Jewish History Soundbites

The last rabbi of pre war Kovno, Rav Avraham Dovber Kahana-Shapira (1870-1943), was known by the name of the sefer he authored, the Dvar Avraham. Born into the Lithuanian rabbinic elite, and having studied at the Volozhin Yeshiva, he was appointed rabbi of Kovno (Kaunas) in 1913. He remained at his post until his passing in the Kovno Ghetto three decades later.

During this time he was recognized as one of the greatest leaders of Lithuanian Jewry, managing to navigate the various factions of the Kovno Jewish community, execute his rabbinical duties and serve as a worldwide posek fielding halachic questions. He even found the time to make a historic visit to the United States in 1924.

When the war broke out he was in Switzerland, and his son in New York offered to bring him over to safety. He declined, insisting that his place was with his beloved community in Kovno. Returning to the war zone, he courageously led the Jews of the Kovno Ghetto even as his health worsened and the situation became precarious. His passing in 1943 was marked by a public funeral, which thousands attended despite the risks it entailed.

 

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The Haskala movement, was a Jewish movement of the 18th and 19th centuries which sought to implement changes in Jewish life and society. Often discussed yet just as often misunderstood, it is intriguing as it is confusing.

Was the haskala the Jewish Enlightenment? When was this movement? Where did it take place? Can it even be classified as a 'movement'? How so? Who were its primary personalities? How did they impact Jewish life? Is the rise of Jewish nationalism at the end of the 19th century related to haskala movement of the earlier decades? When did the haskala end?

If there is one unifying characteristic of this very dispersed 'movement', it is the use of the written word as the primary mechanism and tool to get their message across. The rise in maskilic literature took the form of newspapers, journals, poetry, novels, short stories and satire.

The haskala movement sought to bring change to Jewish life in the modern world, and it played a significant role in the Jewish history of the 19th century.

 

Test your Jewish History trivia with the For the Record Purim quiz of Mishpacha Magazine: https://mishpacha.com/quiz-for-the-record/

 

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Jewish History Soundbites is proud to present a special Purim episode, for some good Jewish History enjoyment and fun.

Honored to host a special guest, one of the most influential and historic figures of contemporary Jewish entertainment -- Moish Francesa.

Enjoy and a Happy Purim to all!

 

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The Sefer Nefesh Hachaim authored by Rav Chaim of Volozhin (1749-1821) was published posthumously by his son Rav Itzele in 1824, with an expanded version including eight additional chapters published in 1837. This was a theological work, as well as a polemical one, with Rav Chaim addressing issues he saw in the chassidic movement which he sought to oppose, correct and establish an alternative value system for his followers.

This signified a shift in the opposition to the Chassidic movement. Whereas Rav Chaim's teacher the Vilna Goan sought to excommunicate the chassidim completely, his student saw them as members of the Jewish community. He rather sought to maintain an ideological dispute while presenting a complete world view of his own.

 

Check out the story of the earlier stage of the dispute regarding the Chassidic movement here: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/warring-brothers-the-opposition-to-the-chassidic-movement/

 

This episode has been generously sponsored by the Jewish History Uncensored Podcast, by Rabbi Arnie Wittenstein. Join in weekly at, http://bit.ly/jhu-jhs , to gain in depth knowledge of Jewish History. Join his Nach Yomi via: https://chat.whatsapp.com/BwtD6W4Hjhc1BR6nNQUwIk. 
Or email at jewishhistoryuncensored@gmail.com

 

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With roots in the regal courts of Ruzhin/Sadagora the Boyan dynasty continued that legacy while also forging some uniquenesses of its own. Founded by Rav Yitzchak Friedman (1849-1917), the Pachad Yitzchak, who fled to Vienna with the outbreak of World War One.

He was succeeded by his four sons: Rav Menachem Nachum of Czernowitz, Rav Yisroel of Leipzig, Rav Avraham Yaakov of Lvov (Lemberg) and Rav Mordechai Shlomo of the Lower East Side (1890-1971). Another prominent Boyan Rebbe at this time was Rav Moshenyu Friedman who became one of the interwar leaders of Polish Jewry, until his martyrdom in Auschwitz in 1943.

The connection of Boyan to the Land of Israel had always been strong, and the Rebbes had always utilized their rights to the annual lighting of the fire by the gravesite of the Tanna Rabi Shimon Bar Yochai in Meron on Lag Baomer. The rebuilding of the dynasty naturally took place in Israel as well, where it continues to flourish until today.

 

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The more recent and relatively small Jewish communities of Scandinavia serve as an interesting chapter in Jewish history. While Finland was part of the Russian Empire for a time, the other Scandinavian countries had Jewish communities as well.

This episode will primarily focus on Sweden and the central Jewish story based in Stockholm in the 19th and 20th centuries. Though it was initially quite small, the Jewish community ballooned in size in the 1930's and during the war with a stream of refugees from Germany and later from Scandinavian countries under Nazi occupation. Many more survivors subsequently arrived following liberation. Legendary figures like Rabbi and Rebbetzin Binyamin Zev Jacobson along with Rav Shlomo Wolbe, were active in rescue work and then in the operation of girls school and dormitory for survivors in the Stockholm suburb of Lidingo.

One of the most interesting stories of Swedish Jewish life at this time was that of Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael Zuber. A Lubavitch chassid who became the Rabbi, mohel, shochet and chazzan for the nascent Orthodox community in 1932, he'd remain the mainstay of traditional Jewish life in Sweden for 15 years. Whether it was combatting assimilation, working against the shechita ban, assisting refugees from the Holocaust or being at the forefront of the post war aguna issue, Rabbi Zuber would be the defining spirit of Jewish life in Sweden during a tumultuous time.

 

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Jewish History Soundbites 250th commemorative episode.

At this milestone, it is perhaps appropriate to take a step back and try to piece together an overview of the underlying theme of the episodes and stories of Jewish History Soundbites.

Modern Jewish history is generally defined as 1500-present, with the late modern period being roughly from 1850-present. The uniqueness of this period is the sweeping changes which developed and ultimately enveloped the Jewish people over the last few centuries.

Six of those primary changes are emancipation - the struggle for emancipation and equal rights in the 19th century; immigration - the Jewish People sought out new horizons in the modern era; challenges of modernity - in the form of Haskala, integration, secularization, assimilation, changes in governmental policies, advances in technology; spiritual and religious renewal - the Chassidic movement, Yeshiva movement, neo Orthodoxy, Hungarian Orthodoxy, Mussar movement, new forms of education; nationalism - Zionism, cultural autonomy, language, the State of Israel; Holocaust - the catastrophe it wrought and the changes which impacted the Jewish people as a result.

 

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Rav Meshulam Dovid Soloveitchik (1921-2021) lived a long life, in which he successfully formed a bridge between the world of Brisk where he had grown up, to the young impressionable yeshiva students of the 21st century. Having been raised in his father the Brisker Rov's home, he narrowly escaped Europe with most of his family in the early stages of the war. He would later marry into the illustrious Sternbuch family.

In the late 1970's he opened his own yeshiva in Jerusalem, where he educated generations of students. As a great Torah scholar, educator, unflinching leader and senior sage, he gained renown worldwide. His passing closes a chapter in Jewish history.

 

For a related story of the Soloeveitchik family in Israel: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/brisk-in-the-holy-land-part-i/

 

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Rav Shulem Eliezer Halberstam of Ratzfert (1862-1944), was one of the younger children of his illustrious father the Divrei Chaim of Sanz. Orphaned as a young child, he'd go on to become one of the great chassidic leaders of Hungarian Jewry.

Known for his modesty, simplicity, care and leadership of his many followers, he would visit his chassidim in Hungary and Galicia, making an annual trip for his father's yahrtzeit in Sanz.

When the war broke out, the tragedy of Polish Jewry broke him, as he attempted to do all he could to save family members and followers under Nazi occupation. With the German invasion of Hungary in March 1944, he was deported to Auschwitz where he met his end, with his dying words being to remember what had happened here.

His legacy continues with the dynasties of Satmar, Bobov and others which number among his descendants.

 

Check out the story of the Divrei Chaim here: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/king-of-galicia-the-divrei-chaim-of-sanz/

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The campaigns on behalf of Soviet Jewry commenced in the 1960's with the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry (SSSJ), but it was the onset of the next decade that the Meir Kahane led JDL jumped into the fray and things heated up.

With Kahane's move to Israel, he attempted to bring the ideals that he developed over the years into fruition through entering Israeli politics. He finally got his political party Kach into the Knesset in 1984, with himself as its sole representative. There he unsuccessfully attempted to pass various legislative measures, until the Knesset ultimately passed legislation which effectively barred his party from running in subsequent elections.

His assassination by a terrorist in 1990 while on a trip to New York brought his stormy life to a tragic end. His complicated legacy continues to cast a shadow on contemporary Jewish life till this very day.

 

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