Item Description:

Starting in the 1940s and 50s Orthodoxy in the United States gained a foothold in what had previously been a weak state of affairs. In the aftermath of the Holocaust, when the horrors of what had occurred to millions of Jews on European soil came to light, the American Jew stood up and took advantage of the fact that it was no longer fashionable to be outwardly anti-Semitic. The Orthodox Day School movement took off and the differences between the Conservative and Reform movements as opposed to Orthodoxy became more exposed. The miracles of the Six Day War in Israel and increased Jewish support of the fledgling state also became a catalyst for growing outward Jewish pride and alignment with the Jewish religion. In this lecture, Rabbi Wein traces the evolution of the American Orthodox Jew from its humble beginnings to the thriving movement it is until this day.