Biographies & Memoirs

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  1. collection of biographies of Jewish greats Learn More
  2. Like the sun—a blazing ball of fire that one cannot gaze upon directly, yet whose radiance and warmth illuminates our world, infusing life, joy and vigor into the soul of every living being—so was the life of Rabbeinu HaGaon HaRav Shimshon Dovid Pincus zt”l.

    Nurtured by parents who imbibed deeply from the Torah wellsprings of European Jewry — such as Rav Baruch Ber Leibowitz, Rav Eliezer Yehudah Finkel, and Sara Schenirer — young Shimshon grew into a world-renowned speaker, educating and influencing audiences across the Jewish spectrum. He manifested spiritual powers that seemed to transcend the forces of nature and human capacity. His heart burned with holy sparks of fervor, and those sparks grew into a mighty torch that illuminates our world with Torah, yiras Shamayim and kedushah until this very day.

    Follow Rav Pincus’s path from the American spiritual desert of the early 20th century to Torah greatness. Based on the bestselling Hebrew biography Hashemesh Bigvuraso, it is a stirring collection of firsthand facts, hanhagos, and stories from distinguished rabbanim, talmidei chachamim, family members and talmidim who ensured that this sefer—like its protagonist—bears the eternal stamp of emes. Learn More

  3. How did the 21-year-old newlywed from Meah Shearim form an immediate bond with street kids, gangsters, and hardened prisoners?

    How did he transform a crime-ridden city into a place of hope, learning, and Torah?

    How did he begin with 18 boys who needed a home, and create a vast empire of chesed for tens of thousands of children?

    How did Rav Grossman of Migdal HaEmek become a symbol of Jewish unity, revered by religious and non-religious alike, beloved by all of Klal Yisrael.

    How did he become a Living Legend?

    In one amazing story after another, bestselling author Rabbi Nachman Seltzer shows us the mesirus nefesh, compassion, vision and incredible siyata d’Shmaya that have always been a part of Rav Yitzchak Dovid Grossman’s life. And as we are entertained and engaged by these truly remarkable stories, we will also be learning just how he did it — through the incomparable power of absolute Ahavas Yisrael. Learn More

  4. A biography of the 5th Rebbe of the Lubavitch movement, Rabbi Sholom DovBer Schneersohn. Notwithstanding the tremendous upheavals of the beginning of the 20th century in Czarist Russia, coupled with his frail health, that caused him to be in health resorts, a few months a year, he spearheaded the fight against Czarist Russia's intention of secularising the Jewish community and educational system. He established Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim, the flagship education system of Lubavitch, and began clarifying the deepest concepts of Chassidus.His communal work included working with the secular Jews to provide the Jewish soldiers with Matza for Pesach during the Russo-Japanese war, as well as saving the Jewish printing press, Rom. As well as protecting the rights of Jews to live where they desire and enter into occupations that could supply them with a livelihood. He established a weaving factory that provided two thousand families with a livelihood. But at the same time, fought with them and upended their efforts to destroy the educational system and replace it with their new, but spiritually dangerous system.His focus was one thing, how to uphold and support Jews and their right to live as Jews, no matter the situation.It is a pleasure to present the 5th volume of The Rebbeim Biography Series. Learn More
  5. Rabbi Dovid Trenk seemed to walk in a little cloud of simchah, energy and life, lifting spirits and souls as he walked. But reaching that lofty level took a lifetime of work, from a childhood in Boro Park, a community still discovering its own identity, to his first job teaching the boys no one else would have.

    That's where he made his mark, driven by an unshakable belief in the power of a neshamah. The special way he looked at people -- seeing the greatness in them before they ever saw it themselves -- taught them to see the brilliance and splendor of their own neshamos.

    This book will bring you into the exuberant world of Rabbi Trenk: He was a respected talmid chacham, a wise guide and master listener, but most of all, he was a builder of people. This work shows us the magic that lies inside - students, children, spouses and ourselves, bursting with stories that will allow you to hear the laughter, see the tears, and share the triumph of the human spirit.

    Meticulously researched, masterfully told, each delightful story will feel like a new gift- and the whole book, a guide on how to really start living, with joy, confidence and simple faith. Learn More

  6. Rav Pinchos Menachem Alter, the Pnei Menachem, was born to greatness, as the beloved ben zekunim of the Imrei Emes.

    He was groomed for greatness, first by his father, then by his brothers, the Gerrer Rebbes, the Bais Yisrael and the Lev Simcha.

    And throughout his life, from boyhood through the time he served as the Gerrer Rebbe, Rav Pinchos Menachem achieved greatness: In Torah, in chesed, and in devoted and courageous leadership.

    How does one capture a life so full of meaning and achievement? Instead of writing a classic chronological biography, popular author Rabbi Avrohom Birnbaum chose a more unusual format. He shares the Pnei Menachem's rich and eventful life through true stories.

    What advice did the Pnei Menachem give to the boy whose shidduch suggestions kept failing? What was the one segulah that Rav Pinchas Menachem would recommend? How did he make certain the orphaned boy wasn’t embarrassed by the gift the Rebbe was giving him? Here are so many stories of humility and compassion and total immersion in Torah and tefillah.

    The Pnei Menachem was a master at gently guiding his chassidim and followers to reach higher and achieve more. And that's what this book does as well - inspiring us to be the best we can be. Learn More

    • It is only a few hours since the Kosel, the Western Wall, was liberated ...and Yisroel Gellis is there.
    • Hundreds of Sifrei Torah have to be smuggled out of Iraq and into the holy city and Yisroel Gellis is there.
    • The Arab television star discovers his grandmother was Jewish and wants to give her a proper Jewish burial and Yisroel Gellis is there.

    Rabbi Yisroel Gellis knows Yerushalayim like few people on this earth. He knows its mazes of tiny streets, the tales hidden behind its stone walls. A tenth-generation Yerushalmi, his family had close ties with the great men of the city, its famed Torah leaders, its hidden tzaddikim, and its simple Jews. (Is there such a thing as a "simple”" Yerushalmi Jew?)

    Renowned as the "Ish Yerushalayim," the "Man of Jerusalem," Rabbi Gellis is also a journalist, radio broadcaster, and historian. And he is a person who loves adventure, rappelling into deep caves to discover their dusty secrets, dodging Jordanian bullets during the Six Day War, jumping into the choppy Mediterranean waters (and falling in!) to broadcast his radio show.

    Bestselling author Rabbi Nachman Seltzer combines his brilliant storytelling talents with Rabbi Gellis's unusual life and immense knowledge of all things Yerushalmi, to give us a book as exciting, unexpected and multi-faceted as Yerushalayim itself.

    Yerushalayim is in the heart of every Jew. Now we can get to know the wonders of our beloved city, in a unique and wonderful way. Learn More

  7. Rav Meshulam Feish Halevi Lowy, the Tosher Rebbe, was known as a person whose blessings could work miracles. But the greatest miracle of the Tosher Rebbe wasn't the flow of salvation that came from his room. It was the constant miracle of how he viewed every single person, the way he was ready to give all of himself for a Jew in need.

    A survivor of a glorious chain of Rebbes, he remained nearly alone after the Holocaust, and in Montreal of the 1950's, he worked to rebuild the dynasty. When he finally succeeded, he started to build yet again, determined to create a "shtetl," a village built on foundations of purity and holiness.

    For the next fifty years the Tosher Rebbe would stand as a pillar of prayer, a fountain of inspiration and encouragement for his talmidim and chassidim and to Jews all over the globe. He conducted a global network of chessed, raising millions of dollars for those in need, all the while acting in near-seclusion.

    The Tosher Rebbe spawned healing and hope, but most of all, in his proximity, the people felt the reality of Hakadosh Boruch Hu's presence. The stream of visitors -- at times, hundreds in a single day- could sense the Divine current that hovered over the small room as they gazed at the holy glow that radiated from the Rebbe's face and heard the cry of faith that laced his every word. They would come into the room weighed down by heartache and leave with spirits restored, touched by the tzaddik's delight, enthused by his blessing, uplifted by the clarity of his emunah.

    In this book the reader can feel the intensity, the passion, the perfect joy one felt near the Rebbe, the tzaddik of Tosh: in this book, the ahavas Yisroel, the sacrifice, the Torah and tefillah of the Rebbe come alive once again, a ray of light showing us the way forward. Learn More

  8. The Books We Learn.

    The Books We Love.

    Jews and their books are inseparable. Our sefarim have accompanied us for millennia, offering hope, comfort, and, above all, the infinite wisdom of Torah.

    In Great Jewish Classics, Rabbi Moshe Bamberger takes us on a fascinating exploration of some of Judaism's most important and beloved holy books. He shares absorbing and often little-known biographical and historical background, legends, stories, and, of course, a short and readable analysis of the contents of each Jewish classic.

    And pictures! So many evocative images: A twelfth-century manuscript of Rambam's Mishneh Torah, including his own handwritten edits; the first edition of the Shnei Luchos Habris of the Shelah HaKadosh; a 1939 postcard from Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzensky to the Chazon Ish; a copy of the Kedushas Levi with a heartrending, handwritten postscript written in the Lodz Ghetto by its owner, who later perished in the Holocaust - here is a stunning collection of images that bring these scholars and their contributions to Klal Yisrael to vivid life.

    From Rashi to Rav Chaim Soloveitchik, from the Pnei Yehoshua to Rav Ovadia Yosef, from Torah and Talmud commentaries to collections of halachic responsa and works of mussar - Great Jewish Classics introduces us anew to more than 100 classic Jewish books that have molded and guided our people Learn More

  9. Miracles, Extraordinary Life of Frieda Bassman, 1 woman's inspiring account of courage, faith, & hope
    Frieda Bassman was a survivor of both the terrible Churban and a difficult life. Brought up in pre-war Europe in a small town high in the Carpathian Mountains, she skillfully wove the lessons that she had learned into her daily life and interactions with others. She didn't preach these lessons - she lived them. And if she felt a need to share the messages, she did so with a story, a wink, and a cup of coffee (with a slice of chocolate cake).

    Her Mameh's potatoes were a lesson in giving - and living to give. The "Dayan'ke" was also a lesson in giving - and receiving so much more. The lumpen glaizlach were her lesson in doing the right thing when it should be done; and Urtze's shidduch story was her favorite expression of hashgachah pratis. Her stories attracted people like a magnet, and as she told them, her fascinated listeners discovered that she was her story. Now the captivating account of her extraordinary life can continue to inspire many generations to come. Learn More

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