the best sense of the word, and sought dent at his lack of success. One erev bration of the metivta (227). It should to combine serious learning with the Shabbat, someone recommended that be noted that Reb Shraga Feivel was a Books spirit of chassidut. Though of he see Reb Shraga Feivel. That very great admirer of Rav Kook and an avid Hungarian extraction, he hired roshei same day, Reb Shraga Feivel raised student of his writings, frequently yeshivah who espoused the enough money to begin building Bnei quoting him in his Tanach shiurim. It Volozhin/Brisk method of learning; at Brak. was as if their souls were linked. Rav the same time he sought to fuse the The late 1930s and early 1940s was Shraga Feivel died on the third of Elul, learning with the warmth and fire of a period in which parents urged their the very day of Rav Kook’s yahrtzeit. chassidut. He maintained that the Jew sons to pursue degrees in law, medi- Yonoson Rosenblum’s carefully Reb Shraga Feivel: the book was a “sefer,” and was to be American Orthodox community. Few of the future needed to combine, in cine and accounting. Some even researched volume is a treasure of The Life and Times of Rabbi studied as such. felt that the community needed or addition to the above, Reb Yisrael encouraged their sons to become pul- information. It is indispensable for Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz, Though The Life and Times of Rabbi could support another yeshivah. There Salanter’s musar, Rav Samson Raphael pit rabbis. As one of the “Mendlowitz anyone interested in Jewish education Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz is a masterful were also some vocal Americanized Hirsch’s Torah im Derech Eretz philoso- boys,” I, similar to my peers, would and history in America. It is more the Architect of Torah in portrayal of an extraordinary man, one rabbis who feared that creating anoth- tell my parents that I was going to go than 50 years since the passing of Reb America gains only a partial view (efes katzehu er yeshivah would mark the beginning into chinuch after hearing a talk by Shraga Feivel. It is now universally rec- By Yonoson Rosenblum tireh) of Reb Shraga Feivel. On the of the ghettoization of America. …paraphrasing Reb Shraga Feivel; our parents thought ognized that a true Torah education is other hand, it is amazing how Yonoson Yeshivot were appropriate for we were crazy. In those days, chinuch the single most important factor in Rosenblum, having never seen or Lithuania and Poland, not New York. Herbert Hoover’s was not regarded as a viable career. Jewish continuity. No individual heard Reb Shraga Feivel, was able to Despite the opposition, Reb Shraga But Reb Shraga Feivel’s impact on played a greater role in Torah educa- so vividly and accurately transmit this Feivel succeeded in establishing Torah “chicken in every individuals and communities was pro- tion in America than Reb Shraga multifaceted, complicated and contro- Vodaath, which he headed until his found: In 1944, he inspired two of his Feivel Mendlowitz. JA versial figure. passing in 1948. pot,” he aspired to quiet, laid-back talmidim, Avraham Reb Shraga Feivel was raised in a Reb Shraga Feivel also created Camp Abba Friedman and Shalom rural Hungarian village of simple, Mesivta, which was the first camp to create a day school Goldstein, to move to Detroit and pious, hard-working folk. He went on combine Torah learning and camping. establish a day school. The idea was to learn in the great Hungarian yeshiv- More significantly, he founded the in every Jewish not enthusiastically supported by the Do we have your ot of Chust, Unsdorf and Pressburg. Torah day school movement, Torah community’s leaders. But some 50 During his teenage years, he was Umesorah, and paraphrasing Herbert community. years later—as a result of these stu- e-mail address? already master-planning a chinuch sys- Hoover’s “chicken in every pot,” dents’ efforts—Detroit is an ir v’eim tem for America, one that was radical- aspired to create a day school in every phy and the Chatam Sofer’s meticu- b’Yisrael. This same pattern occurred in ly different from that which existed in Jewish community. To this end, he lousness in observing mitzvot. He even many other cities throughout the If not, you’re not getting Eastern Europe. Having been exposed recruited Dr. Joseph Kaminetsky, the urged some of his students to learn United States. Mesorah Publications the most out of the to a wide range of Jewish thought and principal of both Manhattan Day German in order to be able to study Reb Shraga Feivel did not only New York, 2001 philosophy, including the Tanya, the School and the Rabbi Dr. Leo Jung Rav Hirsch in the original. inspire metivta students with his radi- Orthodox Union. 366 pages Kuzari, Moreh Nevuchim and Nefesh Jewish Center Talmud Torah. Dr. Today, it is not uncommon to find cal concept of a day school in every Reviewed by Sidney Greenwald HaChaim, as well as the teachings of Kaminetsky first met Reb Shraga roshei yeshivah taking on the role of community, he motivated some of the Sign up at Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch, Reb Feivel at a wedding. The well-known rebbe and advisor and Chassidic wealthiest philanthropists including www.ou.org, A few days after the publication of Shraga Feivel envisioned yeshivot that educator with a doctorate in education rebbeim establishing serious yeshivot Joseph Shapiro, Harry Hershkowitz, The Life and Times of Rabbi Shraga would incorporate these diverse views from Columbia University came home that employ first-rate talmudic schol- Henry Hirsch, Joseph Rosenzweig, or just send an Feivel Mendlowitz, I found a very into their curriculums. He implement- from the wedding and told his incred- ars; this is due, in all likelihood, to the and Sam and Moe Feuerstein (162-4.) e-mail saying respected Torah scholar at my morning ed this vision in Torah Vodaath, the ulous wife, “I am going to work for influence of Reb Shraga Feivel. Some minor omissions in the book minyan, in tallit and tefillin, poring yeshivah he founded in Williamsburg, Torah Umesorah. I am giving up my Rosenblum’s characterization of Reb ought to be mentioned. When speak- “Subscribe” to over the book. This proved to me that New York, in 1926. Unfortunately, in present positions in order to establish Shraga Feivel as “the architect of Torah ing about the dignitaries who delivered time, the direction of the yeshivah day schools throughout the United in America,” is undoubtedly true; shiurim at Torah Vodaath (218, 227), [email protected], Mr. Greenwald was a disciple of Reb changed, yet Reb Shraga Feivel’s origi- States.” Over the next 30 years, while indeed, almost every yeshivah in Rosenblum neglects to mention Chief Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz from 1940 nal students imbibed a broad range of serving as the national director of America was inspired and directly or Rabbi Isaac Herzog. As I recall (I and we’ll keep you in until the latter’s petirah in 1948. Jewish thought. Torah Umesorah, Dr. Kaminetsky had indirectly funded by him. attended Torah Vodaath from 1940- During his successful career in health- When Reb Shraga Feivel first estab- to be away from home every other Parenthetically, it should be noted that 51), when Rabbi Herzog came to touch with updates, care, he was active in establishing and lished Mesivta Torah Vodaath, he had Shabbat. Ultimately, Reb Shraga Feivel Bnei Brak would probably not exist Torah Vodaath, a red carpet was serving as the president of over a score of to overcome much opposition. There and Dr. Kaminetsky were responsible were it not for Reb Shraga Feivel. Reb spread out, stretching from his limou- Israel alerts, kashrut yeshivot. He presently serves as chairman were those who believed that Yeshivat for creating a vast network of Jewish Yitzchak Gershenkorn, the first mayor sine to the third-floor beit midrash. info and Shabbat of the international board of Sanz Rabbeinu Yitzchak Elchanan—which day schools that continues to bring of Bnei Brak, writes in his memoirs Rosenblum also mentions that Reb Medical Center/Laniado Hospital in is today Yeshiva University’s Rabbi thousands of students closer to that after two years of traveling the Shraga Feivel arranged for the singing Shalom greetings. Netanya, Israel. He lives in Monsey, Isaac Elchanan Theological Yiddishkeit. world over to raise funds for the estab- of Rav Kook’s Shir Haemunah instead NY, with his family. Seminary—sufficed for the fledgling Reb Shraga Feivel was an eclectic, in lishment of the city, he grew despon- of the Hatikvah at the dedication cele- Fall 5763/2002 JEWISH ACTION JEWISH ACTION Fall 5763/2002 .