The author is Rabbi Israel Taback , who was a MO Rabbi in Baltimore. I read this book years ago and it has lots of interesting stuff, about American orthodox Jewish life. If one can read Yiddish then read Bays Israel by Herzel Opshan about Vishnitz and a book by Deszo Schoen about Siget-Teitelbaum dynasty originally in Hungarian. Add to that Greenwald's Yiddish book Toyzent yahr Yiddishe Lebin in Ungaren and you will get a decent picture of what the inner Jewish life was like in Transylvania before the war.
Tzig says: Great reading for all lovers of European Jewish history Bichlal, and the History of the Jews of Bukovina un Maramuresh BiFrat. This is how you, the readers, help make this blog great, by sending in some of what you have saved in your archives for others to enjoy! We thank you for this graciousness and wish you much success.
16 comments:
Most intresting part: that the chassidim spoke Hungarian. Which explains why they still speak Hungarian in Boro Park today.
The author is rabbi Israel Taback , who was a MO rabbi in Baltimore. I read this book years ago and it has lots of interesting stuff, about American orthodox Jewish life.
If one can read Yiddish then read Bays Israel by Herzel Opshan about Vishnitz and a book by Deszo Schoen about Siget-Teitelbaum dynasty originally in Hungarian.
Add to that Greenwald's Yiddish book Toyzent yahr Yiddishe Lebin in Ungaren and you will get a decent picture of what the inner jewish life was like in Transylvania before the war.
Schneur,
Deszo Schoen was translated by Alfasi,its amazing to see the Titelbaum family shtick is in the genes.
Twistleton
I saw the Reb Yoilish defending it as long its not hebrew, he says that the inyan of Shelo Shini Es Leshonom was only before matan torah (as the famous Reb Moshe)
but how come the levush is not the same? but maybe he just had to be right in a argument with a agudist.
Re Silver and Rebbes
THE REBBE'S PREFERENCE
It was during that visit that my wife got a look at the Rebbe's menorah. In spite of a large and ornate menorah in the Rebbe's house, the Rebbe preferred to light Chanukah candles from a small and simple one. This connects to another encounter between the Rebbe and my father-in-law.
On the Rebbe's 80th birthday — 11 Nissan 5742 (1982) — my father-in-law wanted to present the Rebbe with a beautiful silver decanter. He simply felt it wasn't fitting for the Rebbe to be handed a plain bottle of wine in a paper bag at farbrengens.
But worried the Rebbe wouldn't use it, my father-in-law first wrote to the Rebbetzin, explaining the Manchester community's desire to buy the Rebbe a silver decanter but not wanting to do something against the Rebbe's wishes. He asked the Rebbetzin to consult with her husband and promised to call a week later for the answer.
My father-in-law was courageous, and so a week later he phoned the Rebbetzin.
The Rebbetzin said that the Rebbe had not reacted. A day or two later, my father-in-law received a letter from the Rebbe at the end of which lay the Rebbe's response.
P.S. Mrs. Schneerson told me about the request about the bottle and the paper bag, and forgive me, but we will have to accept the thought as though it actually happened, but I prefer a bottle with a paper bag more than a beautiful, silver bottle.
The Rebbe added,
There are many reasons, but I'll tell you one of them that I hope you will understand. I do not want to make a barrier between my way of life and the way of life of those around me.
He gave an example:
I have many silver esrog boxes, but I prefer to use a cardboard box.
And everybody gets driven in a Cadillac?
T-T,
You must get out more, my boy. Unless your comment was meant to be sarcastic, you've aparently been drinking too much "cool-aid'.
Shoen's book has a foward of Alfasi
its called שוחרי השם בהרי הקארפטים
roughly "Seekers of G-d in the Carpathian Mountains."
the book was quickly sold out and has become something of cult underground book.
According to Alfasi it is one of th e most stunning books ever written on the chasidic movement.
I read the book and I agree with Alfasi. However I do not agree that it denegrades the Teitelbaum family or its genes. אדרבא It shows the Yetev Lev as being one of the great chasidic personalities of all time.
The book written in an historical/novel form traces the Teitelbaum family from the Yismach Moshe till the Satmar Rebbe. and describes the geographic social milieu along the generations.
This posting looks and smells the same and is written in the same nostalgic style.
It is noteworthy that the issue of chasidim speaking Hungarian plays a large part in the novel. Since Transylvania was a disputed territory between Hungary and Romania.
Before the WW1 it was part of Hungary but both the gentiles and the Jews of Maramoresh refused to speak Hungarian.
The book goes on to record that because the Teitelbaum side in the great מחלוקה on who should replace the Yetev Lev (Satmar Rebbe's father or somebody else) in the town of Sighet, the Teitelbaum party tried to enlist the government of Hungary to their side by agreeing to submit to compulsory 'Hungarian' education for yiddish speaking children in return for recognizing only the kehila of the Teitelbaum party.
Needless to say the ploy worked. Viznitzer chasidim in sighet were soundly defeated and had to hide their children in small towns if they refused to submit to public schools. The drama of that episode is related in the book.
the Satmar Rebbe reffers בדרך אגב to this issue in his sefer שו"ת
דברי יואל
Tzig! Great posting!
Yosef 718
http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=mediatype%3Atexts%20AND%20collection%3Anationalyiddishbookcenter%20AND%20subject%3A%22Hasidim%22
has yiddish books online.
i didnt find schoen, etc, but there are some interesting chassidishe zichronot
BTW,
Reading the Sefer Hazichronos on line at both Jewishgen.com and NY Public library is facinating. You get firsthand info from people who were there about life in Europe. Not filtered through Artscroll or hamodia etc. No I didn't drink the Koolaid, but if I did these books would show me otherwise.
Yosef 718
The Kahana family got screwed big time by the Tietelbaums, their political conniving is Lehafli, They joined the Hungarian Orthodox Congress when it served their goals as getting support from all Rebbes and Hungarian Rabonim. but after that when the congress chose someone whom they didn't like they threatened they are leaving eventough being part of the congress is the holiest thing in the hungarian charidie culture. From their they made one Shabbos Black Shabbos by beating and ripping apart the same shul that the Kahane family built with their own funds.
Thanks. That was a nice read. Twould have been nicer if I could have curled up with the book in bed instead of having to keep going back to the post and figuring out what page I was up to.
I guess printing them out was not an option for you?
My printer is little more than a toy with a starter cartridge. Definitely not worth printing out 12 pages to throw away 15 minutes later.
fascinating. what is the title of this book? is it avaiable online?
There's a book by Tabak called "Three Worlds: a Jewish Odyssey" Is this the book these pages are from? Rabbi Tzig, please answer.
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