Jewish History Soundbites

Great American Jewish Cities #20: Toronto Part II

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.

 

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Great American Jewish Cities #20: Toronto Part I

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.

 

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Building the 'Kehilla': The Leadership of Rav Dr. Joseph Breuer

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.

 

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Great American Jewish Cities #19: Worcester & Boston

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. 

 

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Rav Hakollel: The Tragic Story of Rabbi Jacob Joseph Part I

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.

 

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From Oberland to Boro Park: The Arugas Habosem & His Descendants

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.

 

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Back to his Roots: The Novominsker Rebbe & His Predecessors

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:  yehuda@yehudageberer.com

 

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The History of the Kiruv Movement Part I

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: podcasts@ohr.edu 

 

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British Royals, Baalei Tosfos & Blood Libels: The Story of London Part I

Medieval Jewish London commences with the Norman conquest in 1066 by William the Conqueror. Jews were brought over from France to engage in moneylending. Officially the property of the kings, this gave them privileges and protection, while at the same time put them in a very precarious situation. 

The first blood libel in history was at Norwich in 1144. The Ri of Orleans was killed in the London Massacre in 1189, in the events surrounding the coronation of Richard the Lionhearted. On shabbos hagadol, March 16, 1190 the York Massacre took place at Clifford's Tower. As the situation for English Jewry got worse, it finally came to a tragic end in 1290 when King Edward I promulgated the edict of expulsion. Leaving from the Tower of London, there ceased to be a Jewish public presence until their reacceptance under Oliver Cromwell in 1655.

 

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Branching out of Sanz: The Shinive & Gorlice Dynasties

Among the many branches which emerged from the children of the Divrei Chaim of Sanz, Shinive & Gorlice were important and influential dynasties. Rav Yechezkal Halberstam of Shinive (1815-1898) was the oldest of the Divrei Chaim's children. He emerged as a brilliant and popular leader in his own right, as he charted an independent path from his father. On a famous visit to the Land of Israel in 1869, he established the Sanz shul in Tzfas. One of his sons founded the Stropkov chassidic dynasty.

The youngest son of the Divrei Chaim's first marriage, Rav Boruch Halberstam of Gorlice (1829-1906) was his father's attendant and right hand man. With a combative personality, Rav Boruch was one to take a strong leadership stance on the many issues facing modern Jewish life of the late 19th century. He would go on to become one of the most influential leaders of both Galicia & Hungarian Jewry of his time. One of his sons, Rav Elisha, succeeded him in the Gorlice rabbinate, and made a rare visit to the United States in 1927. He passed away in Siberia in 1940, but several of his children immigrated to the US.

 

Be sure to listen to the other popular episodes from the House of Sanz:

https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/king-of-galicia-the-divrei-chaim-of-sanz/

https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/the-light-of-sanz-rav-shulem-eliezer-of-ratzfert/

 

For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at:  yehuda@yehudageberer.com

 

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