ashkenaz Oberland community into a full Chassidic court. For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
79
Chasam Sofer Part III: A Pressburg Situation
Chasam Sofer Part III: A Pressburg Situation
Oct 24, 2022
29:47
Rav Moshe Sofer (1762-1839) - the Chasam Sofer - led the Pressburg Jewish community for 33 years. From the time of his initial appointment he faced struggles and challenges from progressive elements within the community. Even as the Chasam Sofer gained renown across the Habsburg Empire, he still was confronted with an unsuccessful attempt by community leaders in Pressburg to forcefully close his large and prestigious yeshiva and remove him from his rabbinical position. His tactful and ultimately successful approach to navigate these local challenges influenced his general outlook and leadership within the context of the broad reaches of Central Europe. For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
80
Our Grandfathers Came to this Land
Our Grandfathers Came to this Land
Nov 2, 2022
32:03
The Great Immigration was the population movement of millions of Jews primarily from Eastern Europe to the United States and other countries over the course of a half century between 1875-1924. Although the process, scope, catalysts, challenges of the immigration and immigrants are fascinating aspects of the story, perhaps the most unique angle is the fact that the entire endeavor was a ‘silent revolution’. Throughout the 19th century the Jewish community in Russia and elsewhere debated, discussed and pondered solutions to the many challenges facing the Jewish community and Jewish identity in the modern era. No solutions were incredibly successful. Yet one was. Immigration. It completely transformed the Jewish landscape. And it was this solution which was really a silent revolution, for it had no leadership, no political platform, no organization. It was a grassroots movement from rank and file anonymous individuals making subjective life choices regarding migration. It was this silent revolution which made a decisive and quite astounding impact on the future of the Jewish People. Sponsored by the OU’s Teach Coalition, whose network of thousands of activists just like you, are urging you to go out and vote in the upcoming elections on November 8, 2022. For help contact the voter hotline at 646-459-5162 or https://teachcoalition.org/vote/ For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
81
Organizing Orthodoxy: The Story of the Agudath Harabonim Part I
Organizing Orthodoxy: The Story of the Agudath Harabonim Part I
Nov 6, 2022
33:53
The Agudath Harabonim of the US & Canada was founded in 1902 with the goals of strengthening traditional Jewish observance in the country. Its membership was primarily composed of Eastern European immigrant rabbis, and they focused on the areas of Shabbos observance, kashrus, Jewish education, strengthening the office of the rabbinate and assisting their brethren back in the old country. The Agudath Harabonim supported RIETS, founded the Central Relief Committee and Ezras Torah during World War I and the Vaad Hatzalah during World War II. Its leadership was composed by some of the greatest rabbinical leaders of the era, including Rabbi Moshe Zevulun Margolis (Ramaz), Rabbi Dov Bernard Levinthal, Rabbi Yisrael Rosenberg, Rabbi Moshe Rosen, Rabbi Yaakov Kontrovitz, Rabbi Eliezer Silver and many others. Sponsored by the OU’s Teach Coalition, whose network of thousands of activists just like you, are urging you to go out and vote in the upcoming elections on November 8, 2022. For help contact the voter hotline at 646-459-5162 or https://teachcoalition.org/vote/ For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
82
From the Ashes to the Hilltops: Rav Yehuda Amital
From the Ashes to the Hilltops: Rav Yehuda Amital
Jul 14, 2023
41:43
Rav Yehuda Amital (1924-2010) was a unique leader and builder of Torah of the 20th century. Born in Grosswardein, he survived the Holocaust and immigrated to the Land of Israel where he studied in the Chevron Yeshiva. While teaching at his father in law Rav Tzvi Yehuda Melter’s yeshiva in Rechovot he formulated the idea of the Hesder Yeshiva, through which the yeshiva students served in the military along with their yeshiva studies. Following the Six Day War he was hired to head the new Yeshivat Har Etzion in Gush Etzion. He remained at its helm for more than four decades. During the Yom Kippur War he lost eight students, and this tragic loss made a profound impact on him, coupled with his memory and view of the great destruction of the Holocaust. Later on in life, in addition to his yeshiva responsibilities, he publicly voiced his opinion on political issues. Though iconoclastic in many of his positions, he never hesitated to articulate what he felt needed to be expressed. For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
83
The Great Shanghai Escape Part VIII Featuring Dovi Safier
The Great Shanghai Escape Part VIII Featuring Dovi Safier
Dec 2, 2023
1:00:33
As part of our ongoing series about the Great Shanghai Escape, I had a conversation with my friend and collaborator Dovi Safier, who is a known expert on this topic, as well as having done some original research highlighting new angles of the narrative. Prior to getting to the topic at hand, our conversation covered recent history discoveries related to the family of the Slabodka Yeshiva, bearing witness to history, the recent rally in Washington, before we got to talking about the escape to Shanghai. We discussed the role of Rav Yitzchak Isaac Herzog in facilitating the escape and of Rav Avraham Kalmanowitz in funding the Mir Yeshiva and other rescue activities he spearheaded throughout his colorful career. The arrival of the refugees in Japan was another story we covered, including their reception by the local populace and the local Jewish community, despite the fact that anti-Semitic tropes were prevalent in the Japanese press. In order to create an even more authentic feel, Dovi inserted historic audio of eyewitnesses to some of the events described. Check out a previous episode of Jewish History Soundbites relating to the refugees sojourn in Japan regarding the debate surrounding the halachic International Dateline: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/when-shabbos-was-sunday-the-international-dateline-controversy/ Cross River, a leading financial institution committed to supporting its communities, is proud to sponsor Jewish History Soundbites. As a trusted partner for individuals and businesses, Cross River understands the importance of preserving and celebrating our heritage. By sponsoring this podcast, they demonstrate their unwavering dedication to enriching the lives of the communities in which they serve. Visit Cross River at https://www.crossriver.com/ Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: [email protected]
84
The Popes & the Jews
The Popes & the Jews
Apr 26, 2025
41:55
For nearly two thousand years Jews lived in the shadow of the Catholic Church. As heads of the church, popes throughout the ages formulated an official papal policy regarding the Jews as a religion, as a local community in Rome, as subjects of the pope in the Papal States, and broadly regarding the Jews across Europe. This relationship was complex and lopsided. On one hand, although often forced to convert or be killed, the official general papal policy was not to forcibly convert the Jewish People as a whole. On the other hand, the Jews were to be subjugated, humiliated and discriminated against, as the official church policy down to modern times. The Vatican and the Catholic Church more broadly played a decisive role in the rise of modern antisemitism in the 19th century as well. In 1858 the kidnapping of the Jewish boy Edgardo Mortara was a modern example of church persecution with direct papal approval. The 20th century brought two contrasts in papal relationship with the Jews. Pope Pius XII became infamous for his complicity during the Holocaust, while Pope John Paul II, who grew up with Jews in prewar Poland, changed course and had a much more positive relationship with the Jewish People and State of Israel. Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: [email protected]
85
The Working Group & its Desperate Rescue Attempts
The Working Group & its Desperate Rescue Attempts
Aug 5, 2022
1:05:28
The Slovakian Working Group was likely the most heroic attempt at Jewish rescue during the Holocaust. Dealing directly with the SS and their Slovak collaborators, members of the Working Group bribed the perpetrators, smuggled goods and Jews across borders and disseminated information regarding the development of the Final Solution to Switzerland and Hungary. Representing the full gamut of Slovakian Jewry, the Working Group included Gisi Fleischmann of the Zionist movement who was also a representative of the Joint Distribution Committee, Rav Michoel Ber Weissmandel who represented the Orthodox community, the Zionist leader Dr. Oskar Neumann, the Neolog rabbi Armin Freider, and the assimilationists Dr. Tibor Kovac and Andrej Steiner. Together they formulated ever daring plans to save Jews. Though most of their plans didn’t come to fruition, their heroism stands as the most daring attempt to save Jewish lives during the Holocaust. To dedicate an episode in the Jewish History Soundbites ‘Jewish Saviors of the Holocaust’ series, please contact Yehuda at [email protected] With Tisha B'Av approaching, check out Aleph Beta's collection of inspiring Tisha B'Av videos. Rabbi David Fohrman, founder of Aleph Beta, explores some of the most beloved Tisha B'Av texts to discover the deeper meaning and relevance of the day. And for a limited time only, our listeners get $18 off an annual Aleph Beta membership, which will give you access to all the Tisha b’av videos plus hundreds more on parsha and the other holidays. Go to Aleph Beta and enter coupon code Soundbites22 for $18 off an annual premium membership. For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
86
The US & The Holocaust: A Review
The US & The Holocaust: A Review
Nov 26, 2022
37:20
The story of the confrontation of the US and the Holocaust is done well in the recently produced Ken Burns documentary ‘The US & the Holocaust’. It purports to cover the entirety of the Holocaust from an American perspective, and is by no means limited to the story of potential rescue. From the immigration quotas, to American anti-Semitism and the isolationist movement, to the war itself. There’s the story of how individual Jews confronted the reality of the developing Holocaust knowing that their relatives were facing impending doom. The questions of what role was played by the American people, the Roosevelt administration, Congress and the State Department - in particular senior officials such as Breckinridge Long - are duly analyzed. The response of the American Jewish community as a collective as well as individuals is explored as well. In addition, noble endeavors of the US government such as the Treasury Department’s role in the forming of the War Refugee Board is recorded as well. For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
87
Holy Crown in Brownsville: The Life & Times of Rav Moshe Rosen
Holy Crown in Brownsville: The Life & Times of Rav Moshe Rosen
Dec 20, 2022
40:10
Rav Moshe Rosen - the Nezer Hakodesh (c.1870-1957) was an early leader of American orthodoxy. Having served as a communal rabbi in Lithuania for three decades, he was the one who discovered the Chazon Ish as a young man in the town of Chveidan. In the late 1920’s he immigrated to the United States and settled in Brownsville. He served as the first rosh yeshiva of Torah Vodaath, and later served as a rabbi in Brownsville, whilst continuing to author his multi volume Nezer Hakodesh and other works. He served at the helm of the Agudath Harabbonim and was involved in many early initiatives of Jewish education during his thirty years in a leadership position of American Orthodoxy. For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
88
The Chozeh of Lublin
The Chozeh of Lublin
Jan 19, 2023
36:53
As the oldest Jewish cemetery in Eastern Europe, the old cemetery in Lublin contains some historical treasures and great personalities. One of the prominent ones we visit on trips is Rav Yaakov Yitzchak Horowitz, the Chozeh of Lublin (1745-1815). One of the primary students of Rav Elimelech of Lizhensk, the Chozeh became a teacher of the masses, and facilitated the spread of the Chassidic movement in central Poland. Though he faced opposition, the Chozeh’s modesty and leadership preserved and his impact was seen through both the masses who sought his counsel and blessing, as well as through his many students who emerged as the next generations leaders of the chassidic movement across Galicia, Poland and Hungary. For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
89
Soviet Chassid: The Story of Rav Mendel Futerfas
Soviet Chassid: The Story of Rav Mendel Futerfas
Apr 9, 2023
37:25
Rav Mendel Futerfas (1907-1995) was a Lubavitch chassid who emerged as a leader under the most challenging circumstances in the Soviet Union. He was active in one of the greatest exit attempts for Jews from the Soviet Union under the cover of the repatriation agreement signed between the Soviet Union and Poland in the immediate aftermath of World War II. Under the terms of the agreement Polish citizens were permitted to return to Poland, and some Soviet Jews utilized the opportunity to forge Polish documents and finally exit the Soviet Union. Rav Mendel was arrested in the operations aftermath and sentenced to eight years of hard labor in Siberia. Upon his release, he embarked on a heroic attempt at igniting the fire of Yiddishkeit and Chassidic life in the post Stalinist Soviet Union until he finally was able to reunite with his family in England in 1964. The last decades of his life were spent as the central mashpia at Kfar Chabad in Israel until his passing during a visit to London in 1995. For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
90
Get Out! Get & Divorce in Jewish History
Get Out! Get & Divorce in Jewish History
May 18, 2023
34:09
As long as there has been marriage, there has been divorce throughout history. The legal procedure of providing a ‘Get’ to terminate a marriage under Torah law, has often provided a window into the wider context of social and communal life throughout Jewish history. The intricate laws of Gittin have been the backdrop of rabbinical leadership, communal crisis and halachic creativity. In honor of the Daf Yomi commencement of Maseches Gittin, this episode will explore some curious angles and anecdotes in which a Get appears as the player in Jewish history. This episode is sponsored by Daf Yomi with Shaul C. Greenwald, a fast-moving energetic daf shiur, delivered with clarity and intensity. The shiur is available daily on all podcast platforms, All Daf and Torah Anytime. https://alldaf.org/series/5677/ For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
91
The Life & Times of the Baal Shem of Michelstadt
The Life & Times of the Baal Shem of Michelstadt
Aug 3, 2023
33:45
Rav Yitzchak Aryeh (Zekl Leib) Vormser, known as the Baal Shem of Michelstadt (1768-1847) was a prominent rabbi and kabbalist, who lived in Germany in the 19th century. Having studied under Rav Nosson Adler in Frankfurt, he gained renown as a ‘Baal Shem’, someone who utilized kabbalistic formulas to heal petitioners and pray for their salvation. He also had a yeshiva in Michelstadt, and authored many Torah works, most of which were lost in a fire in 1825. In a rapidly secularizing German Jewish community, the Baal Shem of Michelstadt was the light of Kabbalah, and a leader who German Orthodoxy revered for decades to come. For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
92
The Great Shanghai Escape Part IX
The Great Shanghai Escape Part IX
Dec 9, 2023
44:33
The refugees stay in Japan lasted much longer than their brief transit visas had initially allowed for, with the imperial government allowing them to remain for several months. Though some refugees made it to the United States or other countries, most had nowhere to go. With the Japanese government commencing the operational planning for Pearl Harbor, they wished to rid the country of all foreign elements, and the refugee community was unceremoniously deported to Shanghai, China, under Japanese occupation, where they’d remain throughout the war. Many refugees were assisted by Professor Setsuzo Kotsuji, who later converted to Judaism. Others were assisted by the Polish ambassador to Japan Tadeusz Romer. The Jewish rescue activist Zorach Warhaftig continued to be active on behalf of the refugee community as well. The Dutch national Nathan Gutwirth was able to rescue a ship of 74 refugees who were missing documentation, by requesting assistance from the Dutch consul in Kobe, Japan, Nicolaas de Voogd. De Voogd provided the desperate refugees with Curacao visas, enabling them to arrive in Japan. Cross River, a leading financial institution committed to supporting its communities, is proud to sponsor Jewish History Soundbites. As a trusted partner for individuals and businesses, Cross River understands the importance of preserving and celebrating our heritage. By sponsoring this podcast, they demonstrate their unwavering dedication to enriching the lives of the communities in which they serve. Visit Cross River at https://www.crossriver.com/ Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: [email protected]
93
The Great Shanghai Escape Part X
The Great Shanghai Escape Part X
Dec 16, 2023
47:30
In this final installment of ‘The Great Shanghai Escape’ series, we explore the story of the refugees stay in Shanghai during the war years. While integrating with the local Jewish community in Shanghai, the refugees remained there for the duration of the Japanese occupation until and even beyond the end of the war. Educational, religious and social institutions flourished, and the Mir Yeshiva settled into the Bais Aharon synagogue on Museum Road. Funding remained an issue throughout the war, and the refugees also had to sustain Japanese regulations, which included the ghettoization of Shanghai Jews towards the end of the war. Once the war was over, the next hurdle of finding a final destination took some time to overcome, as most refugees only left Shanghai a year or two later, primarily to the United States. The refugees who had escaped to Shanghai represent one of the most incredible rescue stories of World War II. Their miraculous escape from the Soviet Union to Shanghai, ultimately saved their lives, as they were spared the ravages of the Nazi Final Solution once the Nazis invaded the Soviet Union. Their journey and their story is unique in the annals of that era, and has thusly earned a special place in Jewish history. Cross River, a leading financial institution committed to supporting its communities, is proud to sponsor Jewish History Soundbites. As a trusted partner for individuals and businesses, Cross River understands the importance of preserving and celebrating our heritage. By sponsoring this podcast, they demonstrate their unwavering dedication to enriching the lives of the communities in which they serve. Visit Cross River at https://www.crossriver.com/ Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: [email protected]
94
Russian Jewry under the Czars 1881-1914
Russian Jewry under the Czars 1881-1914
Feb 12, 2024
44:36
The aftermath of the assassination of Czar Alexander II in 1881 was a watershed time period in Russian Jewish history. A reactionary phase led to the passing of the infamous May Laws which restricted Jewish life, and reversed many of the previous reforms. A series of violent pogroms broke out primarily in Ukraine and southern Russia in 1881-1884. There was a mass expulsion of Jews from Moscow and its environs in 1892, ostensibly because they were residing there illegally outside the Pale of Settlement. Further restrictions were promulgated by the reactionary government of Czar Alexander III concerning Jewish trade and commerce within the Pale. The autocratic reign of Czar Nicholas II during the years 1894-1917 were a time of upheaval for the Russian Empire as a whole, and a dark time for the Jews of Russia in particular. The Kishinev Pogrom in 1903 along with the government’s weak response in its prevention, strengthened antisemitic sentiment among the Russian people and government officials. Although Russian Jewry enjoyed limited reforms as a result of the failed Russian revolution of 1905, the bloody pogroms which accompanied it, caused a tremendous loss of life and property damage across the Pale. Jews participated in the electoral process of the newly established Duma, but the Czar and his government ministers continued to curtail any reform and issued further draconian restrictions on Jewish subjects. This culminated in the infamous Beilis Trial in 1913. Russian Jewry on the eve of World War I was battered and beaten, and seemed further away from emancipation than ever before. Cross River, a leading financial institution committed to supporting its communities, is proud to sponsor Jewish History Soundbites. As a trusted partner for individuals and businesses, Cross River understands the importance of preserving and celebrating our heritage. By sponsoring this podcast, they demonstrate their unwavering dedication to enriching the lives of the communities in which they serve. Visit Cross River at https://www.crossriver.com/ Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: [email protected]
95
The Yeshiva Elite in 19th Century Lithuania
The Yeshiva Elite in 19th Century Lithuania
Mar 28, 2024
47:45
A dominant feature of religious life of the 20th century has been the centrality of the Yeshiva institution for intensive Torah study. The modern yeshiva is a direct byproduct of its antecedents in the Russian Empire of the 19th century. The old oligarchy which controlled Jewish communal life in Eastern Europe for centuries, was a combination of the rabbinical and financial elite. The personality of the Vilna Gaon and his legacy among Lithuanian Jews cemented the scholarly ideal of total dedication to Torah study and knowledge. His prime student established the first modern yeshiva in Volozhin, but it took decades until the idea really spread. Torah study for the most part continued as it always had in the Lithuanian region, in local yeshivos and batei medrash. Due to a confluence of external factors facing Russian Jewry in the closing decades of the 19th century, the Volozhin style yeshiva finally caught on and began to spread. The story of how the scholarly elite of Lithuania studied Torah and institutionalized the idea of the yeshiva, is an important chapter in the story of Jewish life in Czarist Russia of the 19th century. Enjoy earlier related episodes on this topic: 1. https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/the-legacy-of-the-vilna-gaon/ https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/the-history-of-the-volozhin-yeshiva-part-i-the-mother-of-all-yeshivas/ https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/the-history-of-the-volozhin-yeshiva-part-ii-the-rise-to-fame/ https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/the-history-of-the-volozhin-yeshiva-part-iii-the-war-of-succession/ https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/the-history-of-volozhin-yeshiva-part-iv-talmudists-zionists-and-the-golden-age/ https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/the-history-of-the-volozhin-yeshiva-part-5-closing-time/ Cross River, a leading financial institution committed to supporting its communities, is proud to sponsor Jewish History Soundbites. As a trusted partner for individuals and businesses, Cross River understands the importance of preserving and celebrating our heritage. By sponsoring this podcast, they demonstrate their unwavering dedication to enriching the lives of the communities in which they serve. Visit Cross River at https://www.crossriver.com/ Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: [email protected]
96
The Tiferes Yisrael [Nisan Bak] Shul
The Tiferes Yisrael [Nisan Bak] Shul
Jan 25, 2025
50:03
The majestic and beautiful edifice of the Tiferes Yisrael Shul, also known as the Nisan Bak shul after its founder and leader, stood as the central shul of the Chassidic Old Yishuv of Yerushalayim, from its establishment in 1872, until its ultimate destruction by the Jordanians in 1948. The project was initially spearheaded by Rav Yisrael Friedman of Ruzhin, known as the Holy Ruzhiner, who headed the Chassidic Kollel Vohlyn, with the members of the Bak family at its head. Upon completion the shul was named for the Ruzhiner, and it served the needs of the Yerushalayim Chassidic community in the ensuing decades. Cross River, a leading financial institution committed to supporting its communities, is proud to sponsor Jewish History Soundbites. As a trusted partner for individuals and businesses, Cross River understands the importance of preserving and celebrating our heritage. By sponsoring this podcast, they demonstrate their unwavering dedication to enriching the lives of the communities in which they serve. Visit Cross River at https://www.crossriver.com/ Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: [email protected]
97
Rav Yomtov Lipmann Heller the Tosafos Yomtov
Rav Yomtov Lipmann Heller the Tosafos Yomtov
Feb 8, 2025
40:35
As someone who experienced the upheavals of both the Thirty Years War, as well as the Khmelnytsky uprisings of 1648-49 (Tach Vitat), Rav Yomtov Lipman Heller (1579-1654) lived and led his people during an auspicious time. Much of his early rabbinical career was spent in Prague. Much of his travails were recorded by him, in a unique and rare rabbinical autobiography entitled Megillas Eivah. As the author of many popular Torah publications, he was accused of blasphemy against the Church in one of his writings and was arrested on trumped up charges. This was due to dissent within his own community regarding a progressive income tax which was imposed by the imperial authorities in order to fund the Thirty Years War. He was arrested and initially sentenced to death, but ultimately his sentence was reduced to a hefty fine, as well as foregoing his rabbinical position in Prague. He was later restored to his glory as rabbi of Krakow, where he spent his last years rehabilitating the community in the wake of the Khmelnytsky massacres. As a protection against future tragedies, he famously composed a special Mi Shebeirach to be recited in honor of those who abstain from talking in shul. Cross River, a leading financial institution committed to supporting its communities, is proud to sponsor Jewish History Soundbites. As a trusted partner for individuals and businesses, Cross River understands the importance of preserving and celebrating our heritage. By sponsoring this podcast, they demonstrate their unwavering dedication to enriching the lives of the communities in which they serve. Visit Cross River at https://www.crossriver.com/ Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: [email protected]
98
The Secularization of the Jewish People in the Modern Era Part II
The Secularization of the Jewish People in the Modern Era Part II
Feb 22, 2025
42:08
The modern era brought many external changes which challenged the centuries old Jewish communal structure. Political change, emancipation, wars, revolution, economic development, technological advancement, the industrial revolution, urbanization, immigration and other external forces, all contributed towards a growing trend of secularization among the general European as well as the Jewish population. This convergence of factors and the movement towards secularization threatened the religious status quo. Internal Jewish movements such as Jewish Haskala, Reform, Neolog and others arose in Germany, Galicia, Russia & Hungary, which sought to redefine Jewish identity in the modern era, and make it more compatible to integrate into an emancipated European society. Religious figures from the traditional establishment struggled with these new movements, redefining Orthodoxy in the process. Orthodoxy in the modern era came to define Jewish identity through its very struggle with modernity. Its combative confrontation with rival Jewish movements regarding the new means of defining Jewish identity in the modern era strengthened Orthodoxy, and paved the way for the flourishing of Orthodoxy as a movement in the modern era. Sign up for our upcoming trip of a lifetime – Jewish history Europe trip: https://www.lalechet.com/tour/EuropeHeritage Cross River, a leading financial institution committed to supporting its communities, is proud to sponsor Jewish History Soundbites. As a trusted partner for individuals and businesses, Cross River understands the importance of preserving and celebrating our heritage. By sponsoring this podcast, they demonstrate their unwavering dedication to enriching the lives of the communities in which they serve. Visit Cross River at https://www.crossriver.com/ Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: [email protected]
99
The Secularization of the Jewish People in the Modern Era Part III
The Secularization of the Jewish People in the Modern Era Part III
Mar 8, 2025
43:29
The secularization of the Jewish People in the modern era really begins as a slow but growing trend within the communities of the Spanish Jewish diaspora of northern Europe in the 16th century. In the pre modern era, the legally backed autonomy of the Kahal – the Jewish autonomous communal structure, ensured that at least externally and superficially, the Jewish individual maintained a nominal Jewish religious identity and mode of observance. With the advent of the modern era, the rise of the nation-state, with its view of the individual citizen as an entity, the kahal lost its autonomous jurisdiction, religious affiliation was no longer the sole arbiter of identity, and secularism became possible for the first time in European history. As religious observance became a matter of personal choice, this voluntary association emerged as a defensive posture, which ultimately strengthened orthodox identity. Changes in legislation – especially emancipation and compulsory education laws – and the massive immigration to the United States at the turn of the 19th & 20th centuries, led to large swaths of Jewry embracing secularization in a growing trend which was bereft of ideology, leadership or a formal platform. It was rather a function of modernity, and its reality of integration into surrounding society. Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: [email protected]
100
The Secularization of the Jewish People in the Modern Era Part IV
The Secularization of the Jewish People in the Modern Era Part IV
Mar 29, 2025
57:39
External forces of the modern era such as political & economic changes, emancipation, the collapse of the kahal autonomy, technological advancement, wars, urbanization & immigration, led to the mass secularization of the Jewish People in the modern era. Conversely Orthodoxy was defined and strengthened through confronting its struggles during this time. Many non-orthodox internal Jewish movements arose over the course of the 18th-20th centuries, each one attempting to redefine Jewish identity in the modern era. While most Jews secularized and assimilated, various internal Jewish movements from Reform & Haskala to Jewish nationalism, attempted to create an alternative sense of Jewish identity for modern times. Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: [email protected]