The reality of Polish life in the countryside, outside the cocoon of sheltered yeshivah life

Conspicuously absent was an emerging rabbinical leader of the Old Yishuv, Rav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld

“Rabbi, this is likely the last Ketzos that will ever be sold in America!”

From this cadre of talmidei chachamim emerged an entire generation of roshei yeshivah and marbitzei Torah

The prime minister seemed unfazed. “It’s all right. I can assure you that we have people like this with us [in Israel] as well.”

In an age of migration, Rav Shlomo Nosson Kotler (1856–1945) seemed to have been everywhere

Rav Nochumke emerged as a gabbai tzedakah par excellence, devoting his energies to caring for other

“Thousands of speeches and nationalist reproofs could not do as much as one [soccer] game to bring our youngsters back toward Jewishness”

Clutching the casket’s opening, he declared, “Our great rav the Chida, I’m incapable of this task, please arrange it on your own!”

Rav Dovid had the bearing of an old-school baal mussar and a master educator