Item Description:

Great personalities made Israel what it is today -- no matter where they stood on the Zionist question. Rabbi Shmuel Salant served 70 years as Rov of Jerusalem, leading its people with a vision toward the future. On the Mizrachi side were Rav Yaakov Moshe Charlop and Rav Yitzchak Halevi Herzog, each of whom carried on the teachings of the great Rav Kook. Giving fair treatment to both worldviews, Rabbi Wein fills in the humanizing details of the lives of three of Israel’s groundbreaking builders.

Individual lectures:

Rabbi Isaac Halevy Herzog - Rabbi Herzog’s brilliant mind and regal bearing earned him a reputation at a young age, so it is no surprise that he was sought after for the most prominent rabbinic positions of his day. But his life was about much more than a career in the rabbinate; he devoted himself to serving the Jewish people, especially through the dark times. Including the story of the Divine Guidance that led to his election as the second Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Wein’s human portrayal of this unique individual will keep you spellbound.

Rabbi Shmuel Salant, Part 1 - “Anyone who can survive 70 years as a rabbi deserves a lecture,” begins Rabbi Wein. “And anyone who can survive 70 years as a rabbi in Jerusalem deserves a double lecture.” Because Rabbi Shmuel Salant did exactly that, Rabbi Wein details his biography in two parts. In the first, he tells the amazing hashgacha that brought him from Eastern Europe to the Holy Land, complete with the “chance” meeting with Sir Moses Montefiore, the beginning of a friendship that would change the face of Jerusalem.

Rabbi Shmuel Salant, Part 2 - The biography of Rabbi Shmuel Salant continues with his role in the development of Jerusalem’s “new city” neighborhoods and a smattering of his Halachic decisions. With Rabbi Wein’s incisive narration, not only do we gain insight into Rabbi Salant’s wisdom and knack with people, we get a picture of life in the Holy Land decades before the founding of the state.

Rabbi Yaakov Moshe Charlop - Rabbi Charlop was one of those rare figures in history who successfully bridged the gap between secular and religious Jews. Chief ally of Rav Kook, he was a respected Torah scholar and leader in his own right, his passion for his principles winning the sympathy even of the cynical Ben Gurion. Rabbi Wein details Rabbi Charlop’s struggles and achievements in the dawning years of the State of Israel.