Popular Shows by Yehuda Geberer: Page 3

201

The Emergence of a Leader: The Life of the Chazon Ish Part III

Dec 25, 2021

35:21

In part 3 of the story of Rav Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz (1878-1953), the Chazon Ish, his path is traced from his relative obscurity to his emergence as a leader. From expressing halachic positions for the Poalei Agudas Yisrael agricultural settlements, to building yeshivos across the new yishuv, the Chazon Ish soon emerged as a well known posek with the psak he issued regarding the International Dateline. While losing much of his family during the Holocaust and suffering other personal challenges during the 1940’s, the decade saw him become an address for many seeking his advice and blessing as his fame began to spread. With the founding of the State of Israel in 1948, the Chazon Ish was at the cusp of his final position in the Jewish world - an undisputed leader. Check out the earlier episodes about the Chazon Ish here: Part 1: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/a-guiding-light-the-life-of-the-chazon-ish-part-i/ Part 2: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/a-guiding-light-the-life-of-the-chazon-ish-part-ii/ 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]

202

The Roar of the Lion: The Life of Rav Leib Malin Part I

Jan 2, 2022

33:01

Prewar student of Rav Yerucham Levovitz and the Brisker Rov, leader during the Mir Yeshiva’s wartime escape to Shanghai, and postwar builder of Bais Hatalmud in Brooklyn, Rav Leib Malin (1906-1962) was the ‘Lion of the Mir’. In part 1 of examining his life and accomplishments, we examine his family background, leadership role in the escape to Shanghai, and his replanting Torah through his Bais Hatalmud yeshiva in the postwar United States. The unique circumstances of this rebuilding attempt, made his all encompassing vision of what a yeshiva is a historic landmark in the role that the yeshiva institution was to play in revitalizing traditional society. No longer to be limited to an educational role, a yeshiva was to be a lifelong communal affiliation, a revolutionary role which has arguably bore fruit through the contemporary yeshiva community worldwide. This episode has been sponsored by 20 Minute Daf. A daf yomi shiur led by Reb Shaul Greenwald, 20 minute daf is where you feel the geshmak of Daf Yomi. In just a little over 20 minutes, you'll get a clear and thorough explanation of the sugya. Listen to 20 Minute Daf on all podcast platforms, WhatsApp, and at 20minutedaf.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]

203

The Czars & The Jews Part I

Jan 9, 2022

35:54

Following the partitions of Poland in the last quarter of the 18th century, the largest Jewish community in the world found themselves under the rule of the Romanov dynasty in the Russian Empire. Each Czar formulated a distinct policy in regards to the Jewish population, and many of these policies, along with the Jewish community’s reaction, often has ramifications until this very day. Catherine the Great was czarina during the years of the partition itself, and she commenced her Jewish policy influenced by the ideas of enlightened absolutism. Jews were granted partial emancipation but the beginnings of their confinement to what would become known as the Pale of Settlement began as well. At the turn of the 18th-19th centuries, Alexander I assumed power, and he initially was viewed as a somewhat enlightened ruler, primarily due to the opportunities afforded through his ‘Jew constitution’ promulgated in 1804. He was succeeded by Czar Nicholas I, who went down in history as a sworn enemy of the Jews and an evil ruler. It was under his watch that the infamous cantonist decrees took place. He also attempted to meddle with internal Jewish affairs by reforming the educational institutions and by the annulment of the kahal communal structure. 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]

204

A Dazzling Light: The Life & Impact of Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan

Jan 15, 2022

25:20

Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan (1934-1983) was a dazzling light on the Jewish history scene of the 20th century. With family origins in Thessaloniki, Greece, he was born in the Bronx, and eventually studied at Yeshiva Torah Vodaath and Mir Yeshiva in Jerusalem. Returning to the US he became a physicist and then a pulpit rabbi, before entering the world of Jewish outreach. In his later years he maintained a prodigious literary output, authoring a large amount of works across the gamut of Jewish thought, mysticism, chassidic thought and practical Jewish observance. Much of this was commissioned by NCSY, which is where he did much of his kiruv activities. His tragic passing at the young age of 48 cut short his life work and accomplishments, but his impact continues until today through his many published works. This episode has been sponsored by NCSY in honor of the republication of Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan’s books. Connect more to Mitzvos and Yiddishkeit with Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan Zt”l’s republished and enhanced books. The library of 10 books covers the deeper meaning of some of the most important mitzvos. A project of NCSY in conjunction with Artscroll. For More Information and to Buy the Books: https://go.ncsy.org/rVOC 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]

205

Wise Man of Hungary: Rav Yehuda Aszod

Jan 22, 2022

31:27

Rav Yehuda Aszod (1796-1866) was one of the architects of the emerging Hungarian Orthodoxy of the 19th century. A student of the Maharam Banet, he went to serve in the rabbinate and as a rosh yeshiva in several towns, the most prominent of which was in Dunaszerdahely in the Austrian Empire. Ideologically positioned between neo Orthodoxy as represented by Rav Ezriel Hildesheimer and Hungarian Ultra-Orthodoxy as represented by Rav Hillel Lichtenstein, Rav Yehuda Aszod emerged as a leader of mainstream orthodoxy along with his colleague the Ksav Sofer. For decades he confronted modernist trends, any assault on tradition, and engaged in polemics with assimilationists and reformists alike. In 1864 he headed a delegation which met with Emperor Franz Jozef I in an unsuccessful attempt to block the opening of a reformist rabbinical seminary. 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]

206

Chabad & Zionism Part II

Jan 30, 2022

37:20

With the passing of the fifth rebbe of Chabad the Rashab in 1920, his son Rav Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson (1880-1950), the Rayatz, or the Freidiker (previous) Rebbe, took over the Chabad-Lubavitch movement at a time of crisis. Through the decades of his leadership he expressed a commitment to the ideals of his father in regards to Zionism, while dealing with the practical upheavals of Jewish life including the Holocaust and the founding of the State of Israel. This was continued by his son in law and successor Rav Menachem Mendel Schneerson. While in theory, the opposition to ideas such as ‘aschalta digeula’ remained, practical considerations of caring for the needs of the Jewish People and furthering Jewish observance took precedence. Of special note was the relationship enjoyed between both Rebbe’s and the third president of the State of Israel, Zalman Shazar. 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]

207

Shylock & Friends: The Jews of Venice

May 16, 2022

31:48

Jews have lived in Venice for more than a millennium. In 1516 the Jewish community of Venice was restricted to one area of the city, and this came to be known as the Ghetto, the first of its kind in Europe. Jewish life flourished, and it became a pioneering center of the printing of Hebrew books, most famously in the printing press of the Christian Daniel Bomberg. Though there were many famous Jewish personalities of Venice, including Don Yitzchak Abarbanel who lived out his last years in the city, the most famous Venetian Jew never even existed at all. Shylock is a fictional character and the primary antagonist in Shakespeare’s play The Merchant of Venice. While Shakespeare used - and to a certain extent created - anti-Semitic tropes which unfortunately were perpetuated by subsequent anti-Semites over the ensuing centuries, in many ways the character reflects the restricted reality of Venice’s Jews at the time. 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]

208

Frum Politics: Rav Yehoshua of Belz, Rav Shimon Sofer & Machzikei Hadas

Jun 12, 2022

34:47

Founded in 1879 the Rav Yehoshua of Belz and Rav Shimon Sofer, the Machzikei Hadas political party was the first Orthodox political party in Jewish history. The unique status of Galician Jewry of the 19th century, as a heavily traditional, demographically large community who had already received emancipation from the Habsburg monarchy in 1867, led the leaders of Orthodox Jewry there to utilize the benefits of emancipation to further the cause of traditional Jewry. Rav Shimon Sofer even got elected to the Austrian parliament. The mouthpiece of the organization was a newspaper of the same name, and emerged as another modern tool to preserve tradition. Though its influence waned after an initial decade of success, this pioneering endeavor left a lasting impact on the developing environment of Orthodox politics. 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]

209

An Enlightened Song: The Story of Shir

Jun 27, 2022

29:10

Prague has had its fair share of characters throughout its storied history, yet Shlomo Yehuda Rapoport (1790-1867) or Shir as he was known was definitely one of the more interesting ones. Born into a rabbinic family in Lvov, Shir married the daughter of Rav Aryeh Leib Heller, the author of the Ketzos Hachoshen. Though he remained a scholarly, observant and rabbinic Jew for the remainder of his life, he also associated with the emerging Galician Haskalah (Jewish Enlightenment) of his era. His intellectual pursuits included the study of medieval Jewish philosophy, languages, general science, history and literature, while his social circles included the famous maskilim of Galicia. In an attempt to alleviate his financial struggles his friend Yosef Perl arranged for his appointment to the rabbinate of Tarnopol. Traditionalist opposition made the position unsustainable, and in 1840 he was appointed rabbi of Prague where he remained until his passing. 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]

210

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]

211

From Slabodka to Slutzk: Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer Part I

Jul 25, 2022

35:45

Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer (1870-1953) was a great Torah leader of the 20th century, whose life story spanned eras and continents. As a young teenager he studied in the vaunted Volozhin Yeshiva, then married into the prestigious Frank family of Kovno, where he subsequently was appointed rosh yeshiva of Slabodka. This was followed by his departure for Slutzk where he remained as rosh yeshiva and later as communal rabbi for decades. Following the formation of the Soviet Union and the challenges of maintaining religious life therein, he immigrated to Palestine in 1925. There he assumed the leadership of the Eitz Chaim yeshiva and served in several leadership positions in both the yishuv and later in Israel, where he oversaw the growth of the emerging Torah community. 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]

212

1897: A Year of Transition

Aug 13, 2022

33:11

Though change is generally a gradual process through history, it’s worth noting how several momentous events which were indicators of a dynamic Jewish community all occurred during the year 1897. The first Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland, the founding of the socialist Bund political party in Vilna, the Pulmoss Hamussar in Lithuania and the founding of the Tomchei Temimim Yeshiva of Chabad in Lubavitch. Are these seemingly unrelated events which differ so much in ideology, goals and constituency at all connected? Or do all four separate events indicate some unifying trends taking place in the volatile situation the Jewish People found themselves within as the 19th century came to a close? Check out some great art: Twitter @ilanblock ; Insta@ silanblock Whatsapp 908-239-9161 ; Email [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]

213

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]

214

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]

215

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]

216

Marriage Age in Jewish Eastern Europe of the 19th Century

Feb 12, 2023

39:29

Matchmaking and marriage has always been a part of the Jewish story. What was the age of marriage at different times in Jewish history? How did one’s socioeconomic background impact the age of marriage? Did rich and scholarly family marry their children off at different ages than working class Jewish families? Why did the age of marriage suddenly rise among the financial and scholarly elite in the late 19th century in Eastern Europe? Could marriage plans be made in the depths of Auschwitz? These topics will all be explored in this Jewish History Soundbites Episode on marriage in Jewish history. Sponsored by the Shidduch Institute, encouraging everyone to fill out an easy and quick survey about shidduchim and matchmaking in order to gain a better understanding of machinations of shidduchim among the North American Orthodox Jewish community and the challenges within that system. Take a few minutes to fill out the survey and share with your family, friends and contacts to fill out as well. Shidduchinstitute.com/survey The only way a solution can be found is by obtaining real data which will facilitate a better understanding of the issues at hand. https://shidduchinstitute.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV eA8VDIbB3bWyHVY 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]

217

Chasam Sofer Part IV: From Frankfurt to Exile

Mar 4, 2023

35:25

Born into a prestigious Frankfurt family in 1762, Rav Moshe Sofer, the Chasam Sofer, would carry the Frankfurt legacy for the rest of his life. His teachers included the local rabbi Rav Pinchas Horowitz, the Haflaah, as well as a stint in Mainz with Rav David Tevli Shayer. But his primary teacher was Rav Nosson Adler. The Chasam Sofer joined his circle of mystics when he was 10-11 years old and remained devoted to him for the rest of his life. When the Frankfurt community opposed Rav Nosson Adler’s Kabbalistic separatist customs and he was excommunicated, the Chasam Sofer accompanied him into exile. Leaving Frankfurt with Rav Nosson Adler in 1782, the Chasam Sofer was never to return to his hometown. Listen to our previous three episodes about the Chasam Sofer: Part 1: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/hungarian-royalty-the-chasam-sofer-his-family/ Part 2: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/chasam-sofer-part-ii-old-traditions-new-message/ Part 3: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/chasam-sofer-part-iii-a-pressburg-situation/ 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]

218

Jewish Population Growth Through the Ages

May 11, 2023

40:16

Jewish population growth has fluctuated over the millennia. Unique circumstances of Jewish history have impacted Jewish demographics in a variety of ways, often adversely affecting Jewish growth through the ages. This episode will attempt to explore some basic elements of Jewish demographics, fluctuations as well as salient features, and examine the numbers and their significance. The great Jewish demographic story of the Modern Era is the population explosion of Eastern European Jewry in the 19th century, with the tragic and sudden demographic contraction as a result of the Holocaust. 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]

219

Live From Prague with Dovi Safier & Nachi Weinstein of Seforim Chatter Podcast

May 18, 2023

1:13:39

An unscripted conversation with Dovi Safier and Seforim Chatter podcast host Nachi Weinstein summarizing an amazing trip to Central Europe with the Daf Yomi Chaburah of Reb Sruly Borenstein and Eli Slomowitz of E&S Tours. This casual discussion covers the people and places we saw - Vienna, Bratislava (Chasam Sofer), Mikulov (Nikolsburg), Holesov (the Shach) & Prague. As we review this exciting trip, we attempt to provide some historical background and analysis, while it is constantly accompanied by light banter 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]

220

Antisemitism Part I: Old & New; Religious & Racial

Jun 12, 2023

39:41

Antisemitism or anti-semitism or anti-Semitism or Jew hatred or hatred of the Jewish People has been around since antiquity. Expressing itself in various ways over time and place, it has remained a salient feature of Jewish history often with tragic consequences. While the Middle Ages is often associated with religious/Christian/Church anti Jewish discrimination, which often culminated in expulsions, pogroms, crusades, forced conversions and ritual murder charges, the 19th century is more associated with a manifestation of antisemitism in a modern form, at the nexus of nationalism and Jew hatred. This was followed by racial antisemitism with its most deadly expression in the Nazi Holocaust. Despite the seemingly orderly chronological sequence of the development of antisemitism over the millennia, it was often a confluence of factors - religious, economic, racial, nationalistic - through which anti Jewish policies were implemented throughout history. This three part series will explore some of the distinctive features of Jew hatred, with a focus on modern antisemitism of the 19th and 20th centuries. This series on the history of Antisemitism has been sponsored by the Touro Graduate School of Jewish Studies, a leading academic program in Jewish Studies that equips students with the tools to search out their own unique path into the study of Jewish history and scholarship. For more information on admission to the Touro Graduate School of Jewish Studies, including scholarship opportunities, please visit https://gsjs.touro.edu/ or call 212-463-0400, ext. 55580 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]

221

Antisemitism Part III: The Road to Racial Antisemitism

Jun 24, 2023

37:24

One of the enduring antisemitic tropes has been the ‘Protocols of the Elders of Zion’ forgery. Fabricated in Czarist Russia in the early 20th century, it was later exported to Western Europe and the United States. Jews have responded to Antisemitism in a variety of ways, including humor, emigration and Jewish nationalism. The early 20th century saw the rise of racial Antisemitism which had evolved in the nationalistic environment of Europe of the late 19th century. The culmination of racial theory and racial Antisemitism was through the Nazi racial ideology which formed the ideological basis of the Holocaust and Final Solution. Antisemitism didn’t disappear following the war, and it manifested itself in the Soviet Union, Europe, United States and the Moslem world. This series on the history of Antisemitism has been sponsored by the Touro Graduate School of Jewish Studies, a leading academic program in Jewish Studies that equips students with the tools to search out their own unique path into the study of Jewish history and scholarship. For more information on admission to the Touro Graduate School of Jewish Studies, including scholarship opportunities, please visit https://gsjs.touro.edu/ or call 212-463-0400, ext. 55580 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]

222

Chasam Sofer Part V: Halacha & Leadership in a Changing World

Jul 3, 2023

40:00

Rav Moshe Sofer the Chasam Sofer (1762-1839) was both a leader and halachic decisor throughout his long rabbinical career. As he confronted a changing world where traditional Jewish life faced developing challenges of modernity, his vision, brilliance and sense of responsibility led him to utilize the halachic responsa he authored as a medium through which to express the traditional response through a continually evolving methodology. While still a young rabbi in Mattersdorf, the Chasam Sofer defended the local Frankfurt custom of his youth against the hegemony of a collective Ashkenaz identity. Yet a decade later as rabbi of Pressburg, he utilized the idea of collective Ashkenaz halachic identity following the rulings of the Ramah, as a mechanism for closing ranks around a strong traditional base in the wake of expansive attempts at reforming traditional halacha. During the last decade of the Chasam Sofer’s life, he expressed a pessimism regarding the future of rabbinical leadership as he witnessed many rabbis of his day leaning towards the reforming of halacha. His creative solution this time was to raise the banner of the Jewish communal collective, elevating the status of custom and rabbinic ordinance to the level of a Torah ordained obligation. The Chasam Sofer’s keen perception of the challenges facing traditional Judaism form the basis of his legacy until this very day. Check out our previous episodes on the life and leadership of the Chasam Sofer: Part 1: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/hungarian-royalty-the-chasam-sofer-his-family/ Part 2: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/chasam-sofer-part-ii-old-traditions-new-message/ Part 3: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/chasam-sofer-part-iii-a-pressburg-situation/ Part 4: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/chasam-sofer-part-iv-from-frankfurt-to-exile/ 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]

223

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]

224

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]

225

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]

226

Rebbe Under Communism: The Ribnitzer Rebbe

Oct 8, 2023

24:21

Jewish History Soundbites podcast is back after a long hiatus. Lots of great content, explorations of Jewish history and ongoing series will be posted on a consistent basis in the coming months. Stay tuned. The yahrtzeit of Rav Chaim Zanvil Abramovitz (c.1902-1995), the Ribnitzer Rebbe, is an opportunity to discuss the fascinating life and milieu of an individual who grew up in prewar Romania, survived the Nazis, defied the communists and lived out the final years of his long life in Israel and the United States. He somehow kept the flame of Judaism alive in postwar communist Romania, serving his community, and maintaining his personal ascetic practices such as utilizing the freezing Dniester River as a mikvah. His miraculous survival and leadership remains a legacy which continually grows, as his gravesite in Monsey attracts visitors and petitioners in the thousands. 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]

227

The Machal Fighters of 1948

Dec 23, 2023

46:31

A special place in Jewish history is reserved for the Machal fighters of 1948. These were primarily World War II veterans, who volunteered to fight for Israel during its War of Independence, and their participation served a key role in Israel’s victory. Comprised mostly of Jews, but included non-Jews as well, they formed the nucleus of Israel’s nascent air force, navy, and filled many specialized roles in the army. One of the most important members of this volunteer corps was Al Schwimmer, an American Jewish veteran who organized a group of pilots and experienced aviation personnel on Israel’s behalf. He also organized the purchase of planes for Israel’s Air Force, transported the planes to Czechoslovakia, and then used the planes to bring badly needed weapons and ammunition to fight for Israel’s survival. 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]

228

Censorship in Czarist Russia

Mar 9, 2024

43:48

The Czarist government implemented a policy of censorship of all published material in the empire, whether it was imported or printed locally. Though this was a general policy, there were unique particularities regarding the censorship of Jewish works. In the early years following the partitions of Poland, there wasn’t an effective mechanism of censoring in place, and it was only in 1826 when censorship for Jewish works was implemented in a systematic fashion. The government utilized the tool of censorship in order to assist in solving what they termed ‘the Jewish question’. Censorship of religious texts, especially those relating to Chassidic thought, mysticism and Kabbalah, was thought to distance them from sectarianism, integrate the Jews into Russian society, ‘improve’ them and make them more ‘productive’. An outsized role was played by the censors themselves, who were generally prominent maskilim or even apostates. Later in the century, the government shifted away from censorship of religious works, and focused on secular literature and the emerging media of newspapers and periodicals in Russian, Hebrew and Yiddish. These were considered a greater threat from the Czarist perspective as they encouraged Jewish nationalism, socialism, aspirations of emancipation and revolutionary activity. 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]

229

The 1837 Tzfas Earthquake

Aug 25, 2024

38:00

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. 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]

230

Remembering Tragedy on Happy Days

Oct 26, 2024

34:41

With the Jewish calendar full of happy holidays and joyous occasions, and Jewish history filled with tragic events, an inevitable paradox is confronted when wishing to commemorate a tragic occasion during a happy time. Unfortunately this was recently experienced with the desire to commemorate the first anniversary of the October 7th massacre on the holiday of Simchas Torah. There are quite a few examples throughout Jewish history of tragedy being commemorated on happy occasions, and the Jewish People have historically managed to strike a healthy balance between celebration and solemn remembrance. This episode will explore some of these historical paradoxes. From the First Crusade to a Krakow pogrom, and from the Soviet Union to the remembering the victims of the Holocaust, communal gatherings during the holidays were often utilized to remember the tragedies of the past. 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]

231

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]

232

Murder in Lvov: Communal Tensions in 19th Century Galicia

Jun 21, 2025

42:41

On the afternoon of September 6, 1848, the progressive Rabbi Avraham Kohn (1807-1848) of Lemberg (Lvov in Polish) in Austrian Galicia, was poisoned to death. Who assassinated him? What were their motives? With the Austrian takeover of Galicia following the partitions of Poland in the late 18th century, the ancient, large and prestigious Jewish communities of that region experienced seismic changes. Lvov was the largest and most prominent Jewish community in all of Galicia. In this large urban center, many factions within the Jewish community arose in the early decades of the 19th century. When the minority progressive faction imported a rabbi from Austria and installed him as rabbi of their temple in 1843, tensions rose, and the Orthodox elite establishment, as well as the Orthodox majority of the community were vehemently opposed to his arrival. Well beyond the tragic story of a murder, this sad saga opens a window into the dynamics of a community in transformation during the confrontation with modernity in the 19th century. 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]

233

Traveler, Chronicler & Scholar: The Chida

Jun 28, 2025

47:44

Journeying through large swaths of the Jewish world of the 18th century, Rav Chaim Yosef David Azulai (1724-1806), known by his acronym the Chida, was privy to the broad range of the various Jewish communities across Europe and North Africa, as well as observing the happenings within each community as an objective observer. He recorded his impressions of his travels, which remains an invaluable historical document, produced by one of the greatest Torah scholars in recent centuries. As a world class Torah scholar who served as a fundraiser on behalf of the Sephardic Old Yishuv of the Land of Israel, the Chida spent the majority of his life on the road, eventually settling in Livorno, Italy, where he served as rabbi until his passing. His literary output was immense, with his many seforim remaining popular until this very day. 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]

234

The Rama and the Great Lag Baomer Hillula of Europe

May 22, 2019

15:38

Yehuda Geberer shares the story of the "Rama", Rav Moshe Isserlis of Krakow whose Yahrtzeit is on Lag Baomer and the large gathering that occurred at his Kever each year. 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]

235

Yossele Rosenblatt and the Golden Age of Chazzanus

Jun 27, 2019

21:27

The name Yossele Rosenblatt evokes legendary awe as a chazzan, singer and composer. However, he was a man of his time who enjoyed fame and success on one hand, whilst experiencing challenges and travails on the other. Come along as we peek into the lives of some the great Chazzanim of the last century. 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]

236

Foreign Minister of the Eidah HaChareidis: The Strange Story of Dr. Jacob de Haan

Jun 30, 2019

21:39

Poet, journalist, lawyer, human rights activist, linguist, Zionist, anti Zionist, Diplomat, these are but some of the facets of one of the most fascinating characters in recent Jewish history - Dr. Jacob de Haan. Ultimately killed in the first Jewish political assassination in modern history, his story is a riveting journey through Jewish life at the first quarter of the last century. 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]

237

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]

238

Streets Paved With Gold: The Mass Wave of Jewish Immigration

Jul 4, 2019

22:14

Between the years 1881-1925, millions of Jews emigrated from Eastern Europe. From the Czarist Russian Empire, Galicia in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Romania, Jews sought new homes and better futures in countries around the world. The overwhelming majority made their way across the Atlantic to the beckoning shores of the United States. What were the catalysts for this mass migration? How did it take place? What was the impact on the communities left behind? And how did the immigrants acclimate themselves to their new surroundings? 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]

239

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]

240

Unlikeliest of Saviors: The Story of Chinese Diplomat Feng Shan Ho

Jul 16, 2019

20:55

While the heroic stories of Schindler and Sugihara are quite famous, the story of Chinese Diplomat Feng Shan Ho is practically unknown. Learn about the man who risked it all and issued thousands of Visas to Viennese Jews, allowing them to escape Hitler's tightening grasp. 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]

241

Tanks, Trenches and Tefillos: The Nazi Attempt to Conquer the Holy Land

Jul 18, 2019

22:05

The Yishuv in pre-State Israel during WWII was in grave danger as Rommel's tanks rolled across North Africa. With the British victory at El Alamein, the danger passed. How did the Jews of the Yishuv react to the German threat? What ultimately stopped Rommels rolling forces? 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]

242

Depth, Innovation & Misnagdim Turned Chassidim: The Dynasty of Izhbitz

Jul 27, 2019

27:02

Traveling through the world of Polish Chassidus, one encounters the many offshoots of Pshischa, including perhaps the most colorful of all - Izhbitz. With it's penetrating depth, creativity, innovation & the unique lives of it's leaders, it remains one of the most exciting stories to be told in the history of Chassidus. 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]

243

Fighting Rabbis: Rabbinical Figures in the Resistance against the Nazis

Aug 1, 2019

25:41

Contrary to popular belief, Rabbis played a significant role in various forms of armed resistance against the Nazis. Whether it was through support of the fighters or even active participation in the fighting, Rabbis were there and played a role. What led to a misunderstanding in regards to their role in the post war era? Why did they actually support armed resistance in many instances? 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]

244

A Princely Rebbe: Rav Shlomo Halberstam of Bobov

Aug 3, 2019

20:38

In pre-war Galicia, Bobov was the leading Chassidus in both numbers, activity and leadership. Decimated by the War and almost a lone survivor of his family, R' Shlomo of Bobov set forth to rebuild what was lost. Carrying the legacy of his father the Kedushas Tzion, he not only led an empire of a resurrected Bobov, he also influenced Jewry worldwide with the beauty of his ways. 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]

245

From Lakewood to Lubavitch: The Early Years of Shlomo Carlebach

Aug 15, 2019

20:26

Clearly the most influential Jewish Composer/Singer of his time, Shlomo Carlebach was a polarizing figure. He was a pioneer in the Jewish Outreach movement and a rabbi to thousands, yet his path to stardom took many interesting twists and turns. From his Rabbeim, Rav Shlomo Heiman and Rav Aaron Kotler to the magnetic influences of The Lubavitcher Rebbe, hear the story of the formative years that shaped the the legendary "Singing Rabbi". 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]

246

From All-Night Learning to All-Night Kumzitz: The Early Years of Shlomo Carlebach Part II

Aug 17, 2019

22:36

Another look at the formative Yeshiva years of Shlomo Carlebach, his relationship with Rav Ahron Kotler and the complexities of his leaving the Yeshiva world for his activist work on behalf of the Jewish People. The great "Singing Rabbi" never ceased to sing and never ceased to be a Rabbi. The transitional stage of his being identified with the yeshiva as one of it's prize students, to the public persona involved in Jewish outreach, is crucial to understanding his later approach and wide reaching influence. 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]

247

Rav Kook Part II: New Times, New Needs & New Movements

Sep 3, 2019

25:25

With his appointment as Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, and subsequently of all of British controlled Palestine, Rav Avraham Yitzchok Hakohen Kook (1875-1935) transitioned into his most active period in the public sphere. While garnering much support and staving off the opposition, he managed to build and accomplish in many areas of Jewish life. Along with other Rabbis, he became a primary architect of the Rabbanut to regulate religious life in the "Yishuv", he invested much in Yeshivas and Jewish education, developed working -albeit often times strained- relationships with officials in the British Government, and managed to build bridges with the secular Zionist leadership 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]

248

The Founding of a Dynasty: The Alter Rebbe's Rise to Leadership

Sep 15, 2019

26:34

Rav Shneur Zalman of Liady (1745?-1812), known as the Alter Rebbe or the Baal Hatanya, was the founder of the Chabad Chassidus and one of most influential leaders in the history of the movement. How did he start out? Was it an easy road to leadership? He was one of the youngest among the students of the Maggid of Mezritch. Following Rav Mendele of Vitebsk to White Russia, he assisted in spreading Chassidus in that vicinity. But it was only following R' Mendele's aliyah in 1777, that R' Shneur Zalman would begin his rise to a leadership position of Chassidim. Slowly he fashioned his court, his own unique brand of Chassidic thought and began to manage the hordes of Chassidim who began arriving at his door. They came to hear his guidance in serving Hashem, his Divrei Torah and to experience the atmosphere of the court of the Alter Rebbe. 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]

249

Uman Uman Rosh Hashana! The History of the Great Rosh Hashana Pilgrimage

Sep 21, 2019

22:43

With the current atmosphere being that one has to excuse oneself to justify not travelling to Rabbeinu for Rosh Hashana, it's worthwhile examining the historical roots of this phenomenon. What was the historical context in which R' Nosson of Nemirov made the Rosh Hashana pilgrimage the core of Breslov chassidus? How did the Uman visit look like throughout the years? In the interwar period, Breslov chassidim encountered a challenge that threatened the future of the movement. The Iron Curtain prevented the Chassidim in Poland from reaching Uman. How would they adapt to the new situation? Finally, in the post war era, with the resurgence of Breslov, the Rosh Hashana gathering adapts itself to new worlds and new situations till this very day. Music for this episode: “Rabeinu” by Beri Weber https://youtu.be/gJuStPunxIs 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]

250

The Rabbis & The Zionists Part VI: Lofty Ideals & Harsh Realities

Oct 10, 2019

49:40

With the passage of time, Rabbinical espoused ideals are processed along the path of the realities and practical considerations of day to day life. It is this execution of policy that forms the basis of our final examination of the Rabbinical positions on Zionism. Specific Rabbinical figures arose in the 1960's-'70's who formulated positions, which form the basis of modern Rabbinical opinion right up to our current times. These range from the Messianic views of Rav Tzvi Yehuda Kook, to the practical considerations of the Gerrer Rebbe, through the active conservatism of Rav Shach and all the way to extreme opposition of the Satmar Rov. A summary of the diverse opinions of these and other great personalities, will enhance our understanding of Rabbinical opinion on Zionism in the modern era, as well as wrap up the series on "The Rabbis & The Zionists". 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]

251

Tales of Sukkos: The Great Daled Minim Hunt & Simchas Torah In Shanghai

Oct 16, 2019

29:11

In honor of the happy Sukkos holiday, here's a potpourri of anecdotes - some interesting, others entertaining - of Sukkos throughout recent Jewish history. What was it like to shop for a lulav and esrog when all esrogim had to be imported? How about during wartime? What was the atmosphere in the pre war Yeshivas by the Simchas Bais hashoeva and Simchas Torah? What happened to the Chozeh of Lublin on the last Simchas Torah of his life? 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]

252

Innovative Methods & Rebellious Students: Early Years of Telz Yeshiva Part I

Nov 5, 2019

30:05

With the growth of the Lithuanian Yeshiva movement in the 19th century, the great Yeshiva of Telz was to take a prominent place as one of the premier Yeshivas of the age. From modest beginnings, it grew in both numbers and stature under the watch of legendary Rav Leizer Gordon. Telz boasted of an innovative organizational structure which included an acceptance policy, a rigid class structure and regular tests on the material studied. The attempt to bring the Mussar movement within the walls of the Yeshiva, along with specific Rabbinical appointments, led to a series of clashes - sometimes violent - between the independent minded Telzer students and the Yeshiva administration. Ultimately the revolts and the winds of rebellion were quelled, and peace and prosperity allowed Telz to continue its destiny to greatness. 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]

253

Building Torah in America Part II: A Conversation with Rabbi Dr. Aaron Rakeffet Rothkoff

Dec 6, 2019

35:43

Get ready for Part 2 of our interview with the legendary Rabbi Dr. Aaron Rakeffet-Rothkoff. Rav Rakeffett is a world class Jewish Historian who has lived a storied life, from learning in Lakewood and Yeshiva University to sharing close relationships with luminaries such as Rabbi Joseph Ber Soloveitchik, Rav Aaron Kotler,Rav Moshe Feinstein as well as other Gedolim. He has authored numerous bestselling Sefarim and Books such as "The Silver Era" and the multi volume "Rakaffot Aaron" series. He has thousands of Talmidim around the world, many of whom listen to his Shiurim regularly in person at Gruss Kollel in Yerushalayim and online at YUTorah.org . In addition to his storied teaching and writing careers, Rav Rakeffet has spent time working for the IDF and Mossad on a variety of important missions including clandestine trips to Soviet Russia and a close involvement with the Zachary Baumel HY'D case. 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]

254

A Rosh Yeshiva, A Kabbalist and A Nazir: The Inner Circle of Rav Kook

Dec 9, 2019

28:16

The Founding of the Merkaz Harav in the second decade of the twentieth century, brought together a group of some very talented individuals to the forefront of Torah education. Among others, we'll examine the life of the Rav Dovid Cohen, the Rav Hanazir (1887-1972), who's origins lay in the Rabbinic Lithuanian aristocracy and later became a modern day Nazir. Rav Yitzchok Arielli (1896-1974) was home grown talent in the Old City of Yerushalayim. Following his exposure to Rav Kook, he became a close student and subsequently one of the heads of Merkaz Harav, while also achieving distinction as one of the leading poskim in Yerushalayim. Rav Yaakov Moshe Charlap (1882-1951) a mystic, thinker, Talmudist, community Rabbi, leader and Rosh Yeshiva, was one of the most diverse of this talented circle. 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]

255

Old World Values in the Home of the Brave: Transplanting Chassidus on American Shores

Dec 26, 2019

51:29

Recorded LIVE at the historic Ridinker Shteibel on the Upper West Side of Manhattan on the 2nd Night of Chanukah, Jewish Historian Yehuda Geberer delves into the incredible rebirth of the Chassidic movement in North America. Learn about the great leaders and holy tzadikim who helped revive Chassidic life in a new world. 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]

256

Rudolf's Rescue Scheme: Kastner & The Attempts To Save Hungarian Jewry

Jan 7, 2020

29:24

Asara B'Teves is known in Israel also as "Yom Hakadish Haklali", and is a day which the victims of the Holocaust are commemorated with the recital of Kaddish. When focusing on the attempted rescue efforts during the Holocaust, one of the most controversial sagas is undoubtedly that of the one known as the "Kastner Train". Rudolf Kastner, a Hungarian Zionist leader, attempted to save a trainload of Jews from the deportations to Auschwitz. Ultimately, through direct negotiations with the Nazis, a train with over 1,600 Jews were saved. In doing so, Kastner did not reveal to the Jewish masses about the impending deportations that were to commence. Had he done so, his train would not have been saved. What was the responsibility of a Jewish leader at the time? To warn the many or to save the few? Was his identity as a secular Zionist a catalyst for his actions? And the ultimate question which perhaps might never be answered: Was he a hero or a villain? 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]

257

While Six Million Perished: FDR, Stephen Wise & American Jewry

Jan 23, 2020

30:56

For the American Jewish community, President Roosevelt seemed almost Messianic. The New Deal was worshiped as the wave of the future, American Jews were overwhelmingly liberal - even Socialist - Democrats, and he seemed to be the only hope against the isolationist Republicans, for future intervention in the European War. In many ways, the American Jewish establishment, with Rabbi Stephen Wise at it's helm, felt that the President was beyond criticism. But was he?In the late 1930's, and even at certain stages of the war itself, a refugee crisis faced many Jews trapped in Europe. Was Roosevelt the man of the hour to ease immigration policy for these refugees? What went on throughout the War between the President of the United States and the Jewish People- both at home and abroad? 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]

258

An Uncharted Path: The Story of Rav Baruch Rabinowitz of Munkatch

Feb 8, 2020

30:32

In the rebuilding of Chassidic courts in the post war era, the story of Munkatch is one of the more tragic ones. More of a human story than one of a dynasty, it revolves around the upheavals in the life of Rabbi Baruch Rabinowitz (1914-1997). As a successor to his famed father in law the Minchas Elozor of Munkatch, following the Holocaust he abdicated the throne. He also turned towards Zionism, which was a marked departure from the legacy of Munkatch. The story of his rescue activities during the war, coupled with his post war Rabbinic career is another facet of his life, which was otherwise dominated by the future of the Munkatch dynasty. Check out the episode on the Minchas Elazar: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/uncompromising-zealot-the-life-and-times-of-the-minchas-elazar/ 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]

259

Here Comes Rav Beinush! Stories of the Mir Rosh Yeshiva Rav Beinush Finkel

Feb 12, 2020

38:00

Rav Binyamin Beinush Finkel (1913-1990) was one of the most colorful Roshei Yeshiva in recent times. A great talmid chacham who did everything to hide his greatness, he remains something of a mystery to even those who were close with him. At the same time, he was a lively and funny personality, and in many ways the ultimate people's person. Hiding himself and his deeds to an extreme, he also displayed a warmth and understanding for the common and simple folk whom he encountered. With so many facets to his personality, these anecdotes can perhaps paint a partial picture of this legendary and beloved Rosh Yeshiva, presented here in honor of his 30th yahrtzeit. 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]

260

Screaming From The Rooftops: The Fire of Kotzk

Feb 15, 2020

34:50

Few figures can match the excitement, intensity and mystique as expressed in the enigmatic personality of the Kotzker. So much has been written about Rav Menachem Mendel Morgenstern of Kotzk (1788-1859), and yet much remains shrouded in mystery until this very day. A demanding leader and uncompromising in his pursuit for truth, he got disappointed when his Chassidim weren't reaching the high ideals he set for them. His legendary sharp retorts contained the depth of his teachings. At times radical and at times misunderstood, the fire which he lit in Kotzk shines forth and provides warmth till this very day. Check out the sequel to this episode: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/those-who-know-dont-speak-the-story-of-the-kotzk-izhbitz-dispute/ 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]

261

Wisest of Men: Stories of Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky

Mar 23, 2020

29:43

Known by his colleagues as the "wise man of the Jewish People", Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky (1891-1986) was one of the important Rabbinical leaders of the 20th century. Though raised in the environment of Minsk and Slabodka and leading a Rabbinic career in rural Lithuania, his influence was primarily in the post war world of the United States. Arriving in the US when his bid for the Vilkomir Rabbinate fell through, he immediately began to lead, guide and advise the American Jewish community as a whole and to individuals who sought his counsel. From the storekeepers in Toronto, to the non Jewish children in Monsey, from the podium of the Agudah convention to the party politics in Israel, Rav Yaakov always had an novel perspective and insight for any situation. 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]

262

Fighters for Tradition: Profiles in the Hungarian Rabbinate Part II

Apr 1, 2020

27:39

With the growth of the Hungarian Jewish community in the 18th century, Rabbis from both Germany and Poland took up positions in the burgeoning communities. With the changing times, each generation of Rabbinical leadership experienced successive spurts of growth as well as the challenges of the modern era. The Hungarian story presents a unique set of challenges as they developed in this region, with the legacy of the Chasam Sofer's Orthodoxy, the growth of the Chassidim and the eventual dominance of the less traditional Neolog community in Hungarian Jewish life. One of the important Rabbinic dynasties of that era was that of the Levv family. From Rav Elozor Levv (1758-1837), known by the sefer he authored Shemen Rokeach, through several generations of his descendants, they came to represent the vicissitudes of the time period. Rav Yirmiyahu Levv (1811-1874) was one of the leading Hungarian Rabbis of the 19th century. Confronting both the growing Chassidic community in Hungary, as well as the threat to Orthodoxy posed by the Neologs, he eventually led the faction of Hungarian Jewry known as the "Status Quo" communities. By focusing on these specific individuals, it can serve as a prism for relating the story of the entire 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]

263

The Crown of Aleppo

May 9, 2020

31:06

The oldest complete Tanach in the world, the Aleppo Codex, known as the "Keter", was and still is revered as a national treasure. As a source and guide for the text and vowelization of Tanach, it was one of the most important ancient texts of the Jewish People. For nearly six centuries it was carefully safeguarded by the Aleppo Jewish community. Following a series of riots at the end of 1947, the Keter seemingly disappeared, resurfacing 11 years later through a daring smuggling operation to the State of Israel. As it was turned over to then President Yitzchak Ben Tzvi, it was discovered that nearly half of the manuscript was missing. Was it simply lost? Was it stolen? By whom? Why was it handed over to the State for safekeeping? Some of the mystery surrounding the Keter remains with us till this very day. 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]

264

A Bittersweet Victory: The 1948 Battle for Jerusalem

May 21, 2020

28:12

While Yom Yerushalayim is a day that primarily focuses on the Six Day War and the capture of Yerushalayim, it leads one to wonder how it was lost in the first place. For that we must return to the battle of Jerusalem in the spring of 1948. With the British preparing to leave, the Haganah and the Arab Legion were preparing to fight for the city. It's a match between David Shaltiel, the German born Haganah commander, against his adversary Abdullah Tal. With Yerushalayim under siege, civilians had wait on line for water, and the food shortage led to starvation. The hope for Jewish sovereignty in the Holy City was soon dashed, as the last residents of the Jewish Quarter into Jordanian captivity. An ugly divide of barbed wire, would divide the ancient city for the 19 years to come. 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]

265

Great American Jewish Cities #7: Pittsburgh

Jun 10, 2020

45:34

With the growth of the steel industry, Pittsburgh became home to a sizable and prestigious Jewish community. While the Pittsburgh Platform of 1885 gave the city an association with Reform, and Jews had an impact on the local sports scene, immigrants from Eastern Europe along with some impressive Rabbinical and communal leaders laid a solid foundation for the traditional Jewish community. Early Rabbis like Rav Moshe Shimon Sivitz, Rav Aharon Ashinsky and Rav Wolf Leiter, and later luminaries like Rav Sholom Posner the chinuch pioneer, the Pittsburgher Rebbes, Rabbi Bernard Poupko and many others. Nearby Mckeesport had a sizable Jewish community as well, with Rabbi Yitzchak Chinn leading the Gemilas Chesed shul for over a half a century. 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]

266

The Prophet of Doom & The Prophetess of Comfort: The Story of the Leibowitz Siblings

Jun 13, 2020

34:07

Two siblings who were high achievers and shared similar life paths. Yet the two couldn't be more different. Nechama Leibowitz (1905-1997), with all of her academic positions, saw herself as simply a teacher. One who strove to encourage the study of Tanach with its diverse range of commentary. Coupled with her love for the Hebrew language and her desire to teach and reach others wherever they may be, made her a beloved figure and teacher for generations of students. Her elder brother Yeshayahu(1903-1994), having grown in the same home in Riga, took his academic career early on in Germany towards a host of sciences - organic chemistry, biochemistry, neuro physiology and others. What gained him renown however was his radical views in philosophy, political philosophy and the philosophy of religion. Fearless in promulgating provocative ideas, he was wont to stir controversy in many circles for his political and religious beliefs. 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]

267

Making of a Godol Stories Part II

Jun 17, 2020

36:08

Here's another installment of enjoyable stories from the book Making of a Godol by Rabbi Nosson Kamenetsky along with related stories. We'll travel through pre war Europe and hear about how the Kovna Kollel was founded, the Yeshivas of Minsk, Rav Meir Shapiro's visit to Litvish Yeshivas, challenges of secularization, Rav Tzvi Hirsh Rabinowitz of Kovna, how Rav Chaim Brisker's sefer came to be printed 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]

268

Great American Jewish Cities #11: The American South Part I

Jul 14, 2020

45:51

With a foray into the south, we examine the stories of some great Jewish communities south of the Mason-Dixon line. Charleston, South Carolina is home to one of the oldest Jewish communities stretching back to colonial times. In the Antebellum South, it achieved renown as the largest Jewish community in the United States for many years. Charleston has the distinction of being the home of the oldest continuous Orthodox Ashkenazi Shul in America, along with being the home of the origins of Reform Judaism on that side of the Atlantic. The city was to play a central role in the Civil War, which was a war which had far reaching ramifications for Jews in other areas of the south as well. Nearby Savannah has a colonial era history as well with Sephardic Jews arriving in the 18th century. Polish Jews established an Orthodox community before the Civil War, and generations of the Garfunkel family played a role in the community's development with some impressive Rabbinical figures having served there. We wrap up with Memphis, where we meet Rabbis Ephraim & Nota Greenblatt, Rafael Grossman, Meir Belsky and many others. Elvis makes an appearance as well on this journey down south. 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]

269

Treacherous Brothers: The Yevsektsia Destryoys Jewish Life in Russia

Jul 29, 2020

37:35

Few stories among the many tragedies of Jewish history are as heartbreaking as the destruction of Jewish life in Russia by the Yevsektsia. While the majority of these occurrences were perpetrated from enemies on the outside, the Yevsektsia was an entirely Jewish organization. It's a story of Jews waging war on traditional Jewish life. Following the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, the Yevsektsia was established as a Jewish section of the Communist party, with the mandate to galvanize the Jewish workers in support of the Revolution and communism. At their own initiative, these primarily young Jewish revolutionaries extended their mandate to suppress all that was perceived to be counter revolutionary activity. The Kehillas, Cheders, Yeshivas, Shuls, Rabbinical leadership, Zionism, culture, Hebrew language, Jewish political parties and any other vestige of Jewish life was brutally suppressed and wiped out. By 1929 they were disbanded, but the damage was done. Once the world center of world Jewry, Russian Jewish traditional life was obliterated. It's 3 million Jews stuck behind the Iron Curtain. 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]

270

A Fatherly Warrior: The Satmar Rav Part II

Aug 15, 2020

28:55

Scion of the Sighet Chassidic dynasty, Rav Yoelish Teitelbaum continued the legacy of his illustrious forbears on all fronts. As a Rosh Yeshiva, communal Rabbi, Chassidic leader and fiery warrior against the various modernist trends of his time. With his escape from Hungary on the Kastner Train and subsequent settlement in Williamsburg following a brief stint in Israel, he focused his energies on rebuilding. As a visionary and at the same time a very practical realist, he created the infrastructure of full "kehilla" - community, which went beyond the realm of a chassidic court. In that capacity, he served as the inspiration of numerous chessed organizations including the lifesaving Hatzalah emergency medical service. Known for his uncompromising stance on modernity in general and Zionism in particular, he refused to back down even when it seemed that he was the lone fighter in ideological stance. 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]

271

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]

272

Book Review: Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzinski Volume II By Rav David Kamenetsky

Sep 6, 2025

50:23

The newly published excellent book in Hebrew about the life and times of Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzinski (1863-1940) by Rav David Kamenetsky, entitled Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzinski: Rabban shel Kol Bnei Hagola Volume 2, is a great contribution to our historical understanding both of this great leader and the entire era in which he operated. This second volume covers the years 1910-1930, and - just like the first volume - utilizes the vast repository of Rav Chaim Ozer’s own many letters to tell his story using his own words. This meticulously researched work organizes Rav Chaim Ozer’s and his correspondent’s letters for the first time, allowing the narrative of major events in the Jewish world to be told by the protagonists themselves. Topics include the Katowice conference of Agudas Yisrael in 1912, World War I and its aftermath, the first Knessiah Gedola of Agudas Yisrael in Vienna in 1923, the Vilna Jewish community, the Vaad Hayeshivos & its Dos Vort newspaper, the dispute surrounding the Vilna rabbinate, and many others. This highly recommended book is a vital contribution to our understanding of Jewish history of that 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]

273

The Ruzhin Dynasty & the Age of Succession

Aug 22, 2020

26:56

With Sadigura in the news, here's an overview of the Ruzhin dynasty and which branches are still active today. Some like Shtefanesht, Husyatin and Chrotkov are pretty much gone. Boyan is here but without the Friedman name. Buhush and of course Sadigura are still around with the direct Friedman link. Interestingly enough, there have been young successors to positions of power throughout history. Rav Chaim Brisker, Rav Moshe Feinstein, Rav Ovadiah Yosef, the Ben Ish Chai, Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer, the Yenuka of Stolin, the Belzer Rebbe, Rav Nachman of Breslov, the Ruzhiner himself, King Hussein of Jordan, Michael Dell and many, many others, have risen to leadership at a young age, with each once being another unique piece of history. 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]

274

Sisters of the Revolution Part I: Emancipation & Assimilation

Aug 26, 2020

31:46

Jewish History Soundbites celebrates our 200th episode with the launch of a new series, about the changes in the roles of traditional Jewish women and women's education in modern Jewish history. The 19th century brought sweeping changes to the world in general and to the Jewish population in particular. By the end of the century, Jews in most countries had achieved emancipation. Even in places like the Russian Empire where they hadn't yet, the winds of change were still blowing. Though this affected all facets of Jewish life and community, it is with regard to the status and the future of the Jewish woman that is the focus of our story. With new opportunities in education and society, many Jewish women began to struggle with the traditional gender roles within Jewish society. Many chose to leave traditional Jewish life altogether. At the rabbinical conference in Krakow in 1903, the challenges facing Jewish women were hotly debated, as Jewish education for girls was proposed as a possible solution. In the meantime, Jewish feminism was on the rise as Bertha Pappenheim challenged norms and demanded change. It was a time of upheaval for all, and the Jewish woman was no exception. Jewish History Soundbites would like to welcome a new sponsor: Gingerbread: Miniatures and Cakes personalized for all occasions. Located in the 5 Towns. Check them out at https://instagram.com/gb gingerbread ?igshid=168n5nnv8yzv8 or call/txt: 917-596-3474 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]

275

Tradition & Change: Rav Reines & the Lida Yeshiva

Aug 29, 2020

25:48

Rav Yitzchak Yaakov Reines (1839-1915) was a leading rabbinical leader who attempted to confront the challenges of his day with innovative solutions. Seeking to refresh the rabbinate as well save the youth, he incorporated secular studies in the Yeshiva he founded in Shvintzian and later in Lida. Having studied in Volozhin and Aishishok, he embarked on a rabbinic career while promulgating his innovative ideas in learning style, education and even language. The Yeshiva in Lida was ultimately successful, reaching and enrollment of over 300 under the able leadership of Rav Shlomo Poliachek, the Meitcheter Iluy. Rav Reiness also founded the Mizrachi, the religious Zionist faction of the Zionist 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]

276

Sisters of the Revolution Part II: To Teach or not to Teach?

Sep 8, 2020

31:15

Facing the various challenges presented by modern times, education for girls loomed as a viable solution. Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch promulgated traditional education for Jewish women early on in his career, and later implemented it in his Realschule in Frankfurt in 1853. Formal Torah education for girls was thus a reality and could be copied by other communities facing similar challenges. The Chafetz Chaim decried the state of traditional Jewish life in many of his writings, and declared that Torah education for girls is imperative at this juncture of history in light of the challenges of modernity. The context of the time saw much reformation of the Jewish educational system in general and in regards to girls in particular. With the rise of the Cheder Metukan in the Russian Empire, many of these new schools opened their doors to girls as well. This was followed a generation later by the Zionist Tarbut schools and the Yiddishist Tzisha schools, both of which included girls within their educational system. In addition to public schools, by this time girls education was happening everywhere. It was only a matter of time that it would spread further. 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]

277

The Life of the Chofetz Chaim: Part IV Personalities & Publications

Sep 12, 2020

41:25

The Chafetz Chaim influenced the Jewish People in many ways, among them through his Yeshiva in Radin and through the many popular books which he authored. Through his Yeshiva he influenced generations of students, while hiring a staff of Roshei Yeshiva par excellence. Rav Moshe Londinski, Rav Naftali Trop, Rav Yerucham Levovitz, the Chafetz Chaim's own sons in law Rav Hirsh Levinson and Rav Mendel Zaks, to mention a few. Though the Yeshiva experience a bit of downturn with passing of the old generation, the name lived on in other Yeshivas founded to carry his memory. The Mishna Berura was the Chafetz Chaim's famous work, which had an impact on halacha across the Jewish world and increased in influence over time. The impetus of his writing was to fill a need and reflected on the great responsibility he felt towards his people. Such was his work Machaneh Yisrael geared towards Jewish soldiers in the Czar's army. Nidchei Yisroel was a companion for the Jewish immigrant, while other pamphlets were geared towards Jewish women. 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]

278

Great American Jewish Cities #18: Boro Park Part I

Sep 15, 2020

44:11

The most Jewish place outside of Israel? The center of the universe? Boro Park seems to be the epicenter of Jewish life in many ways. As it developed pre war, it was an out of town upscale neighborhood for those distancing themselves from Manhattan and Williamsburg. The original shuls like Shomrei Emunah, Temple Beth-El, Anshe Sfard, Bnei Yehuda and others grew at the time. Eitz Chaim Yeshiva and the Shulamis school for girls were the first schools of its kind in the neighborhood, and in the case of the latter in the entire country. Slowly the neighborhood attracted different kind of crowd. The Chernobyl Rebbe established the first chassidic shtiebel in the 1930's. After the war, Rav Avraham Joffen opened the Novardok Yeshiva, Rav Aharon Kotler became a neighborhood resident and a group of Mir students from Shanghai established the Mir Minyan on 16th Ave & 54th St. Moshe Koussevitzky was the Chazzan at Beth-El during this time. It wasn't long before the Chassidim began arriving in ever greater numbers. The Munkatch court was revived there, and the Bobover Rebbe arrived in the late '60's from Crown Heights. Novominsk, Sighet, Ger, Belz, Spinka and dozens of other dynasties had their headquarters, the Rebbe or at least a shtibel in the neighborhood. Mendelssohn's Pizza, Biegeleisen's sforim store, Maimonides Hospital and the shopping of 13th Ave all became fixtures of Boro Park and into the realm of legend. Rav Moshe Sherer's efforts to rehabilitate the neighborhood in the late 1970's led to further growth and expansion. Great poskim like Rav Menashe Klein, Rav Moshe Bick, the Debrecen Rov and many others called Boro Park home. A comprehensive list of the people and places in Boro Park's storied history would be too vast, and a small peek into the sights and sounds of the neighborhood will suffice. 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]

279

Sisters of the Revolution Part III: The Pioneers : Separating Fact from Fiction

Sep 30, 2020

35:06

For lectures, episode sponsorships and virtual tours, contact Yehuda at [email protected] The first World War was to bring sweeping change to Jewish life in Eastern Europe, and one of the manifestations of that change was girls' education. With the German occupation came a new civil administration, and attempts at educational reform. Rabbis and educators serving in the German Army or civil authorities were key players in this turn of events. Rabbis Drs. Emmanuel Carlebach and Pinchos Kohn in Warsaw and Dr. Leo Deutschlander in Lithuania both founded the first formal Torah education schools for girls, as Chavatzeles and Yavneh respectively. Further south however, it was to be a native of chassidic Galicia that was influenced and inspired by the world of German Neo-Orthodoxy who would go on to found what would eventually become the most successful network of them all. Her name was Sarah Schenirer. In newly independent Poland and Lithuania, formal Torah education for girls slowly became a reality. Initially facing opposition, it slowly gained rabbinic adherents. In other parts of Europe and around the world, the idea slowly caught on as well, as schools began to open up in other locales during the interwar period. 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]

280

Unfathomable Greatness: The Life & Times of Rav Boruch Ber Part I

Oct 1, 2020

28:34

His impact on the Yeshiva world was immense. His learning approach continues to have immeasurable influence. His holiness was legendary and his greatness uncontested. Rav Baruch Ber Leibowitz (1870-1940) in many ways seemed larger than life. Yet the story of his life and the stories about his life, bring out the humanity, the world that he lived and acted in and the context of the times, to bring this great personality alive and paint a fuller picture of his achievements. From his days in Volozhin to a young Rabbi in Halusk. From Slabodka to Kremenchuk to Vilna to Kamenitz. Rav Baruch Ber had many stops and it also included a long fundraising journey to the United States. As a teacher, as a lover of his fellow Jew, as a fighter for tradition and in many other ways, Rav Baruch Ber's spirit reverberates within the Jewish world to this very day. Part II- https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/unfathomable-greatness-the-life-times-of-rav-boruch-ber-part-ii/ Part III- https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/unfathomable-greatness-the-life-times-of-rav-boruch-ber-part-iii/ 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]

281

Unfathomable Greatness: The Life & Times of Rav Boruch Ber Part II

Oct 4, 2020

30:01

Part II in the Rav Boruch Ber mini-series. His impact on the Yeshiva world was immense. His learning approach continues to have immeasurable influence. His holiness was legendary and his greatness uncontested. Rav Baruch Ber Leibowitz (1870-1940) in many ways seemed larger than life. Yet the story of his life and the stories about his life, bring out the humanity, the world that he lived and acted in and the context of the times, to bring this great personality alive and paint a fuller picture of his achievements. From his days in Volozhin to a young Rabbi in Halusk. From Slabodka to Kremenchuk to Vilna to Kamenitz. Rav Baruch Ber had many stops and it also included a long fundraising journey to the United States. As a teacher, as a lover of his fellow Jew, as a fighter for tradition and in many other ways, Rav Baruch Ber's spirit reverberates within the Jewish world to this very day. 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]

282

Unfathomable Greatness: The Life & Times of Rav Boruch Ber Part III

Oct 7, 2020

37:03

His impact on the Yeshiva world was immense. His learning approach continues to have immeasurable influence. His holiness was legendary and his greatness uncontested. Rav Baruch Ber Leibowitz (1870-1940) in many ways seemed larger than life. Yet the story of his life and the stories about his life, bring out the humanity, the world that he lived and acted in and the context of the times, to bring this great personality alive and paint a fuller picture of his achievements. From his days in Volozhin to a young Rabbi in Halusk. From Slabodka to Kremenchuk to Vilna to Kamenitz. Rav Baruch Ber had many stops and it also included a long fundraising journey to the United States. As a teacher, as a lover of his fellow Jew, as a fighter for tradition and in many other ways, Rav Baruch Ber's spirit reverberates within the Jewish world to this very day. 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]

283

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]

284

The Birth of Proto-Zionism: The World of Rav Tzvi Hirsch Kalischer

Oct 17, 2020

25:34

As a student of both Rav Akiva Eiger and Rav Yaakov Loberbaum (author of the Nesivos Hamishpat), Rav Tzvi Hirsch Kalischer (1795-1874) grew up in the world of the Polish rabbinate, eventually becoming the rabbi of Torun. Yet his life path would bring him to propound new ideas in regards to redemption, national settlement of the Land of Israel and even a radical idea to renew the bringing of korbanos on the Temple Mt. A man of action more than just theory, he attempted to garner support from rabbis as well as the rising new class of wealthy influential Jews in emancipated western Europe such as Adolphe Cremieux and Moses Montefiore. In 1860 founded an organization to promote the settlement of the Land of Israel, and was successful at prevailing on the Paris based Alliance organization to build an agricultural school there. Influenced by Messianism and modern nationalism, Rav Kalischer played a decisive role in the development of proto-Zionism. 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]

285

Sisters of the Revolution Part IV: The Birth of a Movement

Oct 20, 2020

35:56

Sarah Schenirer (1883-1935) founded the first Bais Yaakov school upon her return to Krakow during the Great War. From its modest beginnings in her living room, it blossomed into a full blown movement and essentially a revolution in traditional Jewish education for girls. The local chapter of Agudas Yisroel soon threw its support behind the nascent movement, and was soon followed by the national Agudah. Though she had received a blessing from the Belz Rebbe at the outset, actual rabbinic support arrived a decade later. By the late 1920's it had become a huge network of schools across Poland, with thousands of students, a central office in Warsaw and journal produced in Lodz. The schools got accreditation from the Polish government, while funding came from the Agudas Yisroel's Keren Hatorah, the Joint and others. With the exponential growth came a need for teachers, and the famed teachers seminary was established in Krakow with Sarah Schenirer at the helm, with additional seminaries established at other locations 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]

286

A Historic Vote: The 1935 Tel Aviv Rabbinate Elections

Oct 24, 2020

36:13

A seemingly local and insignificant event, the election for the Tel Aviv rabbinate in 1935 had an impact on the future of Jewish life in many ways and places. The first Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv was Rav Shlomo Ahronson. With his passing, three primary candidates arose over the summer of 1935 - Rav Moshe Avigdor Amiel, who was the ultimate winner, Rav Yitzchak Isaac Herzog and Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, at that time a young Rabbi in Boston. The leaders of the Mizrachi backed Rav Amiel, though Rav Moshe Soloveitchik wrote a strong letter of support on behalf of his son. Rav Soloveitchik made his only visit to the Land of Israel that summer, and met the ailing Rav Kook. Meanwhile the nascent Tel Aviv based Poalei Agudath Israel was eager to participate in the upcoming elections. Wary of the official Agudah position of non participation with the Zionist establishment, the PAI leadership penned a letter to the Ger Rebbe the Imrei Emes asking his opinion about voting in the election. The final result ensconced Rav Moshe Avigdor Amiel as the Chief Rabbi. He would go on to have a major impact on religious life in the first Hebrew city. 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]

287

Around the Maggid's Table: The Disciples of Rav Dov Ber of Mezeritch

Oct 27, 2020

37:19

With the passing of the Baal Shem Tov in 1760, several of his students continued transmitting his teachings to groups of followers. After several years, Rav Dov Ber the Maggid of Mezritch (1704-1772) emerged as the dominant chassidic leader in what seemed to be on the cusp of a mass movement. It was under his leadership that several distinctive features came to be identified with the growing movement, such as the pilgrimage to the "chatzer" the court of the tzadik. He attracted an elite group of outstanding individuals - known as the "Heilegeh Chavraya" or holy society - who went on to become leaders in their own right, spreading the light of Chassidus across Eastern Europe. These included the the brothers Rav Elimelech of Lizhensk & Rav Zusha of Annapol, Rav Mendel of Vitebsk, Rav Avraham of Kalisk, Rav Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, the brothers Rav Shmelke of Nikolsburg & Rav Pinchas of Frankfurt, Rav Aharon of Karlin and Rav Shneur Zalman of Liadi, to name just a few. Diverse in leadership style, in their promulgating the message of chassidus as well as in geographic dispersion, they each continued the legacy of the Maggid in their own way. 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]

288

Poles at the Polls: Jewish Political Factions in Interwar Poland

Oct 29, 2020

36:37

With the rise of the Second Polish Republic in the shadow of Versailles, the Jewish minority received citizenship, the right to vote and to politically organize. Jewish political parties became major forces in public life for the first time in the long exile, leaving their imprint on Jewish politics in Israel and worldwide till this very day. The Zionist parties were primarily represented by the General Zionists and Yitzchak Greenbaum. On the left were the Marxist Poalei Zion and the Yiddishist Socialist Bund combatting anti-Semitism and struggling for the rights of Jewish laborers. Another populist party the Folkspartei, promoted Jewish cultural autonomy. Of course the Agudas Yisroel was established to represent the interests of the large religious communities across the country. With local kahal and municipal elections, and national elections to the Sejm - the Polish parliament, interwar Jewish politics was fraught with tension and political struggle. 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]

289

A Guiding Light: The Life of the Chazon Ish Part I

Nov 1, 2020

26:59

Hidden from the public view by his own choice for the majority of his adult life, Rav Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz (1878-1953) - the Chazon Ish - nevertheless achieved immortality in the traditional Jewish world. As a unique Torah scholar who wrote on the entire gamut of Torah law, he left an impact as one of the greatest poskim in modern times. Born into a rabbinical family in Kosava, Belarus, he resided in several towns across Lithuania and Belarus in the ensuing years before settling in Vilna. In his later years he resided in the Land of Israel, and it was there that he gradually gained renown. With the founding of the State of Israel, the Chazon Ish played a decisive role in formulating policy and trailblazing new societal direction for religious minority attempting to rebuild after the devastation of the Holocaust. 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]

290

Sisters of the Revolution Part V: Rebuilding in a New World

Nov 12, 2020

29:27

With the destruction of Polish Jewry during the Holocaust, Jewish traditional communal infrastructure had to be rebuilt on new continents. Already prior to the war, pioneers had laid the groundwork for Girls traditional education in both Mandatory Palestine and the United States. In the Holy Land, Meir Sharansky opened the first Bais Yaakov in Tel Aviv in 1933. This was followed shortly thereafter by the Ger chassidim Hillel Lieberman and Pinchas Levine and Bais Yaakov arrived in Jerusalem. A German Jew named Yosef Avraham Wolff founded a groundbreaking Bais Yaakov in Bnei Brak in the 1950's. A confidante of the Chazon Ish, this institution was to play a decisive role in the formation of the Haredi community in Israel, then in its embryonic stages. Meanwhile across the Atlantic Rebbetzin Vichna Kaplan was struggling to establish a Bais Yaakov in Williamsburg under the auspices of the movement in Poland. Eventually a Bais Yaakov elementary school got off the ground under the leadership of Rav Avraham Newhouse, while Rebbetzin Kaplan ran a high school and eventually a Teacher's Seminary 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]

291

From Vilna to Rechavia: The Life of Rav Yisroel Zev Gustman

Nov 14, 2020

31:52

As the youngest dayan of the acclaimed Vilna rabbinical court, Rav Yisroel Zev Gustman (1908-1991) charted out a path to future greatness. He was both a close student of Rav Shimon Shkop during his days in Grodno, as well as a close confidante of Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzinski on the Vilna Beis Din. He experienced the worst horrors of the Holocaust in the Vilna Ghetto. Surviving both the Ghetto and later as a partisan fighter in the surrounding forests, he then arrived in the United States. Following a short but fruitful stint as the Rosh Yeshiva of Tomchei Temimim Lubavitch, Rav Gustman opened his own Yeshiva in 1950 naming it for the Remailless Yeshiva in Vilna. In 1971 he moved to Israel and transplanted his Yeshiva to the Rechavia neighborhood of Jerusalem. 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]

292

The Life of Rav Aharon Kotler Part I: Origins of Greatness

Nov 17, 2020

31:39

Though he came from an illustrious rabbinic family, Rav Aharon Kotler (1891-1962) was faced with the challenge of being orphaned from both parents as a child. After a brief stint in Krinik, he arrived in Minsk where he formed a lifelong friendship with Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky and Rav Reuven Grozovsky. With his arrival in Slabodka, he enjoyed a closeness with the Alter of Slabodka, while also attending the shiurim of Rav Baruch Ber Leibowitz in the other Slabodka Yeshiva. His marriage to Rebbetzin Chana Perl, the daughter of Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer, firmly ensconced him in a career as a teacher of Torah. After an initial commencement as a Rebbi in Slutzk, the Soviet takeover and repression forced him to cross the border and reestablish the Yeshiva in Kletzk in 1921. Sponsored by 20 Minute Daf. Check out 20minutedaf.com for a clear and concise daily daf yomi shiur. 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]

293

The Life of Rav Aharon Kotler Part II: Rebuilding Anew

Nov 21, 2020

33:58

Sponsored by 20 Minute Daf. Check out 20minutedaf.com for a clear and concise daily daf yomi shiur. As the Yeshiva in Kletzk grew, a building was built and dedicated and Rav Aharon had to travel to the United States to fundraise. Aside from being the youngest and yet one of the most prominent Roshei Yeshiva at the time, he also rose to be among the leadership of the Polish Agudas Yisroel, participating in the third Knessia Gedolah in Marienbad in 1937. With the outbreak of the War, Kletzk fled to Vilna along with most other Yeshivas at the time. Ultimately settling in Yanova, with the Soviet takeover of the Baltic States in the summer of 1940 the Yeshiva dispersed to several Lithuanian shtetls with Rav Aharon and the largest group in Salock. By the end of 1940 the Sovietization of Lithuania made it difficult to maintain the continuation of the Yeshiva. Rav Aharon felt that he'd be able to accomplish more from the outside headed out of the Soviet Union in February 1941, arriving in Penn Station in New York City in April of that year. Though he threw himself full time into the rescue work of the Vaad Hatzalah, Rav Aharon emerged as an overall rabbinical leader on the American Orthodox scene. In 1942 Rav Nosson Wachtfogel along with a group of like minded friends, founded a kollel in White Plains, NY, eventually inviting Rav Aharon Kotler to serve as its head. With the move a year later to the resort town of Lakewood, New Jersey the American Torah world would be transformed forever. 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]

294

From the Revolution to the Rothschilds: Emancipation & French Jewry

Nov 25, 2020

33:22

Though taken for granted today, one of the most fundamental changes experienced by the Jewish People in modern times was receiving emancipation - equal rights, citizenship, equality before the law, etc. Commencing with the French Revolution in 1789, the struggle for Emancipation and the challenges along the way became the story of the Jews in the 19th century. Napoleon convened the Grand Sanhedrin in 1807 which asked French Jewry pointed questions about the relation of the Jew to the modern state. France produced notables like Adolphe Cremieux who would be involved in the founding of the first international Jewish organization in the form of the Alliance, as well as promulgating legislation which bestowed French citizenship on Algerian Jewry. The Rothschild banking family became 19th century Jewish folk heroes as the ultimate expression of the success of emancipation. Though they achieved great wealth, prestige and power, they also were to be used as stereotypical tropes by anti-Semites, as well as raising questions about how emancipation may lead to assimilation. 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]

295

A Tzadik Arrives in Tzfas: The Life of the Bas Ayin

Nov 28, 2020

27:17

Rav Avraham Dov of Ovruch (yidd. Ovrutsch) (c.1765-1840) is known for his highly acclaimed chassidic work 'Bas Ayin'. As he has become something of a more popular figure in recent years, it's an opportunity to study his life and illustrious career. He was a follower of the Chernobyl chassidic dynasty, and served as a communal rabbi and chassidic leader in Ovruch and Zhitomir, Ukraine. In his later years, he settled in the Land of Israel, where he became the leader of the chassidic community of Tzfas. During the ensuing decade of the 1830's, the community faced great upheavals with the Syrian Peasant Revolt, the great earthquake of 1837 and the Druze revolt. Through it all, the Bas Ayin was a responsible and charismatic leader, rebuilding the community through times of crisis. Though he passed away in 1840 during a cholera epidemic, and left no descendents, his legacy lives on through his accomplishments and writings. 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]

296

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]

297

The Mashgiach: Memories of Rav Aharon Chodosh

Dec 5, 2020

44:17

In this tribute episode following the passing of the Mir Mashgiach Rav Aharon Chodosh (1930-2020), personal memories of this great baal mussar, educator and fatherly figure. As an incredibly unique mashgiach, his relationship with his students enabled them to grow as individuals and achieve their potential. These recollections and anecdotes record interactions which express his care, wisdom and love, while at the same time also shed light on his sense of humor, down to earthness and unpretentiousness. From his aristocratic background in the Chevron Yeshiva to his uncanny ability to be able to relate to a diverse student body as the Mir mashgiach for over a half a century, through spending every Yom Tov with his joy and excitement, to witnessing his wisdom and influence on his students lives. The Mashgiach will be forever remembered and beloved by all who knew him. May his memory be a blessing. 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]

298

A Humble Giant: The Early Years of Rav Aharon Leib Steinman

Dec 9, 2020

30:48

A greatly respected Torah leader of recent times, Rav Aharon Leib Steinman (1914-2017) spent the last 60 years of his long life in Bnei Brak. Prior to that were quite a few stops along the way, each stage shaping his development. A childhood in Brisk led to his studying in the local Toras Chesed Yeshiva of Rav Moshe Sokolovsky. Escaping the Polish army draft to Switzerland, he joined a Yeshiva there, eventually marrying and making his way to Israel. Moving to Kfar Saba, he was the head of the Chafetz Chaim Yeshiva there until moving to Bnei Brak in the 1950's. 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]

299

The Diffusion of Chernobyl: A Dynasty Spreads

Dec 13, 2020

38:34

One of the oldest dynasties in the history of the chassidic movement, Chernobyl traces its growth from Rav Nachum Twersky the Maor Eynayim (1730-1797) through his son Rav Mottel the Chernobyl Maggid (1770-1837). One of the most influential courts in all of the Russian Jewish Pale of Settlement, with the Chernobyl Maggid's passing in 1837 his empire was divided among his eight sons. Over the course of the 19th century, the various branches of the Chernobyl dynasty - Chernobyl, Tolne, Rachamastrivka, Skver, Trisk, Hornosteipel and others - would dominate chassidic life in Ukraine. 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]

300

The Chernobyl Crisis: Chernobyl Part II

Dec 19, 2020

27:33

At the turn of the twentieth century, the various Chernobyl dynasties were flourishing though they faced financial crisis. With World War One and the subsequent Russian Revolution, they all began to face an existential crisis. Though some branches of the dynasty heroically tried to sustain life under increasingly adverse conditions within the Soviet Union, most chose emigration. Rachmastrivka to the Holy Land, Trisk to Poland, Skver to Romania, Tolna, Makarov, Chernobyl and Hornosteipel to the United States. In each of their new locales, attempts were made to rebuild Chernobyl. With the decimation of the Holocaust, it was up to places like New Square in New York to give a rebirth to the Chernobyl dynasty. 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]

Popular Shows by Yehuda Geberer יהודה גברר