Biographies & Memoirs

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

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

War and Holocaust were raging all around little Jutta Zehner, but this young Jewish child, surrounded by the breathtaking beauty of a Swiss village, was safe. Or was she? Jutta had been sent to the Swiss Alps as her only hope of recovery from tuber-culosis. In Miracles in Switzerland, Jutta (Zehner) Luksenberg shares the riveting and largely unknown story of a group of Jewish children who survived the Holocaust years in sanitariums in Switzerland. With their parents lost in the ruins of Nazi Europe, these children were being raised as Christians - until a group of dedicated and compassionate Jews declared that they would not let these hidden children be lost to their eternal heritage.

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From the first-time mother to the commander in Israel’s Air Force; the struggling dentist to the community rabbi, My Story features 41 inspirational true stories of the Rebbe from the My Encounter with the Rebbe oral history project, complemented by family photos and documents, as well as a stunning selection of portraits of the Rebbe from the Living Archive picture collection, printed on beautiful glossy paper on over 400 full color pages.

Many of these stories are published here for the first time, while others are more complete versions of the popular weekly Here’s My Story publication.

With incredible insight and sensitivity, the Rebbe’s wisdom and sensitivity shine an unexpected ray of hope in the face of challenge and adversity. The outcomes have a transformational impact on the lives of the storytellers, and are sure to do the same for you.

My Story is the perfect gift item for your mekurovim, your children and yourself! Learn More

The product of an exhaustive, years-long, worldwide research project, Early Years tells the riveting story of the early life of the man who, as much as anyone else, set the course of Jewish history in the twentieth century.

What was his childhood like? What type of schooling did he receive? Who were his mentors and teachers? When did he first meet his father-in-law and predecessor, and what was the relationship between them like? At what point did the ideas that were to transform the landscape of post-Holocaust Jewry begin to take form in his mind?

These questions and others about the Rebbe’s early life have never been answered comprehensively.

Presenting newly-uncovered government documents, private journals, letters and diaries, Rabbis Boruch Oberlander and Elkanah Shmotkin have produced a highly-engaging account which offers an unimpeded view of the formative years of modern Judaism’s most recognized personality.

Over 450 documents and photographs are beautifully reproduced in full color, illuminating and informing the text. Learn More

The Machlis family hospitality is legendary. Every Shabbos they fit 150 or more people in their small Jerusalem living room, preparing for their guests over 40 chickens, three different kugels, countless salads, four desserts, and, of course, gefilte fish, chicken soup, and cholent-- both traditional and vegetarian.

Brooklyn-born Henny Machlis was at the heart of this amazing weekly adventure. But, as author Sara Yoheved Rigler, bestselling author of Holy Woman and a friend of Henny's, discovered as she interviewed Henny's fourteen children, relatives, students, and friends, the Shabbos hospitality was just one glowing facet of the multi-faceted diamond that was Rebbetzin Henny Machlis.

A master of prayer, a virtuoso in chesed, an adept in childrearing, a wise Torah teacher, an expert at working on middos, and a successful shadchanit, Henny Machlis regarded a life of Torah and mitzvos as a great treasure that she was eager to share with everyone.

And her emunah, her faith in G-d's love and providence? That was where her light shone the most brightly. She lived on the Planet of Emunah, a place where miracles were everyday occurrences, because she knew, really knew, that only Hashem is in charge and He can do anything. And, for Henny, He often did.

Like a steaming bowl of chicken soup, this book will satisfy you. Comfort you. And heal you -- in a way that only Rebbetzin Henny Machlis could. Sip it. Savor it. And be inspired and transformed. Learn More

Sarah Schenirer was a ground breaker in chinuch ha’banos;

Rebbetzin Vichna Kaplan became the architect of all that followed.

Now this little-known, incredible story is finally being told.

From Slonim to Baranowitz, from Brisk to Brooklyn, from the childhood of a young orphan to becoming the “mother of the Bais Yaakov movement in America,” this is the extraordinary biography of a true pioneer, who together with her illustrious husband, Rabbi Boruch Kaplan, revolutionized education for Jewish girls in America. Based on extensive firsthand sources, beautifully written, and filled with hundreds of vintage photographs, this mesmerizing saga becomes – not only a portrait of Rabbi and Rebbetzin Kaplan – but the portrait of an era. You will meet many of the past generations’ Gedolim, and encounter events that reshaped Jewish history.

Rebbetzin Danielle Leibowitz, beloved matriarch of the Chofetz Chaim community worldwide and an early talmidah of Rebbetzin Kaplan, together with Mrs. Devora Gliksman, veteran mechaneches and author, have written a remarkable book. For every student, teacher, and parent -- this unforgettable story will bring tears to your eyes, inspiration to your heart, and strength to your soul. Learn More

This is a true story so full of non-stop action, physical and spiritual courage, Divine Providence, spine-tingling adventure -- and an utter dedication to Torah -- that it can only be called: Incredible!

As CEO of Arachim, the ultra-successful global kiruv organization, Rabbi Yossi Wallis has touched and transformed the lives of tens of thousands of Jews, and has developed personal, warm relationships with many of our greatest Torah leaders.

Before he became a renowned kiruv master, Yossi ("Joe") Wallis lived a life of breathtaking exploits and hair-raising escapes. It began on the tough New York streets, where Joe led the Bronx's first all-Jewish gang, black leather jackets and all. It was a life that included dangerous encounters with the Mafia underworld, a stint in the Israeli air force, and an unexpected discovery of his Torah heritage while waiting in a restaurant for his treife sandwich.

Rabbi Wallis wasn't the only illustrious member of his family. Under the deft hands of master storyteller Rabbi Nachman Seltzer we meet Rabbi Wallis's ancestor, Rafael Vallis, one of the three last Jews to be publicly burned in a Spanish auto-da-fe. And Yeedle Wallis, Rabbi Wallis's father, whose against-all-odds survival in the Holocaust and journey to pre-State Palestine is something you'd expect only to find in fiction.

This is a story that reads like a thriller, and, at the same time, it is an inspiring account of a spiritual journey.

This is a story that is simply Incredible! Learn More

"Samarkand" tells the story of the Chassidic underground that operated in the Soviet Union, upholding Judaism during the rule of communist terror. Gripping narrative sweep the reader to distant lands, and paints a picture of mysterious figures in Samarkand's alleys, secret Torah study under the constant threat of arrest by the KGB, and the long and hard fought victory in inspiring Jewish renaissance throughout the Soviet Union. Learn More