The Vaad ha-Hatzalah was established by Orthodox rabbis in the United States in 1939 to rescue European rabbis and yeshiva students. Using hitherto inaccessible documents. Dr. Zuroff chronicles the successes and failures of the Vaad, focusing on its relations with the Joint Distribution Committee and local federations throughout the United States. Its very founding was controversial, and its policy of giving priority to rabbis and yeshiva students led to bitter debates. By examining the ineffectual responses of American ...
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The Vaad ha-Hatzalah was established by Orthodox rabbis in the United States in 1939 to rescue European rabbis and yeshiva students. Using hitherto inaccessible documents. Dr. Zuroff chronicles the successes and failures of the Vaad, focusing on its relations with the Joint Distribution Committee and local federations throughout the United States. Its very founding was controversial, and its policy of giving priority to rabbis and yeshiva students led to bitter debates. By examining the ineffectual responses of American Jewish organizations to news of the Holocaust the book explains why Orthodox rabbis preferred to "go it alone," and even to ignore governmental regulations detrimental to their rescue efforts.
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