Biographies & Memoirs

  1. In this extraordinary volume, 3,000,000 Polish Jews speak to us - eloquently and inspiringly -- through the pen of Yosef Friedenson. “

    "Reb Yossel" was more than a survivor, he was an embodiment of the precious Jews of pre-War Poland, and for 70 years he chronicled their lives and let them speak through his throat. He called himself a graduate of six institutions of Nazi atrocities and he was a "PhD" in the faith, kindness, generosity, and fortitude of the few who survived and the multitude that didn't.

    This book is not a litany of atrocity and suffering. It is an uplifting narrative of the uncrushable Jewish spirit and optimistic confidence in a brighter future. Reb Yossel would often relate this illustrative incident. He was one of a group of slave laborers who were able to bake matzah for Pesach. Their "employer" saw them and shouted, "You are idiots! Eat bread! Your G-d has abandoned you and you still believe in Him?!"

    No one dared answer. Suddenly Akiva Goldtshoff got up and said, "Sir, did you say that our G-d has abandoned us? Yes, maybe for now, but nisht totallah un nisht auf eibig - not totally and not forever!"

    That was Yosef Friedenson’s credo. And for 70 years as the historian of Jewish heroism and faith in the future, he proved it. In his classic Yiddish magazine, Dos Yiddishe Vort, in several books, as one of the leaders of Agudath Israel, and as an exceptional lecturer, he told the story of spiritual heroism, the greatest and hardest form of resistance. Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin, the glorious community of Lodz, the Warsaw Ghetto, encounters with the great gedolim and lustrous laymen. ItÂ’s all in this wonderful book, all in the words of Reb Yossel as he brought 3 million kedoshim to life. The community will be deeply grateful to his children, Rabbi and Mrs. Yosef Chaim Golding, for gathering and editing this collection of their father's writings. He was unforgettable and this classic volume demonstrates why he was so revered in his lifetime and why his legacy will live on. Learn More

  2. Hagaon rav Yitzchak Silber zt'l: His life and legacy, as told by his students and those close to him

    Rav Yitzchak had to find someone urgently, probably for a get, but he did not know the address. He called a taxi, came out of the house, sat in the car, and said, "Let's go!" the taxi driver asked, "Where to?" "I don't know. I need to find a certain person. Please go…" They left Sanhedria and reached a traffic light. "Now, where?" Rav Yitzchak answered, "If one does not know where to go, it is written that one should make a right turn." They turned right and drove past the Ramot neighborhoods, left Yerushalayim, and headed in the direction of Tel Aviv. The driver could not bear it any longer. He turned into the first town along the way, Givat Ze'ev, and said, "You don't even have an address! Don't waste your money. Get out here -- look, here's a bus stop and go home. I feel bad wasting your money." Rav Yitzchak got out of the taxi and asked the first passerby, "Excuse me, do you know such-and-such a person?" The man answered, "He lives in that house over there."

    THE INCREDIBLE LIFE OF RAV YITZCHAK ZILBER -- legendary leader of Russian Jewry in Israel for the past three decades -- has been immortalized in the perennial bestseller, To Remain a Jew. Now you can read 280 firsthand stories of his unswerving emunah in Hashem, superlative middos, and unparalleled love for all Jews, which helped him rise above seemingly impossible situations throughout his life in Communist Russia and Eretz Yisrael. Told by the people who experienced them, they provide an awe-inspiring glimpse into the life of One of the Thirty-Six Hidden Tzaddikim Learn More

  3. Rabbi Yechiel Spero brings all his acclaimed storytelling talent to the inspiring life of Rav Yitzchok Sternhell, one of the unsung heroes of the resurgence of Torah in postwar America. In these pages, we meet the luminaries of "Itche Sanzer's" past - his ancestors, Rav Shmelke of Nikolsburg and Rav Mendel of Rimanov; the Divrei Chaim of Sanz, whose teachings molded him; and the Minchas Elazar of Munkatch, his beloved rebbi. We also encounter many gedolim, both pre and postwar Europe. And, of course, we meet - and learn to love and respect - Rav Yitzchok himself.

    When the Holocaust came to an end, Rav Yitzchok Sternhell had almost nothing. No, that's not accurate: Though most of his family had perished, though he had no belongings or money, he possessed a wealth of Torah learning, a treasure of faith and trust in Hashem. Still more assets: He had with him his illustrious ancestry, his matchless teachers, and his uncompromising determination to rebuild Torah life as he'd experienced it in Europe.

    And rebuild he did - first, immediately after the war, in Salzburg, Austria, and then, in what was the fledgling Torah community, in Baltimore, Maryland.

    For decades, Rav Sternhell was the rav of a Baltimore kehillah initially composed mainly of survivors. He founded Shearis Hapleita, a boys' school that aimed to replicate the chadarim of prewar Europe. He brought the first chalav Yisrael milk to Baltimore, and was instrumental in raising the standards of kashrus in the city. He was a man of contrasts: fearless and outspoken and uncompromising when it came to issues of Torah, sensitive and loving and warm to every Jew. Be prepared to be amazed and inspired by the story of this unassuming, modest man, a world class talmid chacham, a revered leader, and, always, a builder of Torah. Learn More

  4. Inspiring stories and hanhagos told firsthand by an American-born ben bayis!

    Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, zt"l, was a man whose incredible dedication to Torah study established him as a leader of Klak Yisrael and one of the most revered poskim living in our times. Yet, only those privileged to see him up close could experience the full range of his spiritual greatness.

    The Gadol Hador is a compilation of true stories about Rav Elyashiv's life, written by Binyomin Kirschner, an American bachur who came to learn in yeshivah in Eretz Yisrael and ended up becoming a ben bayis in Rav Elyashiv's home. With the encouragement of many prominent rabbanim, the author records what he and others close to the rav saw and heard, weaving together an accurate, intimate look into the life of Rav Elyashiv - his daily routine, how he related to others, and the discipline and principles that guided his life. Filled with hundreds of personal full-color photographs, this book highlights not only the Rav's passion for Torah, but also his sterling middos. Here is an inside glimpse of Rav Elyashiv's humility, warmth, pleasantness, and love for every Jew. Learn More

  5. And From Jerusalem, His Word

    The most celebrated biography of the beloved gadol ha-dor, Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt"l. Not always are biographers of rabbinic luminaries disciples and noted authors. Fortunate are we, that Rabbi Hanoch Teller marshals every aspect of his writing genius to portray a lucid and ever-inspiring tribute to his Rebbe, the contemporary Torah Giant whose vast Torah knowledge, humility, and love of chessed, inspired and affected Jews the world over. Best-selling author Joseph Telushkin commented, “Teller’s biography of Rabbi Auerbach is the most-important book for American Jewry to read.” Learn More

Back to top