Rabbi Berel Wein on how he got hooked on history
Book in three lines
An overview of the battles both won and lost by Orthodox Jewry in the Western World, from 1820 to 1940. Threats included Enlightenment, Reformism, and Zionism. The movements of Mussar, Chassidus, and Torah Im Derech Eretz fought nobly, each in their own milieu. Those who were convinced traditional Judaism was dying were proven to be very wrong.
Author in two lines
Retired rabbi and popular historian, Rabbi Berel Wein is well known for both his expertise and his eloquence. His works on Jewish history have become classics, his lectures are in high demand, and he also pens weekly parshah wisdom and newspaper columns.
My most cherished research resources
First, I love to look at the Rabbinic responsa of the time period, the Sheilos u’Teshuvos seforim, because they reflect the issues that the rabbis had to face. Another resource worth exploring is personal diaries. For this book, for example, I read many memoirs by alumni of the great yeshivah in Volozhin who later became secular. These were replete with love, admiration, and nostalgia for life at the yeshivah, which is very telling.
Why I chose to cover specifically the period from 1820 to 1940
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