Jewish History Soundbites

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]

The Jewish mob wasn't strictly an American phenomenon born in the immigrant communities of the Lower East Side and Brownsville. It had antecedents across the ocean in the Jewish world of Eastern Europe. Jewish gangsters flourished in Warsaw, Odessa and other locales, to the embarrassment of the mainstream religious and political Jewish establishment. The Alfonse pogrom of 1905 brought the issue out into the open, but the Jewish underworld continued in the immigrant community of Buenos Aires, which maintained close ties to Warsaw. The most tragic chapter of Jewish criminal activity took place during the Holocaust when Avraham Gancwajch and his group of "the 13" collaborated with the Nazis in the Warsaw Ghetto. Part 1- https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/tales-of-the-jewish-mafia-part-i-ain-t-gonna-kill-on-saturday/ Part 2- https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/gangsters-racketeers-jewish-activists-tales-of-the-jewish-mafia-part-ii/ 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]

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]

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]

Rav Zundel Kroizer (1923-2014) was one of the last of the greats of the Old Yishuv of Yerushalayim. A member of a large and important Yerushalmy family, his ancestors and family members included many rabbis and activists who influenced the life of the Holy City over the generations. Renowned for his diligence, he authored a multi volume work on the entire gamut of Torah scholarship entitled Ohr Hachama. For most of his life he served as an educator for cheder children. In his later years he served as a beacon of light for all who knew him and had the privilege to bask in his presence, a throwback to purity and holiness of the ancient Yerushalayim. 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]

With everything happening in the world today, it’s safe to say that as religious Jews, question arise as how to correctly deal with the situations faced in contemporary society. There's a podcast called Halacha Headlines Podcast which features a weekly topic drawn from current events. The podcast features a panel of Rabbanim & experts discuss the best way we, as a community can approach contemporary society in these topsy turvy times. It tackles controversial topics head-on, such as current events, shidduchim and dating in the era of corona, the latest Israel Peace Accords, as well as general topics such as vacations, life insurance, buying and selling stocks, police and police enforcement. What makes this podcast unique is that these issues are all explored from a Torah perspective. Halacha Headlines has provided thousands of listeners the ability to approach modern situations and its halachic implications in an educated and sophisticated way. I think this is something everyone should really listen to for themselves. Halacha Headlines podcast is available on any podcast app or you can find it online at podcast.headlinesbook.com. The podcast can also be listened to on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podbean, or wherever you get your podcasts from.

During the active years of the court of Rav Menachem Mendel Morgenstern- the Kotzker (1787-1859), one of his closest students was Rav Mordechai Yosef Leiner (1801-1854) of Izhbitz (Izbica). A series of events in 1839 led to a split in their diverging paths. As the Kotzker became more reclusive in his behaviour, Rav Mordechai Yosef felt that the chassidim needed more proactive leadership. The final break became an inevitable reality following Simchas Torah of that year. The Kotzker's most loyal chassid Rav Yitzchak Meir Alter (the Chiddushei Harim) stood at his side with many others, but the Izhbitzer went off to found his own dynasty. The story which led to this decisive split is shrouded in mystery until this very day. If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/depth-innovation-misnagdim-turned-chassidim-the-dynasty-of-izhbitz/ 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]

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]

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]

One of the oldest dynasties in the history of the chassidic movement, Chernobyl traces its growth from Rav Nachum Twersky the Maor Eynayim (1730-1797) through his son Rav Mottel the Chernobyl Maggid (1770-1837). One of the most influential courts in all of the Russian Jewish Pale of Settlement, with the Chernobyl Maggid's passing in 1837 his empire was divided among his eight sons. Over the course of the 19th century, the various branches of the Chernobyl dynasty - Chernobyl, Tolne, Rachamastrivka, Skver, Trisk, Hornosteipel and others - would dominate chassidic life in Ukraine. Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]

A greatly respected Torah leader of recent times, Rav Aharon Leib Steinman (1914-2017) spent the last 60 years of his long life in Bnei Brak. Prior to that were quite a few stops along the way, each stage shaping his development. A childhood in Brisk led to his studying in the local Toras Chesed Yeshiva of Rav Moshe Sokolovsky. Escaping the Polish army draft to Switzerland, he joined a Yeshiva there, eventually marrying and making his way to Israel. Moving to Kfar Saba, he was the head of the Chafetz Chaim Yeshiva there until moving to Bnei Brak in the 1950's. Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]

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]

One of the most energetic and at the same time eccentric characters on the Jewish scene of the post war was Rabbi Mordechai Elefant (1930-2009). Growing up in New York in the 1940's he became a student of both Rav Aharon Kotler and Rav Leib Malin. Moving to Israel in the 1950's, he forged a connection with the Rav Velvel Soloveitchik - the Brisker Rov and with other leading rabbis of the day. He immediately threw himself into a lifelong objective of building and fundraising for Torah institutions. The nucleus of what was to become his ITRI Yeshiva began in the Romema neighborhood of Jerusalem. He would later build a small neighborhood there aptly named Kiriyat Itri. The Yeshiva itself eventually settled in its permanent campus on the outskirts of the Beit Safafa neighborhood following the Six Day War. Renowned for his fundraising talent, political connections with Israeli politicians like Moshe Dayan and Teddy Kollek, United States politicians like Hubert Humphrey and Gerald Ford, his eccentricities and antics, and most of all his boundless energy and desire to build Torah. Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]

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

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

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]

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]

As the youngest dayan of the acclaimed Vilna rabbinical court, Rav Yisroel Zev Gustman (1908-1991) charted out a path to future greatness. He was both a close student of Rav Shimon Shkop during his days in Grodno, as well as a close confidante of Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzinski on the Vilna Beis Din. He experienced the worst horrors of the Holocaust in the Vilna Ghetto. Surviving both the Ghetto and later as a partisan fighter in the surrounding forests, he then arrived in the United States. Following a short but fruitful stint as the Rosh Yeshiva of Tomchei Temimim Lubavitch, Rav Gustman opened his own Yeshiva in 1950 naming it for the Remailless Yeshiva in Vilna. In 1971 he moved to Israel and transplanted his Yeshiva to the Rechavia neighborhood of Jerusalem. Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]

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]

The passing of Rav Dovd Feinstein (1929-2020) is a great loss to the Jewish world. With his simplicity, able leadership and as a senior posek in all halachic matters, he will not be easily replaced. Rav Dovid was born in Luban in the Soviet Union, where his father Rav Moshe was the Rabbi. Under communist rule, his parents maintained a strong Jewish home and he remained one of the last communal rabbis in all of Russia in ever trying conditions. By 1936 the future for his children's Torah education seemed quite bleak, and it was for that reason that Rav Moshe decided to leave Russia. With his eventual settlement on the Lower East Side, Rav Moshe and later Rav Dovid would ultimately become synonymous with the neighborhood, the Yeshiva MTJ and with the leadership of the American Torah 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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

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]

One of the most complex characters of the 20th century, Abraham J. Heschel's (1907-1972) life experience in many ways mirrored the Jewish search for identity in modern times. Born into an aristocratic Polish chassidic family, he shifted over to academic studies in Berlin. Escaping the Nazi regime, he settled in the United States, eventually receiving a position in the Jewish Theological Seminary. He lectured and wrote on Jewish mysticism, philosophy and chassidic thought. Leaving the ivory tower in his later years, he became an activist in the Civil Rights Movement alongside Martin Luther King Jr. In all probability, Heschel has the distinction of being the only one to have marched in both the Rabbi's march on Washington in 1943, as well as the third Selma Civil Rights march in Alabama in 1965. Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]

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

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

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

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]

Renowned in the Chassidic world and beyond for their legacy of song, Modzhitz was a large and important dynasty in the heart of pre war Polish Jewry. Founded by Rav Yechezkal of Kuzmir, it would be his grandson Rav Yisrael of Modzhitz who would give the dynasty its name, as well as developing song as its trademark. Rav Shaul Yedidya Taub further expanded the court, moving to Otwock outside of Warsaw. With the arrival of the Second World War, he escaped to Vilna then Japan, before arriving in the United States. He attempted to rebuild his decimated court, passing away a few years later. This was continued by his descendants in Tel Aviv, and later in Bnei Brak and in Brooklyn. Read more about the topic in a captivating book by a scion of the Modzhitz dynasty: https://www.amazon.com/Perilous-Escape-Journey-Europe-Freedom/dp/160280351X 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]

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]

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]

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

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]

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]

The Mountains, the Catskills, the Borscht Belt, upstate, the country. Monticello, Liberty, Woodridge, Swan Lake, Woodbourne, Fallsburg. A place of many names with one thing in common: a place rich in Jewish history and lore. As a summer destination, the Catskills would be home to countless bungalow colonies as city Jews organized their communities for a mountain air getaway. Generations of children attended the many summer camps that dotted Sullivan County. Camps included Mesivta, Agudah, Munk, HILI, Kol Rinah, Torah Vodaath, Ohr Shraga, Sternberg and many more including the Betar Jewish self defense camp where Vladimir Jabotinsky died in 1940. It was also famously known as the Borscht Belt, and the legendary hotels/resorts/country clubs like Grossinger's, Kutscher's and the Concord made their mark as vacation sites. Most Jewish comedians of the time commenced their careers there. In addition to the summer crowd, the Catskills were home to many year round Jewish communities over the years. These towns built shuls, mikvas, hired Rabbis and even Jewish owned farms burgeoned for a time. This included Yeshivas as well such as the Mountaindale Yeshiva of Rav Yehuda Davis and the famous Yeshiva of South Fallsburg. 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]

Rav Yitzchak Yaakov Reines (1839-1915) was a leading rabbinical leader who attempted to confront the challenges of his day with innovative solutions. Seeking to refresh the rabbinate as well save the youth, he incorporated secular studies in the Yeshiva he founded in Shvintzian and later in Lida. Having studied in Volozhin and Aishishok, he embarked on a rabbinic career while promulgating his innovative ideas in learning style, education and even language. The Yeshiva in Lida was ultimately successful, reaching and enrollment of over 300 under the able leadership of Rav Shlomo Poliachek, the Meitcheter Iluy. Rav Reiness also founded the Mizrachi, the religious Zionist faction of the Zionist movement. Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]

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

With Sadigura in the news, here's an overview of the Ruzhin dynasty and which branches are still active today. Some like Shtefanesht, Husyatin and Chrotkov are pretty much gone. Boyan is here but without the Friedman name. Buhush and of course Sadigura are still around with the direct Friedman link. Interestingly enough, there have been young successors to positions of power throughout history. Rav Chaim Brisker, Rav Moshe Feinstein, Rav Ovadiah Yosef, the Ben Ish Chai, Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer, the Yenuka of Stolin, the Belzer Rebbe, Rav Nachman of Breslov, the Ruzhiner himself, King Hussein of Jordan, Michael Dell and many, many others, have risen to leadership at a young age, with each once being another unique piece of history. Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]

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]

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

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]

Born into a chassidic home in Ukraine, Rav Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky (1899-1985) subsequently studied in the Novardok Yeshiva later becoming a Rebbi at the Pinsk branch of the network. Upon his move to Israel in 1934, he joined his famed brother in law the Chazon Ish and also assumed a position in the Novardok branch in Bnei Brak. In his later years he assumed a position of leadership in the Torah world alongside Rav Shach. At the same time he authored his magnum opus Kehillas Yaakov, while also becoming renowned for his sage advice in all contemporary matters in the Jewish world. Subscribe To Our Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at [email protected]

Original home to the Miami Boys Choir and to the Jewish owned Miami Heat, Palm Beach County also has the largest concentrated Jewish population in the world outside of Israel. Though attractive as the sunny alternative to the harsh New York winter, the Miami Jewish community developed independently building infrastructure and institutions. It was in the post war era that things began to take off. The visionary Rabbi Alexander Gross was one of the great architects of the community's growth. Other early leaders of the community included Rabbis Aryeh Rottman, Berel Wein, along with the early shluchim Rav Avraham & Rivka Korf and later the Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Leibel Schapiro. The Yeshiva with Rabbi Yochanan Zweig at the helm has greatly impacted the community as well. Yet through the decades Miami had been famous for hosting great Jewish leaders who vacationed there during the winter months. This phenomenon would have a long lasting and unique impact on the community's growth along with the exposure to the diversity of the entire Jewish people. With Larry King, Myer Lansky and Ron Dermer all making appearances as well, the story of the Jews of South Florida is another glorious chapter in American 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]

Escaping from war torn Europe, Rav Yitzchok Zev (Velvalleh) Soloveitchik known to posterity as the Brisker Rov, arrived in the Holy Land in the spring of 1941. Though tragically his wife and three of his children weren't able to make it out, the Rov and his seven remaining children continued the Soloveitchik dynasty in Israel. His oldest son Rav Berel became Rosh Yeshiva, while his daughter Lifsheh ran the house and eventually married Rav Michel Feinstein. Rav Rephoel was his father's dedicated right hand man and became legendary for his communal activism. Rav Meir and ybl"ch Rav Dovid launched successful Yeshivas of their own. Each branch of the family added their own to the enduring Soloveitchik aristocratic legacy. 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]