
The following five parts have appeared in Arutz Sheva:
Part One: The Changing of an Era: Remembering Rav Yitzchok Hutner's Disciples (Aug 2, 22).
Part Two: The Changing of an Era, Part II: Rav Hutner's Disciples (Aug 8, 22).
Part Three: Remembering Rav Yitzchok Hutner's Relationships with Gedolim in America (Aug 17, 22).
Part Four: The Changing of an Era: Rav Yitzchok Hutner and the Gedolim in the Mandate of Palestine (Aug 29, 22).
Part Five: The Changing of an Era: Rav Yitzchok Hutner's Relationships with Gedolim in Israel (Sep 8, 22).
It is impossible to neatly sum up great events and great personalities. The best we can do is to try to understand them as best we can and to learn from them. Rav Yitzchok Hutner (1906–1980) was an extremely complex and to a large extent unfathomable and mysterious personality. In his relatively short seventy four years he was in so many places on three continents, Europe, Asia, America, connecting with a vast and wide array of rabbinic leaders and many, many others who will never be known.
Rav Hutner became one of the seminal leaders of Torah Jewry in America after the Holocaust who transplanted the intense Torah learning heritage from Eastern Europe to America and finally to Israel where he passed away in 1980. He cultivated great disciples, befriended great colleagues and was himself influenced by even greater men. He was a unique and very colorful personality and the master of many skills both in the field of Torah scholarship and in general worldly matters. The following is a mere skeletal summary of some of his greatest achievements:

1. Yeshiva builder and pioneer: From the time he joined the faculty of Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin in Brooklyn, NY in 1936 and eventually rose to become its most dominant and sole Rosh Yeshiva he played a key role in building up what had been only an elementary school into a high school, and by 1940 eventually into a leading post high school Bais Medrash full blown yeshiva one of the first in America to attain the same level of Talmudic scholarship as had existed in European yeshivas as can be see from Rav Hutner's disciples who became great Torah leaders and Talmudic scholars in their own right.
By the time of his death in Israel forty years later in 1980 Rav Hutner had managed to again set up the nucleus of a new yeshiva named for his written works Yeshiva Pachad Yitzchok in Jerusalem. In addition, during his lifetime he guided some of his own disciples in setting up yeshivas in far flung neighborhoods such as Yeshiva of Eastern Parkway under Rav Meilech Silber, Yeshiva of the South under Rav Meir Belsky and Yeshiva Shaar Yoshuv under Rav Shlomo Freifeld as three examples.
Rav Hutner must be given great credit for building up a powerful cadre of lay leaders who supported him. Over the decades he won the confidence of Balebatim (lay leaders) and Askonim (communal workers) lay boards, and boards of directors who gave him and his Torah projects strong financial backing.
2. Kollel visionary: The idea of the modern Kollel is to help young married men continue with their full-time Talmudic studies after marriage for as long as possible by paying them a stipend to help with their family expenses. Supporting young Torah scholars was not an easy idea to sell to either young American yeshiva graduates, their young wives and to their families. But in spite of the resistance and basically ignorance about the benefits of full-time postgraduate Talmudic learning in the development of greater scholarship and scholars, Rav Hutner persevered and founded Kollel Gur Aryeh in 1956 to do just that. This was one of the first such institutions in America that have since then greatly increased in popularity.
3. Organizational leader: Rav Hutner was a natural and gifted leader and organizer. He knew how to recognize talented people and guide them to maximum potential in leadership roles in various Orthodox organizations. Foremost he was highly active in Agudath Israel of America himself where he eventually was elected to serve on its elite rabbinic leadership council the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah (Council of Torah Sages).
He encouraged and guided talented disciples with great leadership qualities to rise up the ladder of key Orthodox organizations, mainly Torah Umesorah the National Society for Hebrew Day Schools where Rav Hutner himself served on the council of top rabbinic advisors and groomed his disciple Rabbi Yehoshua Fishman to become the top executive. Torah Umesorah was founded in 1944 by Rav Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz (1886–1948) the head of Yeshiva Torah Vodaas, to establish a Jewish day school in every Jewish community across the United States and Rav Hutner shared in this vision and saw himself as a partner in the shared goals of building Jewish day schools by encouraging as many of his students as he could to go and teach in these schools all over America. Rav Hutner encouraged Rabbi Pinchas Stolper in his rise as a leader of the Orthodox Union of America and similarly Rabbi Ephraim Sturm as the director of the National Council of Young Israel.
4. Strengthening Bais Yaakovs: The education of Jewish religious girls in schools known as a Bais Yaakov a system of education that had been pioneered in Eastern Europe by Sarah Schenirer (1883–1935) was a key objective of Rav Hutner, who understood that Jewish religious girls needed a high standard of Torah and secular education. Most notably Rav Hutner's own daughter Rebbetzin Dr. Bruria Hutner David (b. 1938) was at the forefront of founding Bais Yaakov type schools in Brooklyn, such as Bais Yaakov Academy together with Rav Hutner's disciple Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Teichman, and most notably founding and running Beth Jacob Jerusalem in Israel.
Examples of some of Rav Hutner's disciples working in the forefront of Bais Yaakov education for girls is Rabbi Hersh Diskind at Bais Yaakov of Baltimore, Rabbi Moshe Yanovsky in Brooklyn at Machon Bais Yaakov, Rabbi Yoel Kramer at Prospect Park High School and Bnos Chava Seminary in Israel. Several of the wives of Rav Hutner's great disciples became Bais Yaakov educators in Brooklyn such as Rebbetzin Zahava Braunstein (wife of Rav Shlomo Braunstein) as principal at Ateret Torah Girls Schools, Rebbetzin Nechama Groner (wife of Rav Shimon Groner) as principal at Bnos Yisroel School for Girls, Rebbetzin Shoshana Schechter (wife of Rav Aharon Schechter) as principal at Yeshiva of Brooklyn Girls School. One of Rav Hutner's top disciples Rav Yehuda Eidelman married the oldest daughter of Rebbetzin Vichna and Rav Boruch Kaplan the founders of Bais Yaakov in Brooklyn. So Rav Hutner had influence directly and indirectly in the education of haredi girls schools in Brooklyn and Israel.
5. Lover of Eretz Yisrael: From the time Rav Hutner moved to Eretz Yisrael in 1925 together with students from the Slabodka Yeshiva to establish the Chevron Yeshiva, living there until 1929 as well as during 1933-1934 he maintained a lifelong love and bond with the Holy Land that was central to his core, heart and mind. Even though he spent over thirty years in America away from Israel, from the early 1960s onwards he was determined to return to the place he loved most and establish himself there and build a yeshiva of his own, which he eventually did, named Yeshiva Pachad Yitzchok.
During the years of his travels between America and Israel on his ultimate mission to build up his own yeshiva in Jerusalem he and his family were hijacked in 1970 by Palestinian terrorists and held captive in Jordan. They survived and Rav Hutner viewed this as the price one has to pay to acquire a share in Eretz Yisrael because Eretz Yisrael niknet beyissurim - Eretz Yisrael is acquired with suffering. In his last weeks in 1980 he suffered a stroke in Jerusalem and is buried on the Mount of Olives Jewish Cemetery in East Jerusalem.
6. Respectful of Secular Education and Professions: For a short period of time between 1929 and 1933, Rav Hutner made the decision to travel to Berlin in German to study at the University of Berlin. It is said that he studied philosophy, especially the famous German philosopher Goethe (1749–1832) whom Rav Hutner critiqued and once said was a contemporary of the Vilna Gaon (1720–1797).
When Rav Hutner took up his post at Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin in 1936 until the end of his life and tenure as Rosh Yeshiva in 1980 he consistently allowed the study of secular studies in the elementary and high school as well as for his post high school Bais Medrash students. That was the prevailing reality of Orthodoxy in America at that time and Rav Hutner knew that the best minds would be attracted to yeshiva if college studies were permitted. But he skillfully also played the game of a kind of "double agent" by siphoning off those students who showed an interest not to go to college by encouraging them and even their children from foregoing a secular and college education.
Rav Hutner encouraged his own daughter Rebbetzin Dr. Bruria Hutner David (b. 1938) to obtain a PhD degree in Jewish Studies at Columbia University. Hundreds, if not thousands, of Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin alumni obtained BA, MA and all sorts of secular degrees, mostly at Brooklyn College and the CUNY colleges which Rav Hutner felt was necessary for parnasa (earning a livelihood). When Touro College (now known as Touro University System) was founded by Rabbi Dr. Bernard Lander (1915 –2010) in the early 1970s there were certain yeshiva deans who wanted to ban it for Jewish yeshiva students, Rav Hutner refused to sign any of the objections to Touro College, saying that that is not the way to achieve a goal, that one must make the yeshivas so attractive to their students that they won't want to go to college on their own.
Some of Rav Hutner's leading disciples became leading academics in their own right such as Professor Israel Kirzner (Economics), Professor Abraham Tannenbaum (Education), Professor Chaim Feuerman (Jewish Education), Professor Moshe Yanovsky (Mathematics), Professor Joseph Thurm (Computer Science) - or held Phd degrees (doctorates) such as Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Braunstein (Mathematics), Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Teichman (Mathematics) and others like them.
7. Lover of hasidim and Hasidism: Rav Hutner's mother came from a family of Ger Hasidim so it is no wonder that he had a life-long love of the Gerrer Rebbes and hasidim that extended to loving hasidism in general that included Lubavitch, Satmar and the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov wherever he could find them. This extended to knowing all the ins and outs and personalities of the hasidic world and movements.
Rav Hutner studied and knew the minutest details about all sorts of obscure and hidden aspects of hasidim and hasidism. He was personally acquainted with many different hasidic Rebbes, such as from Ger, Satmar, Lubavitch and others. For him this part of his life entailed the serious study, and if need be emulation, of the entirety of hasidic literature of which he was a master. Not just that he mastered the inner mystical and kabbalistic meanings and teachings of every hasidic school of thought he could also compare them to the non-hasidic school of mysticism and kabbalah and see their pluses and minuses while comparing them with utmost clarity. In the latter stages of his life he strongly copied the styles and mannerisms of hasidic Rebbes, or perhaps it just came as naturally to him as breathing.
8. Brilliant and Original Thinker: Rav Hutner's system of thought, that he called Hilchos Dei'os VeChovos Halevavos ("Laws of ideas/thoughts and Obligations of the Heart/s") as evidenced in his greatest work the Pachad Yitzchok, mostly on the Jewish Holidays, was a synthesis of many schools of Torah thought: Talmudic, steeped in Tanach, Midrashic, Hasidic, Philosophic, Rationalistic, Mystical, Emotional, Intellectual, Poetry and Poetics, interwoven with Song and the Musical, Kabbalistic, Esoteric, Mussar and Ethics, Narrated, Colorful, Symphonic, all coordinated and woven into a coherent and enjoyable delivery in Yiddish and then masterfully replicated in writing in beautiful classical Hebrew into a set of wondrous holy Sefarim (books) the Pachad Yitzchok.
Anyone, no matter how great or small they may have been who merited having a conversation with Rav Hutner or either heard or overheard him speak Sichas Chulin Shel Talmid Chochem - the regular conversations of a Torah scholar - could not help but be totally enchanted by his expressions, flow of words and the way his body language magnified what he was saying. He was always original and always wise, a true oracle of the ages, a peek at what a great rabbi or prophet would have sounded like. No exaggeration!
9. Mystic and Kabbalist: Rav Hutner was steeped in a number of Kabbalistic schools of thought. He was probably introduced to this by Rav Avraham Yitzchak Kook (1865–1935) his chief mentor outside of the Slabodka yeshiva, but there were others.
It is impossible to know the exact truth of where Rav Hutner gained his mastery of Kabbalah, Hasidus, and Jewish mysticism. It may have been partly from the Rav Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn (1880–1950), only Rav Hutner's son in law Rav Yonoson David Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Pachad Yitzchok in Jerusalem and of Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin in Brooklyn, would truly know the facts and these are not details that are shared with anyone. But one thing all true in-depth scholars of Rav Hutner's work the Pachad Yitzchok Sefarim, and truth be told they are a rare commodity because few really can plumb the depths of where Rav Hutner is coming from and what he is in fact truly trying to say and teach, after all Maaseh Breishit and Maaseh Merkavah can only be taught one on one and in secret, and that is just the beginning, so no one is ever going to know just exactly how, when and from whom Rav Hutner learned this content.
Rav Hutner considered himself an expert and exponent of the Kabbalistic schools of thought of: i) The GRA the Vilna Gaon (1720–1797); ii) The RAMCHAL, Rav Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (1707–1746); iii) The MAHARAL of Prague, Rav Yehuda Loew ben Betzalel (1512/1526–1609); iv) The ARI, Rav Yitzchok Luria (1534–1572); v) All of hasidus; vi) Sefardic schools of Kabbalah such as the RAMAK, Rav Moshe ben Yaakov Cordovero (1522–1570) to name the main ones. It must be emphasized that he never spoke about these matters publicly and never encouraged the mass study of these subjects. It was his own very privately guarded domain never to be mentioned or breached except to those whom he favored.
10. Great Talmudist: Rav Hutner was respected for his Talmudic acumen since his earliest youth by all who knew him. When he became a Rosh Yeshiva he was part of an elite group of Talmudical Academy deans, such as Rav Aharaon Kotler, Rav Yaakov Ruderman, Rav Moshe Feinstein, Rav Yaakov Kaminetsky and others who headed institutions known for rigorous Talmudic study with Rishonim and Achronim: "Rishonim ('the early ones') were the leading rabbis and poskim who lived approximately during the 11th to 15th centuries, in the era before the writing of the Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish law, 1563 CE) and following the Geonim (589-1038 CE). Rabbinic scholars subsequent to the Shulkhan Arukh are generally known as acharonim ('the latter ones').' (Wikipedia).

He appointed the greatest Talmudic minds such as Rav Aharon Soloveitchik, Rav Feivel Cohen, Rav Aaron Schechter, Rav Yonoson David and others in his yeshiva to be the leading teachers and many alumni became leading Talmudists in their own right with many of their own disciples.
11. Humorist and Wit who Laughed Often: He always found ways to be humorous and funny and had a biting sense of humor. Everyone who got to know him had their own favorite one liners they heard from The Rosh Yeshiva, as Rav Hutner was called.
Here are a couple that I heard: When his disciple Rav Yehoshua Fishman who was working at Torah Umesorah, the National Society for Hebrew Day Schools, had twins, a boy and a girl, Rav Hutner is reported to have told the chief of Torah Umesorah Rabbi Dr. Joe Kaminetsky: "see, one for Torah [the boy] and one for Mesorah [the girl]"! Once at the conclusion of a Pesach Seder I heard Rav Hutner say out loud: "Never Again! [with a huge grin and chuckle]" (the motto of Rabbi Meir Kahane). Once a top student was debating whether or not to attend the Brisk Yeshiva, Rav Hutner supposedly told him: "Remember, the Torah was given on barg (mount) Sinai and not on barg (mount) Gerizim [GRIZ is the acronym of the Brisker Rov Rav Yitzchok Zev Soloveitchik with whom he was a constant rival]." After his stroke when he was on his deathbed, the nurse asked if he felt comfortable i.e. "Noach" in Hebrew, to which he retorted: "she is talking about [parshas] Noach ['comfort'] while I am already holding by [parshas] Lech Lecha ['leaving]" and thousands of hilarious but cutting lines heard by his students and associates that encapsulated great teachings in and of themselves.
12. Brilliant Orator: Particularly in Yiddish when he delivered his famous Ma'amorim (discourses), his very pleasant and pleasing captivating deep voice had an operatic musical quality about it that was simply mesmerizing. He was able to completely hypnotize his audience, often speaking in a near-dark or completely dark room where one would hear only his voice and the words emanating from him sometimes divided with emotional singing. Probably one of the greatest orators in the Yiddish language to have ever lived, he limited his prized speaking to his yeshiva, rarely speaking at outside public events.
13. Singer, Composer, Dancer and Lover of Music: He taught his students how to dance! They say Chaim Berliners "dance with their hands" in the style Rav Hutner used to use, it was very catchy and charismatic. He had a beautiful operatic singing voice that boomed! He would sometimes cry in the middle of his public prayers. The way he called out the Tekios at Shofar blowing on Rosh HaShanah was an experience to be treasured by all present.
He taught that music goes deeper than words and he encouraged students with musical talent to compose special songs in honor of the holidays or special occasions. At one point he even commissioned a group of professional singers to record the songs they sang in yeshiva, it was called "The Torah Lives and Sings" some the songs Rav Hutner had composed himself. He encouraged students with good singing voices to lead the prayers and services in yeshiva especially when the Hallel prayer is said on Yom Tov. For the Hakofoshe composed or introduced special Niggunim (tunes) tailored to the meaning of each Hakafa. Purim was a musical extravaganza with a full ten piece band brought into the main yeshiva Bais Medrash. Everyone would wait till The Rosh Yeshiva shouted out "Toska!" and the band would begin to play that loud composition, La, La_La_La, La_La_La_La_La_La_La, LaLaLaLa, LaLaLaLaiLaiLai....!!!! (If you were there and heard it you would know what I mean!)
14. Mastery of Human Nature and Behavior: He knew people inside out. He took one look at you and saw right through you with piercing black eyes that were themselves impenetrable. Many have stated that talking to The Rosh Yeshiva was like talking to a master psychologist. There was nothing that he could not deal with.
He even read the papers from back to front to know what was going on in the world and to be able to understand what was going on in people's heads, hearts and minds. He saw deeper into the levels of the soul and was able to accurately guide each individual in the direction meant for them. He did not have a "cookie cutter" approach to education and guidance. Everyone was a unique Tzelem Elokim ([made in the] Image [of] God) and he sought to find the strengths and weaknesses in each person who came to seek his counsel to guide them to the maximum potential suited to that particular person. He was not afraid of psychology and probably knew a good deal about it from his own readings. No wonder that a few of his prominent disciples became psychologists, such as Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Ribner, Rabbi Dr. Naftoli Langsam, Rabbi Dr. Gershon Tashman, Rabbi Dr. Moshe Homnick and others like them.
15. Spiritual Grand Master: One could easily see The Rosh Yeshiva debating and talking with the greatest minds and spiritual masters in the world throughout history. His mastery of philosophy and secular wisdom was unsurpassed. He was not afraid to discuss the deepest esoteric issues with people who sought him out.
One particular case that I am aware of is that of Rabbi Yehuda Fine who was a product and the age of the Hippies and found his way back to Torah Judaism becoming a leader in the anti-cult and anti-missionary movements and eventually met Rav Hutner and other great Rebbes. He regarded Rav Hutner as the greatest of them all and he found Rav Hutner able to relate to his "New Age" way of thinking and ideas.
No wonder that Rav Hutner encouraged his disciple Rav Shlomo Freifeld in his work to have a yeshiva that caters to Baalei Teshuva and people who are seekers of alternate paths in life. No wonder that Rav Hutner's disciples Rav Noach Weinberg and Rav Nota Schiller founded Yeshivas for Baalei Teshuva in Israel, Ohr Someach and Aish HaTorah. Their Rebbe, Rav Hutner paved the way for them, preparing them for these great missions in life. No wonder that Rav Hutner's disciple Rabbi Pinchas Stolper would blaze a trail of reaching out to searching youth by building up NCSY because he could look to Rav Hutner for guidance in that so-called "age of Aquarius"! No wonder Rav Hutner pioneered a trailbrailzing Shiur for Baalei Teshuva (new returnees to Orthodox Judaism) in his own yeshiva headed by Rav Shmuel Brog, son in law of Rav Avigdor Miller!
16. Popularizer of the MAHARAL of Prague: During Rav Hutner's lifetime the name MAHARAL aka Rav Yehuda Loew ben Betzalel (1512/1526–1609) and all of his published works reached a great peak as Rav Hutner undertook to popularize the MAHARAL at almost every turn, outside of Talmudic discourses that was the main mainstay of the yeshiva's daily curriculum. Talmud and commentaries were studied day and night in yeshiva, but somehow, during Sabbaths and Festivals Rav Hutner would quote the teachings of the mAHARAL frequently as if on a mission. In fact Rav Hutner sought to emulate the MAHARAL's methodology by "teaching Nistar [the hidden/esoteric part of Torah i.e. Kabbalah] through Nigleh [the open/revealed part of Torah i.e. Talmud and Tanach].
There are many ways to understand this, I shall try just a few ways. One that I will share is that Rav Hutner really felt the pain of the split between the Lithuanian world of the Misnagdim and that of their opponents the Hasidim. There was a great rift between the disciples of the Vilna Gaon (1720–1797) and the Baal Shem Tov (1690/1700–1760). Each group placed the other in Cherem (excommunication).
But going back in time there was a point when that schism did not exist, when there was agreement between all schools of thought. The MAHARAL of Prague lived at a point right before this schism and he is regarded with equal respect by Misnagdim and Hasidim with each seeing their own point of view reflected in his. Thus the MAHARAL represents a point in time and a personality who in effect unites Misnagdim with Hasidim, something Rav Hutner himself strove to do with his usage of the MAHARAL and incorporating his teachings and ideology as part of his own system of thought. (Most as heard from Rav Shimon Groner, Mashgiach Ruchani at Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin and one of Rav Hurtner's leading disciples.) In Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin, since Rav Hutner's passing in 1980, the widespread interest and the teachings of the MAHARAL in the yeshiva have been de-emphasized in favor of focusing on Rav Hutner's own writings the Pachad Yitzchok, but even that has suffered a decline in the forty two years since his passing, with many more people outside of the Chaim Berlin community showing an interest in Pachad Yitzchok as well as in the works of the MAHARAL.
17.Taught Kavod HaTorah - Honoring the Torah and its Scholars: Rav Hutner insisted that his students refer to him in the third person as "The Rosh Yeshiva" for all of his informal and jocular manner Rav Hutner insisted that his own personal dignity always be respected to the utmost. No one would dare to be over-familiar with him. He was easy to reach for an appointment in his office, but the visitor could only sit down when asked to do so by The Rosh Yeshiva and when taking leave of him he insisted that students walk backwards away from him. This was part of his mission as he saw it - to inculcate Kavod HaTorah (honoring the Torah) that he felt was cheapened in America. Rav Hutner himself would stand up for those, even his students, who were worthy of being honored for their high level of Torah scholarship. He stressed the custom of the congregation remaining standing for the entire reading of the Torah as well as for the repetition of the Amidah prayers, all part of imbuing the Tzibbur (congregation) with more Kavod HaTorah.
18. Famous Author of Torah Books: Rav Hutner's first work was based on Talmudical learning, his Toras HaNazir, laws of the Nazirite based on Maimonides' Hilchos Nezirus was written in his younger years sometime between 1929 and 1933. His second work was his commentary on the commentary by Rabbeinu Hillel on the Sifra. His greatest work was the Pachad Yitzchok now published in over ten volumes written in Hebrew with some Yiddish.
None of this is easy reading and very little of it has been translated into English although Rabbi Pinchas Stolper made an effort to translate Rav Hutner's writings that would be worthwhile for an English-speaking reader such as "Purim in a New Light: Mystery Grandeur and Depth Through the Writings of Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner." ("The fifty eight chapters of this book were adapted by the author from Rabbi Hutner's writings on Purim. Rabbi Hutner's original, profound and moving thoughts will transform your Purim experience and open your mind to the deeper meaning of a critical day in the Jewish calendar. These rich and penetrating chapters are part history, part philosophy, part poetry, part mysticism and part piercing analysis"). "Living Beyond Time: The Mystery and Meaning of the Jewish Festivals." ("A distinguished alumnus of Yeshivas Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin, Rabbi Stolper based several chapters on teachings of his Rosh Yeshivah, HaGaon HaRav Yitzchok Hutner, zt"l. The result is a work that combines the brilliance of Jewish thought, the majesty of the Jewish festivals and the eternal aspirations of the Jewish People.") "Hanukkah in a New Light: As Revealed Through the Writings of Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner." ("Experience the brilliance and penetrating insight of one of the most original and creative thinkers and teachers of all time, Harav Yitzchak Hutner zt"l. Unlock the secrets of this most misunderstood of all of the Jewish holidays.")
In addition Rav Hutner authored a trailblazing essay written in English about the meaning of the Holocaust: "“Holocaust” – A Study Of The Term, And The Epoch It Is Meant To Describe, from a discourse by Rabbi Yitzchok Hutner Shlit”a. translated by Chaim Feuerman and Yaakov Feitman." (October 29th, 1977) as well as a rare insightful essay in English on the role of Jewish Education and Educators: "Rabbi Yitzchok Hutner: 'A Shiur in Hilchos Chinuch'". Hebrew Day School Education: An Overview, Kaminetsky, Joseph, ed. New York: Torah Umesorah, 1970, pp. 3-12."
It is rare to find such a huge kaleidoscope of talents in one human being, but Rav Yitzchok Hutner was that type of rare personality that in a sense during his lifetime existed beyond time and place because he encompassed and accomplished so much. He touched all the key bases of Jewish and Torah life in modern times, connecting the present with the past and acting as a bridge between so many seemingly opposite schools of thought that to him were a unified whole.
Rabbi Yitschak Rudomin was born to Holocaust survivor parents in Israel, grew up in South Africa, and lives in Brooklyn, NY. He is an alumnus of Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin and of Teachers College–Columbia University. He heads the Jewish Professionals Institute dedicated to Jewish Adult Education and Outreach – Kiruv Rechokim. He was the Director of the Belzer Chasidim's Sinai Heritage Center of Manhattan 1988–1995, a Trustee of AJOP 1994–1997 and founder of American Friends of South African Jewish Education 1995–2015. He is the author of The Second World War and Jewish Education in America: The Fall and Rise of Orthodoxy. Contact Rabbi Yitschak Rudomin at[email protected]