This book tells the story of the emergence of Torah Judaism in the United States and Canada between the years 1940 and 1975. It was during this period of time that Jewish religious life and education succeeded in a modern, pluralistic and democratic society for the first time in history. Much of the Torah practice and scholarship that typifies American Jewry today stands as a tribute to Rabbi Dr. Samuel Belkin, a singularly gifted man, and to the university he helped create.
A young, poor immigrant, Belkin grasped the opportunity of an open, benevolent American society to renew the Jewish community’s ability to combine its eternal teachings with the contemporary virtues of the adopted land which he deeply loved.
This book also discusses the rebirth of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations, an important agency of Torah life, and describes the priceless legacy of Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik, the preeminent Torah giant of this exciting period.