Fighting the Good Fight

When Dr. Shloimie Zimmerman embarked on his groundbreaking project to help parents guide their sons to find the very real greatness that lies in the struggle for kedushah, he faced seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Only his belief in the necessity of what he was doing helped him to persevere. But even he could not have imagined how great a need his work would fill, as legions of parents rushed forward to grasp the ammunition they needed to arm their sons for history’s last stand

The soft ombre of turquoise and aquamarine on the front cover connoted a tranquil approachability, entrée to a world of serenity. But its title, From Boys to Men, stamped in bold sans-serif type, demanded candidness. A similar sense of forthrightness is exuded by four small words typed in Hebrew toward the cover’s top: Zeh hakatan gadol yiheyeh (this small one will become great).

It’s a contrast reflecting a series of tensions that run throughout the book’s content. This work presents a distinct and unafraid guide with full recognition of the gravity of its subject, while simultaneously insisting on sensitivity, sympathy, and understanding.

Dr. Shloimie Zimmerman, the book’s author, gained international acclaim within weeks of the book’s debut appearance, becoming the face of what can be justifiably termed a movement, a radical shift in the way we educate our children and students at the most crucial stages in their lives.

But his peerless success can only be explained by the final line on the book’s cover: “Foreword by HaRav Aharon Feldman.”