Popular Shows by Yehuda Geberer יהודה גברר
465 episodes
#
Name
Release Date
Duration
301
The Holy Scholars of Sochatchov
The Holy Scholars of Sochatchov
Feb 29, 2020
30:24
The Sochatchov Chassidic dynasty holds a special place in Jewish history. As flag bearers of the legacy of Kotzk, they were the elite of Polish Chassidus. In addition, led by the Rebbes of the dynasty, they strove to create a scholarly atmosphere through the building of elite Yeshivas as part of the chassidus. The Avnei Nezer, the Shem Mishmuel and Rav Dovid of Sochatchov were leaders of Polish Jewry and great teachers of Torah at the same time. Their influence reached far beyond the confines of their own followers. 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]
302
The History of The Volozhin Yeshiva Part III: The War Of Succession
The History of The Volozhin Yeshiva Part III: The War Of Succession
Mar 4, 2020
42:35
With the passing of Rav Itzele of Volozhin in 1849, his son in law Rav Yitzchak Eliezer Freid became the titular head of the Volozhin Yeshiva. His reign was short-lived with his death in 1953. What then commenced was a long, protracted process in deciding the succession at the helm of the Yeshiva. Many contenders rose for both the primary Rosh Yeshiva position as well as the assistant Rosh Yeshiva position. Candidates included the Bais Halevi, Rav Yehoshua Heshel Levin and members of the Freid family. Ultimately, the Netziv (1816 -1893) prevailed, and he became the great leader of Volozhin whose name became synonymous with the institution. 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]
303
Lively Graves: Pilgrimages to Lizhensk & Kivrei Tzadikim
Lively Graves: Pilgrimages to Lizhensk & Kivrei Tzadikim
Mar 14, 2020
30:04
Visiting and praying at the burial places of Tzadikim is one of the more visible and recognizable distinctive contributions of Chasidic practice on Jewish life. A cultural practice that has developed over the history of the movement, it is seen as a way to connect as well as an opportunity for prayer. One of the more famous destinations has been to grave site of the Rebbe Reb Meilach, the Noam Elimelech of Lizhensk (1717-1787). Glorified as second to the Baal Shem Tov himself, his influence on the movement is almost unparalleled. Following his death, his students began the custom of paying respects at his grave on the yahrtzeit of his death on 21 Adar. This has remained a popular visit 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]
304
Ahoy Yid! Stories of Jewish Pirates and Explorers
Ahoy Yid! Stories of Jewish Pirates and Explorers
Mar 18, 2020
29:22
With the expulsion of the Jews from the Iberian Peninsula at the end of the 15th Century, the Sephardic diaspora spread to the far corners of the globe searching for a place to settle. Many reached the New World during the Age of Discovery, and they played important roles in both the exploration itself as well as settlement. Jews, either hidden or openly Jewish, became merchants and were active in trade. There were even all Jewish colonies such as the one in Suriname. In the 17th century, Jews found another vocation- piracy. Joining forces with Muslims in the Mediterranean and with the Dutch and British in Caribbean, Jews sought revenge against the Spanish Empire. Some became prominent and successful pirates. Jamaica became one of the earliest British possessions in the new world thanks to the Jews. And the island became a center for Jewish merchants as well as pirates. 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]
305
A Rebbe With a Geshmak: Remembering Rav Elya Baruch Finkel
A Rebbe With a Geshmak: Remembering Rav Elya Baruch Finkel
Mar 19, 2020
31:07
Rav Elya Baruch Finkel (1947-2008) was one of the most memorable personalities of the Mir in Yerushalayim. From the clarity of his shiurim, the warmth he exuded to all who knew him, to his phenomenal sense of humor that marked every interaction with him. He was both an aristocrat in his familial background, yet accessible and down to earth. Able to impart sage advice to those who sought it, while also able to enjoy a leisurely conversation regaling his listeners with stories from the past. A short compendium of personal recollections of this great man. Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
306
When Shabbos Was Sunday: The International Dateline Controversy
When Shabbos Was Sunday: The International Dateline Controversy
Mar 21, 2020
32:32
There are times when a Halachic, legalistic discussion is played out on the stage of history. Such was the dispute in regards to the positioning of the Halachic International Dateline. What conceivably was a theoretical discussion, or at most relevant to the few Jewish travelers to the Far East, became a reality for thousands of refugees who were stranded in Kobe, Japan in 1941. The question of when to observe Shabbos divided the refugee community, with kiddush and havdala being recited simultaneously by different individuals. With Yom Kippur around the corner, a larger question loomed. Two days of shabbos was manageable, but fasting for two days straight was not an exciting prospect. It was a question that was heard around the world. And the answers came in from all sides. The dateline controversy would leave an indelible mark on the memory that refugees had from their sojourn in Kobe, Japan. 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]
307
Wisest of Men: Stories of Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky
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]
308
Fighters for Tradition: Profiles in the Hungarian Rabbinate Part II
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]
309
A Tzadik For All Of Time: The Story of Rav Aryeh Levin
A Tzadik For All Of Time: The Story of Rav Aryeh Levin
Apr 4, 2020
27:06
Few people were as beloved by all who knew him as was Rav Aryeh Levin (1885-1969). Titled "The Tzadik of Jerusalem", "the Rabbi of the Prisoners", "Mashgiach of Eitz Chaim" or simply Reb Aryeh, his warmth and influence traversed the whole spectrum of society. With a simplicity and sincerity, he cared for each individual irrespective of class or background. The stories in this regard are simply limitless, and here are presented a few anecdotal gems about this remarkable individual. 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]
310
The Heritage of a Leader: The Story of Novominsk in America
The Heritage of a Leader: The Story of Novominsk in America
Apr 7, 2020
25:22
This special tribute to the Novominsker Rebbe has been generously sponsored liluy nishmas the Rebbe Rabbeinu יעקב בן נחום מרדכי by Duvi Silberstein For all Back office for Nursing Home Billing, contact Care Network Health at via phone/text 908-305-0595 With the tragic passing of Rav Yaakov Perlow (1931-2020), the Novominsker Rebbe and head of Agudas Yisrael, this episode is a tribute to his memory. He was someone who seemed to be comfortable anywhere, as a Rosh Yeshiva in both Breuer's in Washington Heights and in Hebrew Theological College in Chicago and in his own Yeshiva in Boro Park since the 1980's. As a Chassidishe Rebbe, a scion of both Novominsk and the legacy of Kotzk, and as an active leader of the larger Jewish community through his leadership of Agudas Yisrael. Where did this all come from? Here we explore a bit of the wellsprings which raised him. The dynasty of Novominsk, the milieu of Chassidic Warsaw, his Kotzk roots, and his father's move to the US. Through this context, we gain an insight into the greatness of who he was and what he accomplished. 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]
311
Kaput or Kapust: Chabad Splits Up
Kaput or Kapust: Chabad Splits Up
Apr 11, 2020
27:21
The Chassidic dynasty is called Chabad, but it's home for close to a century was the Russian town of Lubavitch. It reached a peak of influence under the able leadership of the Tzemach Tzedek, Rav Menachem Mendel (1789-1866). Following his passing, while his youngest son the Maharash continued in Lubavitch, various other Chabad courts were founded by his siblings. Settling in towns rich in Chabad history, a court was founded in both Lyady and in Nizhyn. There was even one with a Chernobyl flavor in Avrutch. The largest and most influential of the offshoots was in Kapust. Lasting more than a half a century, the Kapust Rebbes took a leading role both within Chassidus and the external struggles facing Russian Jewry. 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]
312
My Father The Netziv: The Extraordinary Life of Rabbi Meir Bar-Ilan
My Father The Netziv: The Extraordinary Life of Rabbi Meir Bar-Ilan
Apr 18, 2020
25:37
As the youngest child of the Netziv, Rav Meir Bar Ilan (1880-1949) grew up in the world of Volozhin. With the closing of the Yeshiva and the loss of his father while he was still a child, he moved on to further horizons. From Telz to Berlin where he commenced his literary career in the city that bore his name. He was a rising leader of the Mizrachi and in that capacity he moved to New York. As an activist in both Mizrachi Zionist endeavors, as well as Jewish education and other communal efforts, he left his mark in America. This was followed by his move to Israel - then Palestine - in 1926. Once again assuming a leadership role, he remained in the public sphere in politics, economics and Rabbinical. Among his many initiatives was spearheading the monumental Talmudic Encyclopedia project. 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]
313
Great American Jewish Cities #1: Far Rockaway
Great American Jewish Cities #1: Far Rockaway
Apr 27, 2020
37:06
With this new series, Jewish History Soundbites seeks to explore the growth of various Jewish communities both within the great urban centers and across the golden plain. Our pilot episode touches on the community of Far Rockaway, lying somewhere in between Queens and Long Island. This resort area which had a Jewish presence even prior to the War, began a growth spurt along with the so called "white flight" to the suburbs in the two decades following the war. Personalities like Rabbis Zelig Fortman, Ralph Pelcovitz, Emanuel Rackman, Nachman Bulman, Shlomo Freifeld, and ybl"ch Rabbi Yechiel Perr, and many more, planted the seeds of a vibrant Orthodox community. Institutions like the White Shul, HILI, Shor Yoshuv, Young Israel, Yeshiva of Far Rockaway, even the Mir made a showing, and later on Yeshivas Darchei Torah. Events from a bygone era like the reception for Rav Kook or the Kovna Rov, the Agudas Harabonim conventions at the kosher hotels all come together to paint a picture of this special Jewish town. 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]
314
The Center of it All: Great Rabbis in Warsaw
The Center of it All: Great Rabbis in Warsaw
Apr 30, 2020
31:59
Capital of the Jewish world, Warsaw played a central role in all aspects of Jewish life - politically, culturally, socially and of course religiously. Great rabbinical figures served in official capacities in the Warsaw Rabbinate, in the city's educational institutions, in unofficial positions as residents of the city, and of course as visitors to the country's capital. One of the prominent Rabbinic families that served generations of the Warsaw Jewish community was the Zilberbergs. The most famous of whom was Rav Naftali Vershover (1848-1930), who was close with all the great leaders of his day and served the needs of Polish Jewry. Through their story, we'll encounter the places and people of Jewish Warsaw including the famed Warsaw Mesivta, as well as meeting the Bais Halevi, two Gerrer Rebbes, the Chafetz Chaim, Rav Chaim Brisker, Rav Meir Don Plotzki - the Kli Chemda, and many 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]
315
A Kingdom Restored: Belz in the Holy Land
A Kingdom Restored: Belz in the Holy Land
May 2, 2020
23:49
The rebuilt Belz Chassidic community of today is a story of miracles and change. From almost total decimation during the war, they sustained an additional blow with the passing of the previous Rebbe, Rav Aharon Rokeach of Belz in 1957. It seemed that the glory days of this great dynasty were done. And yet it was rebuilt. This miraculous rebirth was accompanied by an atmosphere of innovation, in an otherwise traditional and conservative community. Elements of change in education, political affiliation, employment and even music, coupled with the able and strong leadership of the current Rebbe Rav Yissachar Dov Rokeach, enabled Belz once again become a large and influential Chassidic court. Listen to the prequel to this episode: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/the-great-escape-the-belzer-rebbe-and-the-farewell-drasha-in-budapest/ 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]
316
Great American Jewish Cities #2: Baltimore
Great American Jewish Cities #2: Baltimore
May 5, 2020
42:33
One of the most storied Jewish communities in the United States, Baltimore has a fair amount of "firsts". First ordained Orthodox Rabbi to serve in the US - Rabbi Joseph Rice, first Day School outside of NY and first kosher Hot Dog stand at a Major League Baseball stadium. Home to famous institutions like Ner Israel and Talmudical Academy - Chafetz Chaim, and famous individuals like Rav Yaakov Yitzchak Ruderman, Rabbi Herman Neuberger and Rabbi Moshe Heineman, Baltimore has made its on American Jewish life. At the same time, less famous aspects of the city's past come to life as well, such as the pioneering girls education with the Bais Yaakov of Rabbi Binyamin Steinberg, the Glen Ave Synagogue, and personalities like Rav Michoel Forshlager and Rav Yitzchak Sternhell. 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]
317
The Crown of Aleppo
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]
318
Great American Jewish Cities #3: Crown Heights
Great American Jewish Cities #3: Crown Heights
May 12, 2020
29:41
One of the many Brooklyn neighborhoods that was a center of diverse Jewish life for decades, Crown Heights is also unique in many ways. From its pre war days and the first JCC in America, to the influx of Chassidic Jews in the post war, it boasted a variety of shuls, shtiebels and schools. Bobov, Skulen, Novominsk, Radzin, Yeshiva of Eastern Parkway and Kollel Gur Aryeh were just some of the many groups and institutions who had a presence in the bustling neighborhood. With the arrival of the Rayatz of Lubavitch in the United States in 1940, Chabad headquarters were eventually established at the legendary address of 770 Eastern Parkway. With the "white flight" of the 1960's in full swing, the Rebbe insisted that his Chassidim stay put. As the courageous holdouts, Chabad would come to dominate Jewish life in Crown Heights and eventually come to be synonymous with the neighborhood itself. 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]
319
Wisdom & Dignity: The Life and Lessons of Rav Moshe Shapiro
Wisdom & Dignity: The Life and Lessons of Rav Moshe Shapiro
May 16, 2020
34:21
Few can match the depth, breadth and wisdom that Rav Moshe Shapiro (1935-2017) had and shared through many venues to decades of students. As someone who absorbed from many of the greatest Torah scholars and thinkers in his youth, he proceeded to create a synthesis of it all that resulted in his own innovative approach. A great teacher of Torah, Kabbalist, kiruv pioneer and more, he influenced individuals across the spectrum of Jewish society. With a deep appreciation of the wellsprings of the past, he would often travel to Europe to the Jewish communities of old, enabling others to connect to the roots of Jewish identity. 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]
320
A Bittersweet Victory: The 1948 Battle for Jerusalem
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]
321
From Shanghai to East New York: Stories of Bais Hatalmud
From Shanghai to East New York: Stories of Bais Hatalmud
May 23, 2020
38:03
When a senior group of the lions of the Mir got together in the late 1940's, they formed one of the most unique creations in the annals of the Yeshiva movement. Bais Hatalmud evokes memories of individuals like Rav Leib Malin, Rav Chaim Visoker, Rav Shmuel Charkover and so many other greats from the "Alteh Mir". A place where pre war mussar themes were taken literally and seriously, where the Yeshiva as a place of purity and of an intense atmosphere of growth was held as the ultimate ideal - the "Tzuras Hayeshiva". We'll take a peak into a humble Bais Medrash in East New York (and later Bensonhurst) where Bais Hatalmud's stories can continue to inspire 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]
322
Of Bombs & Money: The Desperate Attempts to Save Hungarian Jewry
Of Bombs & Money: The Desperate Attempts to Save Hungarian Jewry
May 28, 2020
35:02
With most of European Jewry decimated and the Red Army advancing in the east, the Hungarian Jewish community remained the last great center of Jewish life on the continent. Following the German invasion of Hungary in March 1944, senior SS officers were dispatched to Budapest to organize the deportations, which were to commence immediately and with terrifying speed. Legendary rescue activist Rabbi Michael Ber Weissmandel had years of experience at various rescue attempts by dealing directly with the Nazis from occupied Slovakia. He, together with his fellow members of the Working Group such as Gisi Fleischman, now turned to make a last ditch attempt at saving Hungarian Jewry. He did this in three ways: 1. The time tested efforts at bribery and ransom. This included closely following the negotiations that took place in Budapest between the Nazis and the Relief & Rescue Committee. 2. Beseeching the Allied Powers to bomb the crematorium at Auschwitz and the railways leading there. 3. Warning Hungarian Jewry what was in store for them. Though largely unsuccessful, his valiant efforts at rescue are a testimony to the greatness of this heroic individual and to the story of that tragic period of time. 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]
323
Making of a Godol Stories Part I
Making of a Godol Stories Part I
May 31, 2020
31:25
Meticulously researched and 1,400 pages long, the monumental work "Making of a Godol", contains a wealth of stories about great Jewish leaders of yesteryear. In honor the first yahrtzeit of the author Rav Nosson Kamenetsky, whose decades long research produced this masterpiece, a selection of choice anecdotes from within its pages are presented here. From the great city of Minsk to the hallowed halls of Volozhin Yeshiva to the small shtetls of Lithuania, from Rav Boruch Ber Leibowitz to Rav Yisrael Salanter and Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky and many more. The tapestry of Jewish life that goes on display through these timeless stories, can serve to continually educate and inspire. 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]
324
Great American Jewish Cities #7: Pittsburgh
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]
325
The Prophet of Doom & The Prophetess of Comfort: The Story of the Leibowitz Siblings
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]
326
Great American Jewish Cities #8: Montreal
Great American Jewish Cities #8: Montreal
Jun 23, 2020
54:16
In the snowy Canadian north, a large Jewish community flourishes. Unique in many ways, Montreal boasts an old and well established infrastructure, with a diverse Jewish population that includes Chassidim, Modern Orthodox, Sephardic, Yeshiva community and more. Great personalities left their imprint through the decades. Rabbis like Rav Yudel Rosenberg, Rav Pinchas Hirschsprung, Rav Mottel Weinberg, the Tosher Rebbe, the Pupa Rov and many more. Other personages such as Leonard Cohen and Charles Bronfman made their mark in other ways. With the French language becoming dominant, it led to an exodus of certain parts of the community, yet brought an influx of Moroccan Jews. With lots of Hungarian background, French language and even some Alter Mirrers, Montreal has quite a story to tell. 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]
327
Great American Jewish Cities #9: Seattle
Great American Jewish Cities #9: Seattle
Jun 30, 2020
46:56
Out in the Pacific Northwest, Seattle boasts a rich Jewish past. As the last stop coming from the east, the first stop when arriving from Vladivostok and a destination during the Klondike gold rush, Seattle's Jewish community grew immensely at the turn of the century. Rabbinical leaders like Rabbi Baruch & Rebbetzin Hinda Shapiro, Rabbi Solomon Maimon, Rav Chaim Yaakov Levin, even a short stint of Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky plus many more. Personalities like Samuel, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, along with native sons Rabbis Nisson Wolpin, Yissachar Frand, Marc Angel and others. We share the story of Seattle’s Business Leaders, Jewish Music Legends and some regular folks. Seattle emerges as a diverse and fascinating 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]
328
Stories of Ner Israel Part I
Stories of Ner Israel Part I
Jul 4, 2020
21:58
In the annals of the Yeshiva movement, the story of Ner Israel Rabbinical College occupies a position of its own. Named for founder of the Mussar movement Rav Yisrael Salanter on the foundations of the world of Slabodka, it then pioneered a vision adaptable to the world of the American Yeshiva student. Rav Yaakov Yitzchak Ruderman as founder, Rosh Yeshiva, educator and personification of greatness in Torah scholarship, led generations of students, molding and guiding on the path of Torah greatness. Aided by his brother in law the legendary activist Rabbi Herman Neuberger, together built up the Yeshiva into a veritable empire. Luminaries such as the Mashgiach Rav Dovid Kronglas, the Rosh Yeshiva Rav Shmuel Yaakov Weinberg, Rav Yaakov Moshe Kulefsky, and many more graced the Yeshiva with the presence and their incalculable influence is very much felt till today. As a premier Torah institution, Ner Israel has influenced and continues to influence Jewish life in the greater Yeshiva world, the Baltimore Jewish community, across the United States and beyond, down 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]
329
Great American Jewish Cities #10: Philadelphia
Great American Jewish Cities #10: Philadelphia
Jul 7, 2020
48:01
Perhaps no other city in the United States can boast of such a long, rich and consistent Jewish history narrative as the City of Brotherly Love. Historic synagogues like Mikveh Israel - which at one point received funding from Benjamin Franklin, and Rodeph Shalom which was the first Ashkenazi shul in the Western Hemisphere are symbols of the colonial era Jewish community. The 19th century saw Isaac Leeser, Sabato Morias, Marcus Jastrow and others make their mark on the development of Philadelphia Jewish life and their influence on the wider American Jewish community. The interwar period brought Chassidic Rebbes, great philanthropists and even the Lubavitcher Rebbe - who visited the Liberty Bell - to Philadelphia. Led by a succession of great rabbinical leaders like Rabbis Bernard Levinthal, Ephraim Eliezer Yolles, Baruch Leizerowski, Sholom Shneiderman, Moshe Lifshitz and many others including the contemporary Rabbi Avraham Shemtov. The Philadelphia Yeshiva was founded by Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky and together with Rav Elya Svei, Rav Mendel Kaplan and other greats have made it one of the premier Torah institutions in the United States. Philadelphia personalities as diverse as Benjamin Guggenheim, Uriah Phillips Levy and Binyamin Netanyahu make their appearance as well in this city rich with Jewish 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]
330
Stories of Ner Israel Part II
Stories of Ner Israel Part II
Jul 9, 2020
22:58
In the annals of the Yeshiva movement, the story of Ner Israel Rabbinical College occupies a position of its own. Named for founder of the Mussar movement Rav Yisrael Salanter on the foundations of the world of Slabodka, it then pioneered a vision adaptable to the world of the American Yeshiva student. Rav Yaakov Yitzchak Ruderman as founder, Rosh Yeshiva, educator and personification of greatness in Torah scholarship, led generations of students, molding and guiding on the path of Torah greatness. Aided by his brother in law the legendary activist Rabbi Herman Neuberger, together built up the Yeshiva into a veritable empire. Luminaries such as the Mashgiach Rav Dovid Kronglas, the Rosh Yeshiva Rav Shmuel Yaakov Weinberg, Rav Yaakov Moshe Kulefsky, and many more graced the Yeshiva with the presence and their incalculable influence is very much felt till today. As a premier Torah institution, Ner Israel has influenced and continues to influence Jewish life in the greater Yeshiva world, the Baltimore Jewish community, across the United States and beyond, down to this very day. In honor of Rav Ruderman's recent yahrtzeit, presented here is but a small sampling of anecdotes of the Yeshiva's gloried past. 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]
331
A Historic Campaign: The Chofetz Chaim Sefer Torah
A Historic Campaign: The Chofetz Chaim Sefer Torah
Jul 11, 2020
33:19
The Lithuanian Yeshiva world in interwar Poland was facing financial crisis. The Vaad Hayeshivas was the umbrella organization which sought to alleviate the financial burden from the Yeshivas. With the passing of the Chofetz Chaim, the beloved leader, as well as founder and head of the Vaad Hayeshivas in September 1933, the Jewish People was plunged into mourning. The Vaad Hayeshivas embarked on a campaign to write a Sefer Torah in memory of the Chofetz Chaim. Each letter would be sold, and the proceeds would go toward funding the Yeshivas which were in ever desperate straits. This would be a world wide campaign, in which it was hoped that all would desire to partake in this special endeavor. The Sefer Torah was duly written, with individuals from Jewish communities around the world having bought letters and receiving a special certificate as acknowledgement of their participation. Amid great festivities, the Torah was dedicated in honor of the 2nd yahrtzeit of the Chofetz Chaim in Elul 1935, where it was brought from Vilna to Radin. 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]
332
Great American Jewish Cities #11: The American South Part I
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]
333
A Lithuanian Mystic: Rav Shlomo Elyashiv
A Lithuanian Mystic: Rav Shlomo Elyashiv
Jul 16, 2020
17:55
Rav Shlomo Elyashiv was one of the greatest Kabbalists in recent Jewish history. Settling in the town of Shavl, he proceeded to author his magnum opus the Leshem Shevo Veachlama, and influencing young Rabbis like Rav Kook in kabbalistic teachings. In 1924, he moved to Eretz Yisroel together with his daughter and son in law Rav Avraham Levinson who changed his name to Elyashiv at this time. They were accompanied by their Bar Mitzvah age son, the future Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv. Upon arriving in Jerusalem, they became an influential family, with Rav Avraham Elyashiv founding the Tiferes Bachurim organization, which provided a framework for Torah study for the young working men of the Old Yishuv. 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]
334
Maharam Brisk & the Hungarian Yeshiva World
Maharam Brisk & the Hungarian Yeshiva World
Jul 18, 2020
28:12
The title "Yeshiva World" usually conjures images of the great citadels of Torah of Lithuania, but parallel to that development was the Yeshiva world in Hungary. Large in size and unique in style, the Hungarian Yeshiva world provided generations of Hungarian communities with Rabbis, teachers and a rich traditional life. One of the most prominent of these Yeshivas in the generation before the war was that of the Maharam Brisk in Toshnad (Tasnad), Transylvania. As one of the leading Rabbis of his day, he did much to strengthen Jewish life in the entire district. His Yeshiva became one of the largest - over 300 students - and from the most prestigious in the entire country. 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]
335
Great American Jewish Cities #12: The Lower East Side
Great American Jewish Cities #12: The Lower East Side
Jul 21, 2020
39:57
The cradle of civilization. The melting pot. The place where it all began. The ghetto, tenement buildings, overcrowded sweatshops. Romantic memories of a picturesque neighborhood, with beautiful shuls and a rich culture. Great rabbis, active socialists and the Jewish mob. The first Yeshivas, labor unions and delicatessens. Huddled masses pushcart sellers and the Yiddish Theatre. The descriptions of this unforgettable neighborhood can go on forever, and we wouldn't even scratch the surface. When at its peak, the density was the highest in the entire world, with the largest Jewish population in the world. The constant stream of immigrants created a diversity of Jewish life that is unmatched anywhere else. 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]
336
Great American Jewish Cities #12: The Lower East Side Part II
Great American Jewish Cities #12: The Lower East Side Part II
Jul 23, 2020
34:56
The cradle of civilization. The melting pot. The place where it all began. The ghetto, tenement buildings, overcrowded sweatshops. Romantic memories of a picturesque neighborhood, with beautiful shuls and a rich culture. Great rabbis, active socialists and the Jewish mob. The first Yeshivas, labor unions and delicatessens. Huddled masses pushcart sellers and the Yiddish Theatre. The descriptions of this unforgettable neighborhood can go on forever, and we wouldn't even scratch the surface. When at its peak, the density was the highest in the entire world, with the largest Jewish population in the world. The constant stream of immigrants created a diversity of Jewish life that is unmatched anywhere else. 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]
337
Great American Jewish Cities #13: Cleveland Part I
Great American Jewish Cities #13: Cleveland Part I
Jul 26, 2020
33:37
This great city of the Midwest hosted some impressive events, institutions and personalities throughout its Jewish community's long history. Once a center of Reform Judaism with Abba Hillel Silver, it was also home to one of the earliest short lived Yeshivas in the United States when Rav Yehuda Levenberg moved his New Haven Yeshiva to Cleveland. Rabbi Israel Porath was the long time Rabbinic leader, but it was Telz Yeshiva and its great leadership that really transformed the town. Rav Elya Meir Bloch, Rav Mottel Katz, Rav Mordechai Gifter, Rav Baruch Sorotzkin and many more transformed Cleveland and the Yeshiva world at large with the aristocracy of Telz. The Telz impact was felt with the founding of the Hebrew Academy by the Dessler Family and the Yavneh Girls school. The great philanthropists of Cleveland included Irving Stone, the Spero brothers and Mendy Klein. Chassidus struck roots in Cleveland with the Cleveland dynasty, Chabad and even Kaliv. 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]
338
Great American Jewish Cities #13: Cleveland Part II
Great American Jewish Cities #13: Cleveland Part II
Jul 27, 2020
33:26
This great city of the Midwest hosted some impressive events, institutions and personalities throughout its Jewish community's long history. Once a center of Reform Judaism with Abba Hillel Silver, it was also home to one of the earliest short lived Yeshivas in the United States when Rav Yehuda Levenberg moved his New Haven Yeshiva to Cleveland. Rabbi Israel Porath was the long time Rabbinic leader, but it was Telz Yeshiva and its great leadership that really transformed the town. Rav Elya Meir Bloch, Rav Mottel Katz, Rav Mordechai Gifter, Rav Baruch Sorotzkin and many more transformed Cleveland and the Yeshiva world at large with the aristocracy of Telz. The Telz impact was felt with the founding of the Hebrew Academy by the Dessler Family and the Yavneh Girls school. The great philanthropists of Cleveland included Irving Stone, the Spero brothers and Mendy Klein. Chassidus struck roots in Cleveland with the Cleveland dynasty, Chabad and even Kaliv. 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]
339
Treacherous Brothers: The Yevsektsia Destryoys Jewish Life in Russia
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]
340
Great American Jewish Cities #15: The Five Towns
Great American Jewish Cities #15: The Five Towns
Aug 12, 2020
43:28
Lawrence, Cedarhurst, Woodmere, Hewlett, Inwood. Somehow the individual names come together to form the larger Jewish community of the Five Towns. Historically an upscale suburban area that boasted country clubs and golf courses that didn't welcome Jews, the demographics began to change in the post war. Shuls like Beth Shalom, Young Israel of Woodmere, Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst were formed over time. They were led by pioneering Rabbis like Rabbis Gil Klaperman, Shya Lebor, Nochum Tzvi Kornmehl and many others. With the arrival of Rav Binyamin Kamenetsky in 1956 and the founding of the Yeshiva of South Shore, Jewish education was ensured a future in the Five Towns. Of course eating is an important component of Jewish life in the region, and Central Avenue would become the home of a variety of famous eateries. Colorful personalities, philanthropists, politicians and activists all called the Five Towns home, and we'll meet some of them on this Jewish history journey into Long Island. 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]
341
Great American Jewish Cities #16: Los Angeles
Great American Jewish Cities #16: Los Angeles
Aug 19, 2020
49:25
The rich Jewish past of Tinseltown is worth at least a full length feature. The architects of Hollywood were Jewish immigrants, who were joined by many talented Jews heading west, who created an entire industry and cultural revolution. Orthodox Judaism took a bit longer to strike roots, but Rabbi Simon Dolgin and other intrepid pioneers planted the first seeds which blossomed with the arrival of many survivors in the post war era. From Beth Jacob to YICC, from Toras Emes to YULA, from Venice Beach to Pico Robertson, LA has a Jewish story to tell. Rav Simcha Wasserman built a Yeshiva named for his illustrious father, Rabbi Marvin Heir built the Wiesenthal Center, and philanthropists from Sam Menlo to Shlomo Yehuda Rechnitz funded one initiative after another. One of the first community Kollels in the United States had a great impact on the community's growth 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]
342
The Revenge of the Yekkes: The Story of the Ritchie Boys
The Revenge of the Yekkes: The Story of the Ritchie Boys
Sep 5, 2020
29:06
With the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the end of World War Two, here is a return to the story that Jews played in winning the war. The Ritchie Boys were a group of German speaking Americans, of whom some were recent German Jewish refugees, recruited by the US military. They were needed for their language skills, translations, interrogations and some espionage too. Following the D-Day invasion, the Ritchie Boys were attached to front line units where they interrogated recently captured German soldiers. The information obtained was used on the battlefield, defining strategy and saving lives. With their return to their native Germany, they participated in the liberation of concentration camps while confronting the knowledge that their own close relatives had been among the victims. The feeling that their contribution to the war effort had made a significant difference to the outcome, was in a certain way a sense of closure and even triumph. Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
343
Sisters of the Revolution Part II: To Teach or not to Teach?
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]
344
Great American Jewish Cities #18: Boro Park Part II
Great American Jewish Cities #18: Boro Park Part II
Sep 20, 2020
44:54
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]
345
Sisters of the Revolution Part III: The Pioneers : Separating Fact from Fiction
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]
346
From Minsk to Monsey: The Life of Rav Reuven Grozovsky
From Minsk to Monsey: The Life of Rav Reuven Grozovsky
Oct 14, 2020
34:21
As a sequel to the story of Rav Baruch Ber Leibowitz, it would be appropriate to profile the activities of his illustrious son in law and successor Rav Reuven Grozovsky (1886-1958). Growing up in Minsk, he convinced several of the youth to join him in the famed Slabodka Yeshiva. He'd eventually marry the daughter of Rav Baruch Ber Leibowitz, assisting him in the running of the Kamenitz Yeshiva. Escaping the war to the United States, Rav Reuven assumed a position as Rosh Yeshiva in both Torah Vodaath as well as the nascent Bais Medrash Elyon in Monsey. At the national level, he was first an activist in the wartime Vaad Hatzalah, then the chairman of the Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah of Agudas Yisroel, as well as heading the new Torah Umesorah efforts in Jewish education. As a true leader in tune with the times, he voiced his clear opinion on all issues and challenges facing the Jewish people. In 1952 he sustained a tragic car accident under mysterious circumstances. This greatly inhibited his activities and he passed away six years later. 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]
347
Sisters of the Revolution Part IV: The Birth of a Movement
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]
348
A Historic Vote: The 1935 Tel Aviv Rabbinate Elections
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]
349
Around the Maggid's Table: The Disciples of Rav Dov Ber of Mezeritch
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]
350
Poles at the Polls: Jewish Political Factions in Interwar Poland
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]
351
A Guiding Light: The Life of the Chazon Ish Part I
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]
352
The Civil War & American Jewry
The Civil War & American Jewry
Nov 2, 2020
28:38
American Jews served in the ranks of both the Union and Confederacy during the Civil War. Several major events stand out as milestones in American Jewish History during that time period. The first was the appointment of the first Jewish chaplain in the United States armed forces, through the lobbying efforts of Rev. Arnold Fischel, with Jacob Frankel receiving the first commission. Next came the infamous General Order No. 11, when General Ulysses S. Grant ordered and expulsion of "Jews as a class" from his military jurisdiction, due to their alleged involvement with illegal trade. Finally we have the story of Judah P. Benjamin. With Sephardic origins, he rose to prominence as a lawyer in New Orleans, then senator, and finally holding several cabinet positions for the Confederacy. 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]
353
Rebbe! The Life of Rav Nochum Partzovitz
Rebbe! The Life of Rav Nochum Partzovitz
Nov 5, 2020
42:17
Rav Nochum Partzovitz (1923-1986), was most known for his approach to Talmudic study, which gained renown within the Yeshiva world. Having grown up in the Vilna suburb of Trakai, he proceeded to study at the great Yeshivas of Baranovitch, Kamenitz and finally Mir, from which he never left. Through the war years in Shanghai, where he studied together with Rav Leib Malin, through the post war years in New York, he established himself as the elite of the Mir Yeshiva student body. This reputation was cemented with his marriage to Rebbetzin Ettel, daughter of Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz, and Rav Nochum's subsequent appointment to the position as Rosh Yeshiva. With his simplicity, modesty and his popular shiurim, Rav Nochum was a beloved Rebbi in the Mir Yeshiva and a beloved individual to all who knew him. This yahrtzeit episode was originally recorded exclusively for Mir Yeshiva Yerushalayim. It is now being included for the benefit of Jewish History Soundbites listeners. If you enjoy this podcast and would like to donate to Mir Yeshiva Jerusalem, you can do so here: https://secure.themir.org/donate/ Thank you! Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
354
Sisters of the Revolution Part V: Rebuilding in a New World
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]
355
The Life of Rav Aharon Kotler Part I: Origins of Greatness
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]
356
The Life of Rav Aharon Kotler Part II: Rebuilding Anew
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]
357
The Mashgiach: Memories of Rav Aharon Chodosh
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]
358
One Din: Rav Simcha Zelig the Dayan of Brisk
One Din: Rav Simcha Zelig the Dayan of Brisk
Dec 17, 2020
35:47
One of the unique pre war Torah giants - and ultimately Holocaust victim - was the Dayan of Brisk, Rav Simcha Zelig Reguer (1864-1942). Brisk was home to a large and prestigious Jewish community, and Rav Simcha Zelig served as the beloved Dayan and posek through the tenures of both Rav Chaim Brisker and his son Rav Velvalleh the Brisker Rov. Wise and modest, he had studied in the Volozhin Yeshiva before becoming Rav Chaim's right hand man, while also overseeing the local yeshiva for many years. With the outbreak of the war, he remained in the city and was murdered along with its inhabitants by the Nazis. 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]
359
The Chernobyl Crisis: Chernobyl Part II
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]
360
Living History: The Life of Rabbi Fabian Schonfeld Part I
Living History: The Life of Rabbi Fabian Schonfeld Part I
Dec 30, 2020
32:15
While some people read history, there are rare people who lived history through their own lives. One such individual was Rabbi Fabian Schonfeld (1923-2020). Born in Vienna into a family of Ger chassidim from Poland, his father's position as General Secretary of the World Agudas Yisroel placed at the epicenter of traditional Jewish activism at the crucial interwar period. Eyewitness to Austria's Anschluss with Nazi Germany, he subsequently fled on a kindertransport eventually settling in London. He'd ultimately settle in the Kew Garden Hills neighborhood in Queens. Drawn to Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, he'd receive semicha from RIETS and embark on a lifelong rabbinic career with the Young Israel as well as nationally with the RCA. As someone who traversed all worlds within Jewish society, he'd be affiliated with a myriad of Jewish organizations, cultivate relationships with some of the greatest Torah leaders of the 20th century, and enjoy access to the corridors of power in both Israel and the United States. Through the prism of his long and riveting journey, the story of the Jewish People in modern times is told. Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
361
Living History: The Life of Rabbi Fabian Schonfeld Part II
Living History: The Life of Rabbi Fabian Schonfeld Part II
Dec 31, 2020
31:13
Part 2: While some people read history, there are rare people who lived history through their own lives. One such individual was Rabbi Fabian Schonfeld (1923-2020). Born in Vienna into a family of Ger chassidim from Poland, his father's position as General Secretary of the World Agudas Yisroel placed at the epicenter of traditional Jewish activism at the crucial interwar period. Eyewitness to Austria's Anschluss with Nazi Germany, he subsequently fled on a kindertransport eventually settling in London. He'd ultimately settle in the Kew Garden Hills neighborhood in Queens. Drawn to Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, he'd receive semicha from RIETS and embark on a lifelong rabbinic career with the Young Israel as well as nationally with the RCA. As someone who traversed all worlds within Jewish society, he'd be affiliated with a myriad of Jewish organizations, cultivate relationships with some of the greatest Torah leaders of the 20th century, and enjoy access to the corridors of power in both Israel and the United States. Through the prism of his long and riveting journey, the story of the Jewish People in modern times is told. Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
362
Litvaks Gone South: South African Jewry & Rabbi Avraham Tanzer
Litvaks Gone South: South African Jewry & Rabbi Avraham Tanzer
Jan 5, 2021
38:18
South African Jewish history is unique in several ways. Composed primarily of Jews of Lithuanian origin, it grew in the early decades of the 20th century with the waves of immigration from the Lithuanian area of the Russian Empire. Entering the diamond trade and politics, they integrated into South African life, often standing at the forefront protesting the racial injustices of the apartheid system. The Bais Din had prominent rabbis such as Rav Yitzchak Kossovsky, and the chief rabbinate was led by dynamic leaders as well, but it was the investment in education in the post war which transformed the South African Jewish community. The Brooklyn born Rabbi Avraham Tanzer arrived from Telz, Cleveland to Johannesburg in 1963 on a two year contract. He'd remain for 57 years. Through his leadership of Yeshiva College, the Benhazel Hebrew Congregation and the general community, he and other dedicated educators and activists, ensured that the Jewish youth of South Africa would have a proper Torah education and that the community at large would flourish. 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]
363
Unlikeliest of Exits: The Dramatic Escape of the Rayatz
Unlikeliest of Exits: The Dramatic Escape of the Rayatz
Jan 16, 2021
34:26
In one of the most daring rescue schemes of the Holocaust era, Rav Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson, the sixth Lubavitch Rebbe, the Rayatz (1880-1950) was whisked out of Nazi occupied Poland by agents of the Abwehr, the German military intelligence. His followers in the United States, along with the activist Rabbi Mordechai Dubin in Riga, orchestrated the operation. The United States government was lobbied and the State Department eventually applied pressure on the German Foreign Office to rescue the Rayatz. Chief of the Abwehr Wilhelm Canaris tapped Major Ernest Bloch - ironically an officer with Jewish ancestry - for the rescue mission. Arriving in Warsaw shortly after the commencement of the Nazi occupation, he finally was able to locate the Rebbe and his entourage. They were then brought to Berlin, then Riga, Latvia, until finally arriving in New York in March 1940. 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]
364
Paradise Lost: The Jews of Rhodes
Paradise Lost: The Jews of Rhodes
Jan 19, 2021
34:29
The Rhodes Jewish community was an ancient one, and it flourished with the arrival of Spanish exiles following the expulsion of 1492 and the Ottoman takeover in 1522. Prominent in Mediterranian commerce, the Jewish community grew, and had many rabbis from the Land of Israel serve at the community's helm. A tragic story in Rhodes's past was the Rhodes blood libel of 1840 which threatened the local Jew's safety. Following the Italian takeover in 1912, a steady stream of emigration increased with many settling in Seattle and Rhodesia (today's Zimbabwe). Rhodes Jews were to become pillars of the Rhodesia Jewish community for the bulk of the 20th century. Meanwhile the remaining Jews in Rhodes sustained the Nazi occupation of the island in 1943, and in the summer of 1944 were deported in its entirety to Auschwitz. The glorious Jewish community of Rhodes came to a tragic end. Listen to a related episode on Greek Jewry: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/jerusalem-of-the-balkans-the-glory-of-jewish-salonika/ 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]
365
They Called him Dr. Joe: The Life & Stories of Dr. Joseph Kaminetsky Part I
They Called him Dr. Joe: The Life & Stories of Dr. Joseph Kaminetsky Part I
Mar 10, 2021
29:15
Dr. Joe Kaminetsky (1911-1999) was one of the greatest architects of Jewish education in the post war era. His role in the leadership of Torah Umesorah spearheaded the Day School Movement. Born in Brooklyn into a home where his parents sold their house to ensure a Jewish education for their children, he later attended the first class of Yeshiva College in 1928. There he had a close relationship with Rabbi Leo Jung, the visiting Slabodka Rosh Yeshiva Rav Isaac Sher, and later on with Rav Soloveitchik. Together with Rav Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz who was the founder of Torah Umesorah and the one who hired him, all of these people would have a decisive influence on Dr. Joe's life. Dr. Joe wrote a fantastic and perceptive memoir entitled: “Memorable Encounters: A Torah pioneer's glimpses of great men and years of challenge ” (1995). Artscroll has generously offered a 25% discount to our listeners and Mishpacha readers, on the paperback edition (hardcover is sold out) Use code FTR2021 at Artscroll.com: https://www.artscroll.com/Details.aspx?itemNo=9780899066189) 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]
366
The History of the Kiruv Movement Part I
The History of the Kiruv Movement Part I
Mar 21, 2021
41:17
The Kiruv movement, or the Baal Teshuva movement, or the movement of Jewish Outreach, is a curious postwar historical phenomenon. In the counter culture environment of the 1960's, many youth began searching for their Jewish identity and roots, and pioneers and eventually institutions began to fill the role of providing them. The Lubavitcher Rebbe, the Bostoner Rebbe, Reb Shlomo Carlebach, Rabbi Shlomo Freifeld, Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis, Rabbi Pinchos Stolper with NCSY, are just some of the many pioneers in the United States. In Israel the movement gained more steam following the Yom Kippur War. Rav Reuven Elbaz, Rav Shlomo Wolbe and many others pioneered it there. Eventually American kiruv institutions were established in Israel such as Ohr Samayach and Rav Nota Schiller, Aish Hatorah and Rav Noach Weinberg, Diaspora Yeshiva and Rav Mordechai Goldstein and Dvar Yerushalayim with Rav Boruch Horowitz to name a few. Sponsored by Ohr Somayach who is proud to announce a new series on the Ohr Somayach Podcast Network: “The History of the Baal Teshuva Movement” by Rabbi Nota Schiller, Founder and Rosh HaYeshiva of Ohr Somayach. Join the journey at podcasts.ohr.edu https://plnk.to/ospodcast For more information 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]
367
Back to his Roots: The Novominsker Rebbe & His Predecessors
Back to his Roots: The Novominsker Rebbe & His Predecessors
Mar 25, 2021
34:58
In honor of the first yahrtzeit of the late Novominsk Rebbe Rav Yaakov Perlow (1930-2020), we'll explore a bit more about his illustrious and diverse career and leadership. His first stint was in the Skokie Yeshiva was in the 1960's, forging close relationships with his talmidim whom he taught and inspired there. This was followed by more than a decade as Rosh Yeshiva in Yeshivas Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch (Breuer's) in Washington Heights, where he developed a close relationship with Rav Joseph Breuer. Later in life he was known as a leader in Agudas Yisroel and for Jews worldwide. His illustrious roots included the great tzadikim of the Novominsk dynasty, including some of the lesser known ones. In addition, his maternal grandfather was the Sokolov Rebbe, Rav Yitzchak Zelig Morgenstern, scion of the Kotzk dynasty. The Novominsker Rebbe was also connected to the Zidichov dynasty through his wife, who was hailed from the prestigious Eichenstein family. Enjoy last year's tribute episode to the Novominsk Rebbe and the Novominsk dynasty here: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/the-heritage-of-a-leader-the-story-of-novominsk-in-america/ Sponsored in honor of the first yahrtzeit of the Novominsker Rebbe Rav Yaakov Perlow by Duvi Silberstein. For all back office needs and nursing home Billing, contact - Care Network Health: phone/text 908-305-0595 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]
368
From Oberland to Boro Park: The Arugas Habosem & His Descendants
From Oberland to Boro Park: The Arugas Habosem & His Descendants
Mar 31, 2021
30:22
Chust, Tzeilem, Pupa, Satmar. All towns associated with Hungarian Jewry. All were towns where one of the most prominent rabbinical families had representatives who served in its rabbinate. Rav Moshe Greenwald (1853-1910), known by his work the 'Arugas Habosem' was the patriarch of the Greenwald family dynasty. As the family made the transition from the world of Oberland/Chasam Sofer to Hungarian Chasidism, they made their mark as rabbis in Chust, Tzeilem, Pupa and as Roshei Yeshiva as well. This continued through the Holocaust, where several of them narrowly escaped after losing their families and communities. They ultimately were successful in rebuilding in Brooklyn, New York after the war. 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]
369
Rav Hakollel: The Tragic Story of Rabbi Jacob Joseph Part I
Rav Hakollel: The Tragic Story of Rabbi Jacob Joseph Part I
Apr 5, 2021
23:11
The Rav Hakolel or Chief Rabbi of New York City, was the title held by Rabbi Jacob Joseph (1841-1902). A student of the Volozhin Yeshiva and later of Rav Yisrael Salanter, he enjoyed a successful rabbinic career in Lithuania which culminated with his appointment to be the Maggid of Vilna. In 1888 he was invited to become the chief rabbi of a federation of synagogues in Manhattan's Lower East Side. Although it wasn't a very successful venture, behind it lies the story of a great rabbinical leader. 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]
370
Great American Jewish Cities #19: Worcester & Boston
Great American Jewish Cities #19: Worcester & Boston
Apr 8, 2021
41:07
Jewish History Soundbites is back to launch season two of our popular series "Great American Jewish Cities"! We commence with Worcester, Massachusetts which has a prominent Jewish history. Boasting 13 active shuls in the early decades of the 20th century, it also was home to one of the first Lubavitch Yeshivas in the United States. Visionaries such as Rav Zorach Hurwitz and Rav Hershel Fogelman invested in Jewish education at a time when in out of town America it didn't seem possible. Other notables of Jewish Worcester includes the leader of the counterculture movement Abbie Hoffman, while Clark University is the home of the first Holocaust studies in the United States, as well as being the host of Sigmund Freud's lectures on his only visit to the United States. Boston Jewish History personalities included rabbis such as Ramaz (Rav Moshe Zevulun Margolis), Rav Zalman Yaakov Friderman, Rav Gavriel Zev Margolis, Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, Rav Mordechai Savitsky, and the chassidic dynasties of Boston and Tolna. 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]
371
Building the 'Kehilla': The Leadership of Rav Dr. Joseph Breuer
Building the 'Kehilla': The Leadership of Rav Dr. Joseph Breuer
Apr 13, 2021
49:37
Rav Dr. Joseph Breuer (1882-1980) was a visionary leader who successfully rebuilt the Kheilla of Frankfurt of Kahal Adas Jeshurun on American shores. Born to his parents Rav Dr. Solomon Breuer and Sophie Hirsch, daughter of Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch, he moved from Hungary to Frankfurt as a child. He later became the Rosh Yeshiva of the Frankfurt Yeshiva. Following Kristallnacht in November 1938, he managed to escape with his family, arriving in the United States in February 1939. He immediately set out to establish a fully structured kehilla, not limiting his position to congregational rabbi. With a goal of establishing institutional completeness, offering the full gamut of religious, educational and social services within the kehilla infrastructure, while maintaining its total independence. The twin goals of Austritt (separation from communities who didn't share Torah values), along with Torah Im Derech Eretz (integration into surrounding society without compromising on Torah values) were to be the guiding lights of the kehilla, and would permeate its myriad of institutions. Incredibly, with the assistance of a dedicated cadre of members of the community, within a few years he built a mikva, schools, shul, kashrus supervision, Bais Din, secondary schools, a publication society and much more, while the membership grew to over 800 families. He passed away at the ripe old age of 98. 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]
372
Great American Jewish Cities #20: Toronto Part I
Great American Jewish Cities #20: Toronto Part I
Apr 17, 2021
35:20
Jewish immigrants in the late 19th century populated 'The Ward', an immigrant neighborhood in Toronto, Canada, formulating the nucleus of the fast growing Toronto Jewish community. Eventually the Jewish population shifted to Kensington Market. Rabbinic leadership in the early years was provided by Rav Yosef Weinreb, Rav Yaakov Gordon, and later Rav Yehuda Leib Graubart. The latter headed the Polish faction of the community and clashed with the former two in their efforts to organize the chaotic kashrus situation and in the organization of the Toronto Kehilla. Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky served as a rabbi in Toronto for several years during the 1940's. One of the most influential rabbis in post war Toronto, was Rabbi Avraham Aharon Price, who led the Toronto Jewish community for over a half century, and was also the Rosh Yeshiva of the Toras Chaim Yeshiva. 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]
373
Great American Jewish Cities #20: Toronto Part II
Great American Jewish Cities #20: Toronto Part II
Apr 19, 2021
29:37
Jewish Toronto in the post war saw a development of the community in its leadership and institutions. Rav Dovid Ochs replaced Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky at the helm of the Toras Emes community, and Chabad began to have a presence in town as well. A rising rabbinic leader at this time was Rav Gedalya Felder, while at the same time there started to arrive a large influx of Holocaust survivors, with Rav Meir Grunwald, the Teitcher Rov as a leader in the community as well. The Holy Blossom Synagogue started off as Orthodox and gradually shifted towards Reform in the early decades of the 20th century. As shuls and shtiebels increased with the arrival of Eastern European Jews, educational institutions were built. The Eitz Chaim schools became the premier mechanism of educational development for the Jewish youth of Toronto. Some of the greatest philanthropists of 20th century Jewish life resided there as well. The Reichman and Tannenbaum families are just two examples of this, as Joe Tannenbaum emerged as a patron of Jewish institutions both locally and worldwide. 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]
374
Nathan Gutwirth & the Dutch Rescue Scheme
Nathan Gutwirth & the Dutch Rescue Scheme
Apr 30, 2021
29:44
Nathan Gutwirth was a Dutch yeshiva student at the Telz Yeshiva in Lithuania when he was thrust onto the stage of history. He was someone at the right place, at the right time, who did the right thing. When the Second World War broke out, he sought a way for he and his fiancée to escape to one of the Dutch overseas possessions and away from the developing inferno. Corresponding with the local Dutch consul Jan Zwartendijk and the Dutch ambassador in Riga LPJ De Decker, the island of Curacao became a possible destination. Ultimately, this would seem to be a possible destination for non-Dutch citizens as well, and many were saved as a result. He himself ended up in Indonesia, and was later interned by the Japanese. Following the war he immigrated to the United States before returning to Antwerp, where he lived out his remaining years. For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
375
The Kabbalists of Komarno: Part II
The Kabbalists of Komarno: Part II
May 13, 2021
31:51
In keeping with the mystical leanings of the Komarno dynasty, it is interesting to note the frequency in which the leaders of the dynasty passed away during the time of Sefiras Haomer, a fact which has mystical significance as well. Their involvement in Kabbalistic practice made the Zhiditchov-Komarno courts a prime target of Yosef Perl and other Galicia maskilim in the 19th century. Undeterred, the Komarno Rebbes continued to teach what they saw as the authentic mysticism of the Baal Shem Tov, refusing to adapt to the downplay of mysticism becoming so common throughout the chassidic movement of the 19th century. 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]
376
Radical Mussarites: The School of Novardok
Radical Mussarites: The School of Novardok
Jun 3, 2021
29:45
The Novardok Yeshiva was both a mussar philosophy as well as a movement. Founded by Rav Yosef Yoizel Horowitz (1850-1919), the Alter of Novardok, in 1896, it soon grew into tens of branches across Russia. Known for its rather radical approach to mussar, educational philosophy and growth, it was seemingly influenced by the general revolutionary zeitgeist in the Russian Empire at the turn of the century. Exiled during World War One, the entire movement would eventually make a daring border crossing into Poland in order to escape from Soviet Russia. The flagship yeshiva was established in Bialystok under the leadership of the Alter's son in law Rav Avraham Joffen. Several other primary branches were established in other cities, with tens of smaller branches across the country. Often it was chassidic students who were recruited to join its ranks. Decimated during the war, attempts were made at rebuilding in Israel through several pre war branches that had been established there, as well as the United States, with limited success. In France however, Rav Gershon Leibman succeeded in reestablishing the Novardok network with his Ohr Yosef schools, which primarily served Moroccan students. For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
377
The Great Defender of Israel: Rav Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev
The Great Defender of Israel: Rav Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev
Jun 7, 2021
32:58
One of the most legendary leaders the Chassidic movement has ever produced Rav Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev (1740-1809) is a universally beloved figure as well. Following his conversion to the nascent movement in the court of the Maggid of Mezritch, he spread the ideas of chassidus while simultaneously leading a lucrative rabbinic career in Zelichov, Pinsk and Berditchev. Known to posterity as the Great Defender of the Jewish People, he devoted his life to seeking out the good in every individual as well as the Jewish People as a collective. 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]
378
Rabbi Yitzchak Rubinstein & The Vilna Rabbinate Controversy
Rabbi Yitzchak Rubinstein & The Vilna Rabbinate Controversy
Jun 10, 2021
31:28
Though Vilna was known as the Jerusalem of Lithuania, it hadn't had an official chief rabbi since a dispute about the position ended in 1791. As a result of the Polish government requiring the hiring of chief rabbi in the 1920's, the Vilna Jewish community council hired Rav Yitzchak Rubinstein (1880-1945) as the official chief rabbi of the city. He had served as the official 'Rav Mitaam' government rabbi since 1910, and was beloved by the community to his leadership and activism during the First World War. This appointment was made despite the fact that Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzinski was the undisputed Torah leader in Vilna and across the Jewish world, as well as serving as the unofficial chief rabbi for decades. This led to a bitter dispute which was to have a lasting effect on the community, as well as the wider scope of inter Jewish politics. The Chofetz Chaim protested on behalf of the honor of Rav Chaim Ozer, and other protests followed. Though the dispute eventually calmed down, resentment remained. Rabbi Rubinstein himself ultimately escaped to New York at the beginning of the Second World War and passed away there in 1945. Sponsored by: With the New York City election day around the corner, it’s time to drop the excuses and VOTE. When it comes to funding for our schools and communities, elected officials pay attention to the people who vote. It’s simple: If you're not voting, you don't have a voice. Make sure you vote early, by mail, or on June 22! Have questions or need help with your voter plan? Call or email the Orthodox Union’s Teach NYS at (646) 459-5162 or email [email protected]. When you vote, elected officials take note. For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
379
David Ben-Gurion & the Jewish Character of the State of Israel
David Ben-Gurion & the Jewish Character of the State of Israel
Jun 18, 2021
36:01
Considered by many as the founding father of the State of Israel, David Ben-Gurion (1886-1973) had a unique vision of the Jewish character of the Jewish state. With an antagonism towards religious practice and his negative view of the 'diaspora Jew', he also had a sense of realpolitik and understood the practical gains of reaching a status quo agreement. On October 20, 1952 he paid a visit to Israel's most venerable sage, Rav Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz, the Chazon Ish. Though thoroughly secular himself, he had a strong love for Tanach. And though he wouldn't set foot into a synagogue in Israel, in the Diaspora he viewed it as a place where Jews got together and expressed their common identity and community. Zionism in his view had achieved the twin goals of creating a Jewish state in the historic Land of Israel and - for those residing there - the ingathering of exiles. It had thus served its purpose, and he declared that, 'I'm an Israeli, not a Zionist'. With a myriad of accomplishments and a controversial legacy, the story of Ben Gurion and the Jewish character of the state he had done so much to found, is a chapter of Jewish history with reverberations down to this very day. Sponsored by: With the New York City election day around the corner, it’s time to drop the excuses and VOTE. When it comes to funding for our schools and communities, elected officials pay attention to the people who vote. It’s simple: If you're not voting, you don't have a voice. Make sure you vote early, by mail, or on June 22! Have questions or need help with your voter plan? Call or email the Orthodox Union’s Teach NYS at (646) 459-5162 or email [email protected]. When you vote, elected officials take note. For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
380
An Angel Amid the Ashes: The Klausenberger Rebbe Part II
An Angel Amid the Ashes: The Klausenberger Rebbe Part II
Jun 20, 2021
43:39
In honor of the yahrtzeit of Rav Yekusiel Yehuda Halberstam, the Sanz-Klausenburg Rebbe (1905-1994), another chapter in his storied life is presented, as his charismatic leadership and Torah greatness is examined in greater detail. Having emerged from the horrors of the Holocaust while losing his entire family and community, he set out to rebuild while strongly maintaining the independence of his own community. Building institutions and teaching Torah, he assumed roles which were atypical of a standard chassidic leader. His leading an independent stance ons many issues brought him occasionally into dispute with other Torah leaders, but he maintained his position. With perseverance, leadership and Torah scholarship, he successfully recreated a Galician Sanz community on the beach of the Mediterranean in the city of Netanya. Part 1: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/an-angel-amid-the-ashes-the-klausenberger-rebbe-part-i/ Sponsored in part by: With the New York City election day around the corner, it’s time to drop the excuses and VOTE. When it comes to funding for our schools and communities, elected officials pay attention to the people who vote. It’s simple: If you're not voting, you don't have a voice. Make sure you vote early, by mail, or on June 22! Have questions or need help with your voter plan? Call or email the Orthodox Union’s Teach NYS at (646) 459-5162 or email [email protected]. When you vote, elected officials take note. For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
381
Hail to the Chief: The Life & Leadership of Rav Eliezer Silver Part I
Hail to the Chief: The Life & Leadership of Rav Eliezer Silver Part I
Jun 22, 2021
38:48
One of the architects or American Orthodoxy and perhaps the greatest Orthodox rabbinical leader in that country of the 20th century, Rav Eliezer Silver (1886-1968) had a decisive impact on Jewish life. Through his communal rabbinical leadership, his national leadership on the American scene, through the organizations which he spearheaded and ran for decades, and of course his myriad efforts on behalf of Eastern European Jewry. Having studied under Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzinski in Vilna, Rav Yosef Rosen the Rogatchover in Dvinsk and Rav Chaim Brisker in Brisk, he then immigrated to the United States at the peak of the great immigration in 1907. He'd later be president of the Agudas Harabbonim, founder of Ezras Torah, founder of Agudath Israel of America, founder and president of Vaad Hatzalah and a constant man of action for almost every Jewish, educational and rescue undertaking during his long career. Sponsored by: With the New York City election day today June 22, 2021, it’s time to drop the excuses and VOTE. When it comes to funding for our schools and communities, elected officials pay attention to the people who vote. It’s simple: If you're not voting, you don't have a voice. Make sure you vote on June 22! Have questions or need help with your voter plan? Call or email the Orthodox Union’s Teach NYS at (646) 459-5162 or email [email protected]. When you vote, elected officials take note. For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
382
Hail to the Chief: The Life & Leadership of Rav Eliezer Silver Part II
Hail to the Chief: The Life & Leadership of Rav Eliezer Silver Part II
Jun 27, 2021
42:20
In this second installment on the incredible life and accomplishments of Rav Eliezer Silver (1886-1968), his rise in the rabbinic leadership in the United States is traced from his meeting with President Taft to his being in stranded in Europe during World War One, which led to the founding of Ezras Torah. One of the most active chapters of his activism was his founding of the Vaad Hatzalah and his myriad rescue efforts during the years of World War Two and the Holocaust. Rav Leizer Silver founded this rescue organization in November 1939 as a means of supporting refugee students in independent Lithuania. With the Soviet takeover of the Baltic States in the summer of 1940, he assisted the rabbis and yeshiva students in their attempts to obtain visas to escape from the hostile environment of the communist Soviet Union. Later the Vaad Hatzalah would support these students in exile in Siberia and Shanghai. With the Final Solution becoming clear to American Jewry in 1943, the Vaad Hatzalah expanded its efforts to become an all encompassing rescue organization. It was in the capacity of post war rehabilitation efforts that Rav Silver made his three month grueling visit to assist the survivors in the summer of 1946. This episode has been sponsored by Teach Coalition. To continue to be part of this movement - encouraging the community to vote or meeting with your elected officials visit teachcoalition.org today and join the movement. 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]
383
Justice for All: The Incredible Story of Jacob Robinson
Justice for All: The Incredible Story of Jacob Robinson
Jul 2, 2021
32:40
A relatively unknown, yet one of the most influential Jews of the 20th century, Jacob Robinson's (1889-1977) list of accomplishments are seemingly endless. After receiving his doctorate in law, he was drafted into the Czarist military with the outbreak of World War One. After spending three years in a German POW camp, he returned to the newly created independent Lithuania, where he emerged as a leading Zionist, politician, jurist, educator, writer and much more. First representing Jewish interests in the Lithuanian parliament, he soon reached the international stage, arguing for minorities rights in international platforms such as the League of Nations, and entering into an ill fated partnership with Weimar Germany to promote minorities rights. In his efforts to protect Jewish minority rights around the world, he was one of the founders of what would eventually become the World Jewish Congress in 1927. Escaping to the United States in 1940, he soon went to work formulating the legal basis for prosecution of Nazi war criminals post war, eventually serving as a special adviser to the prosecution at the Nuremberg trials. Seeing the failure of the tragic minorities rights saga of interwar Europe, he drafted the new principle of Human Rights, which led to the UN commission on Human Rights. He also assisted the nascent State of Israel with legal counsel at the UN and drafted the reparations agreement with West Germany, later overseeing the Claims Conference. In later years he was a pioneering Holocaust researcher, and was one of the founders of Yad Vashem. Finally, he served as the special legal counsel at the Eichmann trial in 1960, writing the legal basis for the prosecution. 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]
384
Great American Jewish Cities #22: Detroit Part I
Great American Jewish Cities #22: Detroit Part I
Jul 6, 2021
37:15
The rich Jewish history of the Motor City includes many fascinating institutions and individuals. From the early farming settlements in Michigan, to the immigrant communities of Detroit proper, this part one of a series on Detroit Jewish history will examine some of the personalities and their impact on the developing community. There was the interesting experiment of Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin of Detroit, which hosted one of the first Siyum Hashas celebrations in the United States. Rav Yehuda Leib Levin was an early rabbi who founded what was to become the Beth Yehuda school, eventually named for him. With the arrival of Rav Avraham Abba Friedman and later Rav Shalom Goldstein, Jewish education was transformed. With Rav Simcha Wasserman, later Rav Joseph Elias, Rav Shmuel Yerachmiel Kaufman and other legendary Detroit educators, the original Beth Yehuda spawned a Jewish education revolution which formed the basis of the community's growth in the coming decades. Following the war, Rav Leib Bakst of the Mir Yeshiva would arrive and stand at the helm of the yeshiva for the next 55 years. A student of Radin & Kelm, Rav Eliezer Levin later served as the rabbinical leader and architect of the city's Jewish infrastructure for decades 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]
385
Gone, but not Forgotten: Obscure Chassidic Dynasties of Yesteryear
Gone, but not Forgotten: Obscure Chassidic Dynasties of Yesteryear
Jul 11, 2021
32:46
Smaller and lesser known Chassidic dynasties are almost entirely forgotten, as a result of their being almost entirely wiped out during the Holocaust. Each one had a following with a demographic and geographical reach and impact during centuries of their existence. And each one is a story. The Ungar family of the Dombrova dynasty, Shpikov was a branch of Skver, large ones like Melitz, Alexander and Radomsk are more obscure today as well. Some were large, some very small, some influential, while others made less of an impact. But each and every one formed a component of eastern European Chassidic life until the war. One of those was the Zabeltov dynasty, which was a branch of the Kossov dynasty, most famous through its Vizhnitz branch. Rav Dovid Hager (1797-1848) was a son of the founder of the Kossov dynasty Rav Menachem Mendel Hager. Having moved to the town of Zabeltov, he emerged as a charismatic leader of the region. His descendants continued in the town until the Holocaust. Almost the entire extended family along with their followers were tragically murdered by the Nazis during 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]
386
From Brisk to Beitar: The Life of Menachem Begin Part I
From Brisk to Beitar: The Life of Menachem Begin Part I
Jul 15, 2021
38:05
One of the most influential leaders in the history of the State of Israel, Menachem Begin (1913-1992) led a very colorful life and career. Though known for his public persona, he was a very complex character who faced many setbacks at every stage. Growing up in a somewhat traditional home in Brisk, he later joined the Beitar movement of Revisionist Zionism led by Vladimir (Zev) Jabotinsky. Arrested by the Soviets in the early part of the war, he was sentenced to slave labor in Siberia. In the interim, the Holocaust arrived in Brisk, and most of his family became its victims. The long shadow of anti-Semitism and the Holocaust would accompany him throughout his decades of public service, and would impact his decisions as a leader of both the underground and later as a politician. He emerged as the leader of the underground organization Etzel (Irgun), with the stated goal of forcing the British out of Palestine. With the founding of the State of Israel, he spent three decades in the opposition, leading campaigns against the reparations agreement with West Germany and the like, until finally winning the elections in 1977. Though he accomplished much as prime minister, including a historic peace treaty with Egypt, the unfolding disaster of the Lebanon War led to his retirement and ultimate seclusion during his later years. For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
387
In the City of Death: The 1903 Kishinev Pogrom
In the City of Death: The 1903 Kishinev Pogrom
Jul 17, 2021
41:13
Special Tisha Ba'av Episode The 1903 Kishinev Pogrom was a tragic massacre, with reverberations within the wider Jewish world remaining until this very day. Goaded on by anti-Semitic newspapers with cries of 'Death to the Jews', a blood libel was fabricated and a mob was unleashed on Easter Sunday, April 19, 1903. Leaving 49 killed, hundreds maimed and injured in its wake, Jewish property was destroyed and looted as well. Claims of complicity of the police and government were voiced in many quarters. But it was primarily the after effects of this pogrom which had a long term transformative effect on Jewish society in Russia and worldwide. The great immigration to the United States was already long underway, but it significantly intensified in the years following Kishinev and the subsequent 1905 revolution. American Jewry was galvanized to assist the victims, and this cemented the relationship US Jewry was to have with their brethren back in Eastern Europe. Within Russia, many of the Jewish youth became radicalized as a result of the massacre, joining clandestine revolutionary organizations with the goal of overthrowing the Czar. The most profound impact was felt within the nascent Zionist movement. Chaim Nachman Bialik was dispatched by the historian Shimon Dubnow to gather testimonies from survivors. Following his five week stay in Kishinev, Bialik penned 'Be'ir Hahareiga' - In the City of Death, a poem about the pogrom. Powerfully written, it also included strongly worded accusations in regards to the perceived passivity of the victims. The poem and its message was to have an immense impact, as it was published and translated and became immensely popular. Vladimir Jabotinsky's conclusion was to organize Jewish self defense, and Theodore Herzl's conclusion was the Uganda proposal at the Sixth Zionist Congress. The shadow of the Kishinev tragedy was to hover over the many subsequent, and ever greater tragedies of the bloody 20th century. 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]
388
From Poland to Petach Tikva: The Lomza Yeshiva Part I
From Poland to Petach Tikva: The Lomza Yeshiva Part I
Jul 28, 2021
28:35
The Lomza Yeshiva in Poland and later in Petach Tikva, Israel, was unique in many respects. Founded in 1883 by a student of Rav Yisrael Salanter named Rav Eliezer Shulevitz, it was the first Lithuanian style yeshiva in the area of chassidic Poland. In its heyday, the majority of its students would come from chassidic backgrounds. With its expansion, his capable sons in law took over - Rav Yechiel Mordechai Gordon, Rav Yehoshua Zelig Roch and Rav Moshe Leib Ozer. The latter's son Rav Eliezer Ozer, ran the Kollel in Lomza Petach Tikva until his recent passing. The famed mashgiach Rav Moshe Rosenstein left a big impact on the yeshiva's growth and education during the interwar period. Rav Yechiel Mordechai Gordon led the yeshiva, and spent much time in the United States fundraising on its behalf, before eventually settling in Petach Tikva in 1950. In 1926, Lomza took the pioneering step in opening a branch of the yeshiva in Palestine, and the building on Rechov Herzl in Petach Tikva was dedicated in 1930. This would be the premier institution of Torah learning in the Land of Israel in the coming decades. 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]
389
From Poland to Petach Tikva: The Lomza Yeshiva Part II
From Poland to Petach Tikva: The Lomza Yeshiva Part II
Aug 1, 2021
27:23
The Lomza Yeshiva in Poland and later in Petach Tikva, Israel, was unique in many respects. Founded in 1883 by a student of Rav Yisrael Salanter named Rav Eliezer Shulevitz, it was the first Lithuanian style yeshiva in the area of chassidic Poland. In its heyday, the majority of its students would come from chassidic backgrounds. With its expansion, his capable sons in law took over - Rav Yechiel Mordechai Gordon, Rav Yehoshua Zelig Roch and Rav Moshe Leib Ozer. The latter's son Rav Eliezer Ozer, ran the Kollel in Lomza Petach Tikva until his recent passing. The famed mashgiach Rav Moshe Rosenstein left a big impact on the yeshiva's growth and education during the interwar period. Rav Yechiel Mordechai Gordon led the yeshiva, and spent much time in the United States fundraising on its behalf, before eventually settling in Petach Tikva in 1950. In 1926, Lomza took the pioneering step in opening a branch of the yeshiva in Palestine, and the building on Rechov Herzl in Petach Tikva was dedicated in 1930. This would be the premier institution of Torah learning in the Land of Israel in the coming decades. 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]
390
A Moroccan Legacy: Rav Yitzchak Ibn Walid
A Moroccan Legacy: Rav Yitzchak Ibn Walid
Aug 6, 2021
36:10
One of the greatest leaders of the Moroccan Jewish community in the 19th century was Rav Yitzchak Ibn Walid (1777-1870). The Jewish community of Tetuan was founded by Spanish exiles and saw commercial success over the coming centuries. Despite his reluctance to assume a rabbinical position, Rav Ibn Walid was appointed rabbi of Tetuan in 1830 and led the community until his passing four decades later. As a noted halachic posek he corresponded with rabbis across the Sephardic world, much of it published in his magnum opus Vayomer Yitzchak. As a leader of his community, he cared especially for the poor, the downtrodden and orphans. For more on the customs and traditions of Moroccan Jewry check out the newly published book Magen Avot Daily Halachah published by Mosaica Press. You can check it out on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1639723064?ref=myi title dp or on the publisher's website: https://mosaicapress.com/product/magen-avot-daily-halachah/ You can also check out more seforim on Moroccan Halacha and minhagim on moroccanhalacha.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]
391
From Cromwell to Montefiore: The Jews of London Part II
From Cromwell to Montefiore: The Jews of London Part II
Aug 13, 2021
36:11
Following the Edict of Expulsion in 1290, no organized Jewish life existed in England for centuries. Following the Spanish Expulsion in 1492, a few Conversos secretly settled in England under a Christian identity. The official resettlement of Jews in England commenced with the negotiations held between Menashe ben Israel and Oliver Cromwell in the 1650's. Though allowed to unofficially resettle in England, full emancipation wasn't achieved until 1858. Prominent Jews of the 19th century included the Rothschild family, Moses Montefiore and Benjamin Disreali, who though born Jewish, was baptized at the age of 12. The Sephardic community of London achieved prominence and influence with the founding of the Bevis Marks Synagogue, the longest continuously in use synagogue in Europe. An early prominent rabbi was Hacham David Nieto. The Ashkenazi community built the Great Synagogue of London. Listen to Part I here: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/british-royals-baalei-tosfos-blood-libels-the-story-of-london-part-i/ 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]
392
Architect of American Orthodoxy: The Life & Times of Mike Tress Part II
Architect of American Orthodoxy: The Life & Times of Mike Tress Part II
Aug 26, 2021
42:14
He was a clean shaven, American born, public school educated, successful businessman. And he was also the architect of American Orthodoxy and a leading rescue activist during the dark years of the Holocaust. Mike Tress (1909-1967) grew up as an orphan in Williamsburg. Joining the nascent Zeirei Agudas Yisroel organization, he soon emerged as its leader, giving it a sense of mission and purpose. Spearheading shabbos campaigns, activating Pirchei and Bnos chapters, and founding Camp Agudah in the midst of a world war and rescue work, are just some of the projects which he initiated to promote Orthodoxy in the United States. His encounter with Rav Elchonon Wasserman during the latter's trip to the country in 1938 defined his life mission, and reverence for Torah leaders became part of his essence which he then imparted to his young charges. Perhaps the most fateful chapter of his storied career was his endless attempts at rescue work in the years preceding, during and following the war. Obtaining visas for refugees, raising funds for rescue and complete devotion to rebuilding both physically and spiritually following liberation, while personally commiserating with every individual and feeling their pain. Having sold his business and used all of his assets for communal work, he was truly an individual who lived his life to help others. For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
393
The Chofetz Chaim & His Attempts to Move to the Holy Land
The Chofetz Chaim & His Attempts to Move to the Holy Land
Sep 1, 2021
32:43
Rav Yisrael Meir of Radin, better known as the Chofetz Chaim (1838-1933), is one of the most beloved historical figures in recent memory. His storied life convers many aspects, and in this episode the focus is on the saga of his attempts at immigrating to the Land of Israel. While yearning to move there for many years, he laid practical plans to carry it out as well. Over the course of a half a century, several attempts were made but none brought to fruition. In 1925 his bags were packed and a home was even purchased for him in Petach Tikvah, but again it didn't work out. Check out additional Jewish History Soundbites Chofetz Chaim related episodes: 1. https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/simplicity-complexity-enormity-the-family-of-the-chofetz-chaim/ 2. https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/the-chofetz-chaim-myths-abound/ 3. https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/a-historic-campaign-the-chofetz-chaim-sefer-torah/ This episode is sponsored by 20+ minute daf with Shaul Greenwald. Maseches Beitzah begins on Thursday, so join in to a clear, concise and geshmak Daf Yomi Shiur. https://www.20minutedaf.com/ https://www.torahanytime.com/#/speaker?l=619 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]
394
Great American Jewish Cities #23: Houston Part II
Great American Jewish Cities #23: Houston Part II
Oct 12, 2021
36:15
In this second installment on the Jewish history of Houston and South Texas, the renaissance of Orthodox through the pioneering efforts of Rabbi Joseph Radinsky of the United Orthodox Synagogue, Rabbi Shimon Lazaroff of Chabad and Rabbi Yehoshua Wender of the Young Israel of Houston. The development of air conditioning led to a population explosion in Houston in 1960’s, and the S&L scandal led to its reduction in the late 80’s. Nevertheless, institutions were built, schools grew and a Kollel was founded in recent times as well. 40 miles to the west lies the town of Hempstead. Its rise and decline as a Jewish community is through the story of the Schwartz family and its patriarch Rabbi Chaim Schwartz. The port of Galveston was home to a prestigious community, as well as the oldest established Jewish community in Texas. With Rabbi Henry Cohen’s arrival in 1888, he’d leave his imprint on Texas and American Jewish history through his activities over the ensuing more than six decades. The most prominent role played by Galveston was with the ‘Galveston Plan’, an attempt to reroute Eastern European Jewish immigrants to Galveston due to the overcrowding of New York. With a direct Bremen-Galveston route in place, over 10,000 Jews arrived in the port between the years 1907-1914. For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at: [email protected] Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]
395
10th Yahrtzeit Special: Memories of Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel
10th Yahrtzeit Special: Memories of Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel
Oct 16, 2021
26:44
To commemorate the 10th yahrtzeit of the Mir Rosh Yeshiva Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel (1943-2011), here is another installment of impressions and recollections of this great man and his impact on the larger Torah world. Viewing his great accomplishments over the course of his 22 year tenure at the helm of Mir Yeshiva, one is tempted to see them in the greater context of the rebirth of the Torah world in the postwar era. His projects can be seen as launching an era of expansion, following decades of modest rebuilding. From his modest beginnings as a youth in Chicago, the young Rav Nosson Tzvi travelled after high school to his great uncle, Rav Leizer Yudel Finkel in Mir Yeshiva in Jerusalem. During his years as Rosh Yeshiva, he was beloved for his love which he exuded to his talmidim, and awed by all for his dedication despite the effects of his debilitating illness. Listen to our previous episodes about the life of the Rosh Yeshiva Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/the-kid-from-chicago-the-life-of-rav-nosson-tzvi-finkel-part-i/ https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/to-live-a-life-of-torah-the-life-of-rav-nosson-tzvi-finkel-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]
396
Great American Jewish Cities #19: Boston Part II
Great American Jewish Cities #19: Boston Part II
Oct 21, 2021
32:54
Boston part II is here, with another foray into the history of the Boston Jewish community. As the Jewish community migrated from the West End to Roxbury, Dorchester and eventually Brookline, new institutions were built to accommodate the needs of the growing community. Rav Joseph B. and Tonya Soloveitchik established the Maimonides Hebrew Day School, and hired Rabbi Moses Cohen as the principal. Other early rabbis included Rabbi Rephoel Landau, the Tolna Rebbe Rav Meshulam Zusha Twersky, the Boston Rebbe Rav Levi Yitzchak Horowitz, Rav Shlomo Margolis and out in Chelsea was Rabbi Kalman Lichtenstein. Generations of the Feuerstein supported these institutions with their philanthropy as well being leaders in the hospitality that the Jewish community of Boston became renowned for. Rav Soloveitchik maintained a yeshiva in town for several years called Heichal Rabbeinu Chaim Halevi, and in the 1950’s Rav Shlomo Margolis assisted with the establishment of a Lakewood yeshiva headed by Rav Leib Heyman which also lasted for several years. Listen to part I of Jewish Boston here: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/great-american-jewish-cities-season-2-1-worcester-boston/ This episode has been generously sponsored by https://www.myjewishlineage.com/ Mention Jewish History Soundbites and get 10% off your first research project of two hours or more. 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]
397
The Chief Rabbi: Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks
The Chief Rabbi: Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks
Oct 23, 2021
26:51
Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks (1948-2020) was one of the great figures of recent Jewish history. As Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth from 1991-2013, he was the great spokesman for both British Jewry as well as on the larger Jewish stage. Sponsored in tribute to one of the generation's inspiring Torah luminaries - join a special evening of learning and conversation in memory of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks ztz"l upon the occasion of his first yahrzeit - register to watch on Tuesday, October 26 at 7:00 pm EST at ou.org/rabbisacks 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]
398
According to Rav Tikochinsky.... The Live of Rav Yechiel Michel Tikochinsky
According to Rav Tikochinsky.... The Live of Rav Yechiel Michel Tikochinsky
Oct 28, 2021
33:08
One of the leaders and influential poskim of the Old Yishuv in Jerusalem, Rav Yechiel Michel Tikochinsky (1871-1955) had an outsized impact on the world of halacha, especially in regards to zmanim- halachic time. As the long-time administrator of the Eitz Chaim Yeshiva and accompanying institutions, he oversaw its move to the new city in Yerushalayim, where it entered an era of expansion and growth. He pioneered many areas of halacha, including the laws of mourning, shmittah, the halachic international dateline, laws of Jerusalem and the Bais Hamikdash. Having cultivated both a love as well as a keen understanding of astronomy from a young age, he arrived at formulas for calculating the various zmanim in halacha. In 1905 he initiated the publication of what was to became an incredibly influential calendar where he presented his views on zmanim and customs of Jewish life. 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]
399
A House Divided: The Partitions of Poland & the Jews
A House Divided: The Partitions of Poland & the Jews
Nov 3, 2021
36:00
The three partitions of Poland in 1772, 1793 & 1795 ended the Polish Kingdom (or the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth), and divided it between Austria, Russia and Prussia. This had far reaching consequences for the largest Jewish community in the world which had resided within the borders of the kingdom. Their new rulers desired a more central authority, and much of the Jewish autonomy was curtailed as a result. The Jewish communities of each empire found themselves under new political entities, new laws, new language and culture, and they now were on a different trajectory than their brethren who were on the other side of an international border. In the last years of the Polish Kingdom the Four Year Sejm took place between 1788-1792. The reforms which were raised in regards to Jews economic opportunity and political status, would echo through the Jewish communities of partitioned Poland throughout the upcoming 19th century. 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]
400
Rosh Yeshiva & Rebbe: The Pnei Menachem of Ger
Rosh Yeshiva & Rebbe: The Pnei Menachem of Ger
Nov 11, 2021
36:06
Rav Pinchas Menachem Alter (1926-1996), known as the Pnei Menachem of Ger, led an interesting career in public leadership. Born into prewar Polish chassidic aristocracy, he escaped with his father the Ger Rebbe following the outbreak of the war. He eventually became the rosh yeshiva of the flagship Sfas Emes Yeshiva, and later the head of Agudas Yisroel in Israel. In his last years, he served as the Rebbe of Ger for just over three years before his passing in 1996. Renowned for his Torah scholarship, warmth, modesty and accessibility, he was beloved well beyond the confines of the Ger 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]