Information AboutShraga Feivel Mendlowitz |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT SHRAGA FEIVEL MENDLOWITZ | |
| 1886 births | |
| 1948 deaths | |
| american educators | |
| hungarian-americans | |
| naturalized citizens of the united states | |
| haredi rabbis in the united states | |
| people from brooklyn | |
| people from scranton, pennsylvania | |
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BIOGRAPHY He was born in Világ , Hungary , a small town near the border of Poland. His mother died when he was twelve, and shortly afterwards the family relocated to Mezõlabor , where he studied under the local rabbis. Having received '' Semicha '' (rabbinical ordination) at 17, he continued his studies under Rabbi Simcha Bunim Schreiber (the ''Shevet Sofer'', grandson of the Chatam Sofer). At 22 he married in the town of Humenné , and began to study several Jewish writings not well known in Hungary, including the works of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch ; this briefly led to controversy until he could prove the relevance of Hirsch' work in defending the Orthodox viewpoint against attempts at reforming Jewish practice. WORKS He actively sought positions in Germany and the United States , with the intention of disseminating knowledge of Judaism to Jews previously unexposed to their heritage, and in September 1913, he arrived alone in Philadelphia. He lived in Scranton, Pennsylvania for seven years, teaching in the local ''Talmud Torah'' (afternoon program in Jewish studies). In 1920 he was able to bring his family from Hungary, and settled in Williamsburg, Brooklyn . The founding members of the '' Yeshiva '' Torah Vodaath soon offered him the principalship of the institution. Originally starting off as an elementary school Rav Shraga Feivel soon there after started the first Yeshiva high school in America. The ''yeshiva'' opened its ''mesivta'' in 1926 and then under Rabbi Mendlowitz' direction another first in America a post-graduate program. Despite his devotion to Torah Vodaath he assisted in the founding (both personally and financially) of several similar institutions, such as Mesivta Chaim Berlin (to which he relinquished a number of his top pupils), Telshe Cleveland and Beth Midrash Gevoha. All grew to occupy important places in 20th century American Orthodoxy. His work in Jewish education extended to several other organisations he founded. Aish Dos was a specialized institution that focused on teaching outreach skills, Torah Umesorah was a nationwide umbrella organization for Jewish day schools, and Beis Medrash Elyon was one of America's first post-graduate yeshivas (which also included a '' Kollel ''). In 1931 he founded Camp Mesivta, the first ''yeshiva'' day camp. REFERENCE
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