Yeshivas Knesses Yisrael (; ) was a

yeshiva A yeshiva (; ; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are studied in parallel. The stu ...

located in the town of Vilijampolės Slabada in the

Kovno Governorate Kovno Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire, with its capital in Kovno (Kaunas). It was formed on 18 December 1842 by Tsar Nicholas I of Russia, Nicholas I from the western part of Vilna Govern ...

of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

(now

Vilijampolė Vilijampolė is a neighborhood in the city of Kaunas, Lithuania, located on the right bank of the Neris River and the Nemunas River, near their confluence. Part of a larger which consists of Vilijampolė, , , and neighorhoods, and covers 1438 h ...

Kaunas Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

). It operated from the late 19th century until World War II.

Origins

From the second half of the 19th century onwards,

Kovno Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...

became a hub of Jewish cultural activity in Lithuania. Prominent scholars included

Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor or Isaac Elhanan Spector (; 1817 – March 6, 1896) was a Russian rabbi, ''posek'' and Talmudist of the 19th century. Early life Spektor was born in Ros', Belarus (Yiddish: Rosh), then part of the Grodno Governorate ...

(the "Kovner Rav"; officiated 1864-96),

Abraham Mapu Abraham Mapu (; 1808 in Vilijampolė, Kaunas1867 in Königsberg, Prussia) was a Lithuanian novelist. He wrote in Hebrew as part of the Haskalah (enlightenment) movement. His novels, with their lively plots encompassing heroism, adventure and r ...

, one of the first modern Hebrew writers, and

Israel Isidor Elyashev Israel Isidor Elyashev (, 1873–1924) was a Jewish neurologist and the first Yiddish literary critic. He introduced the world to the works of the great contemporary Yiddish classical writers: Sholem Rabinovich, better known as Sholem Aleiche ...

, known as the "Ba'al Makhshoves," the first

Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

literary critic. The

yeshivot A yeshiva (; ; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish education, Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are studied in par ...

of Slobodka, particularly the Or HaChaim yeshivah founded by Tzvi Levitan around 1863 (also known as Yeshivas R' Hirschel), attracted students from other countries. Nosson Tzvi Finkel, also known as "Der Alter fun Slabodka" (The Elder of Slabodka), who had also founded several ''

kollelim A kollel (also kolel) (, , , , a "gathering" or "collection" f scholars is an institute for full-time, advanced study of the Talmud and rabbinic literature. Like a yeshiva, a kollel features shiurim (lectures) and learning ''sedarim'' (session ...

'' in the area, served as ''

mashgiach ruchani A mashgiach ruchani (; pl., ''mashgichim ruchani'im''), sometimes mashgiach for short, is a spiritual supervisor or guide. They are usually a rabbi who has an official position within a yeshiva and is responsible for the non-academic areas of yesh ...

'' (spiritual supervisor) and introduced Musar ideals there. In 1882, Nosson Tzvi Finkel merged his ''kollelim'' and the Ohr Hachaim yeshiva to form the "Slabodka Yeshiva". Finkel oversaw the institution while Yitzchak Yaakov Rabinowitz was appointed

rosh yeshiva Rosh yeshiva or Rosh Hayeshiva (, plural, pl. , '; Anglicized pl. ''rosh yeshivas'') is the title given to the dean of a yeshiva, a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and th ...

, a position he held until 1893. After his departure, Finkel appointed two brothers-in-law,

Moshe Mordechai Epstein Moshe Mordechai Epstein (7 March 1866–28 November 1933) was rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Knesseth Yisrael in Slabodka, Lithuania and is recognized as having been one of the leading Talmudists of the twentieth century. He is also one of the founder ...

and

Isser Zalman Meltzer Isser Zalman Meltzer (; February 6, 1870 – November 17, 1953),Isser Zalman Meltzer "Even HaEzel" (1870 - 1953) was a Jewish rabbi, rosh yeshiva and posek. He was known as the "Even HaEzel", after the title of his commentary on Rambam's ''Mishn ...

, as rosh yeshivas. Meltzer left three years later to lead the Slutsk Yeshiva of the

Ridvaz Rabbi Yaakov Dovid Wilovsky (; February 7, 1845 – October 2, 1913), known by the acronym Ridvaz or Ridbaz, was a renowned rabbi, Talmudic commentator and educator. Biography Wilovsky was born in Kobrin, Russia on February 7, 1845. Wilovsky he ...

Division

In 1897, opposition to the Musar method emerged among the students, leading to a split in the yeshiva. The Musar movement followers moved to a separate building, while the opponents established the

Knesses Beis Yitzchak yeshivah Yeshivas Knesses Beis Yitzchak was an Orthodox Jewish yeshiva, founded in Slabodka on the outskirts of Kaunas, Lithuania (then ruled by the Russian Empire), in 1897. The yeshiva later moved to Kamyenyets, then part of Poland, and currently in B ...

, named after

. Finkel, a strong proponent of the Musar movement, led the Knesses Yisrael faction. Epstein, who remained loyal to Finkel, continued his role at Knesses Yisrael despite being offered the position of rosh yeshiva at Knesses Beis Yitzchak. Although there was initial rivalry between the two institutions, they eventually achieved a peaceful coexistence. This was largely due to Epstein becoming a ''

posek In Jewish law, a ''posek'' ( , pl. ''poskim'', ) is a legal scholar who determines the application of ''halakha'', the Jewish religious laws derived from the written and Oral Torah, in cases of Jewish law where previous authorities are incon ...

'' in Slabodka under Moshe Danishevky, who served as Knesses Beis Yitzchak's rosh yeshiva, facilitating cooperation between the two rosh yeshivas.

World War I

Shortly after World War I began in 1914, some members of the yeshiva, including Finkel, Epstein, and the ''mashgiach ruchani''

Ber Hirsch Heller Dov Tzvi Heller (1862 – 1935) commonly called by his Yiddish name, Ber Hirsch Heller, was a rabbi and mashgiach ruchani at the Knesses Yisrael yeshiva, Slabodka Yeshiva in Europe, as well as the father-in-law of Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetzky and R ...

, fled Slabodka for

Minsk Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...

, which was farther from the front lines. When the Germans started bombing Minsk, most of the yeshiva moved to

Kremenchug Kremenchuk (; , , also spelt Kremenchug, ) is an industrial city in central Ukraine which stands on the banks of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. The city serves as the administrative center of Kremenchuk Raion and Kremenchuk urban hromada within ...

, though a small group remained in Minsk under the leadership of Finkel's son, Moshe Finkel. The yeshiva in Kremenchug had approximately 40 to 50 students, in addition to the teachers and their families. In 1920, the yeshiva was prepared to return to Slabodka. They traveled through Minsk and

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

, and had to pay smugglers to cross the Russian-Lithuanian border.

Partial relocation to Palestine

A 1924 edict mandating military enlistment or supplementary secular studies in the yeshiva prompted many students from the Slabodka yeshiva to relocate to

Mandatory Palestine Mandatory Palestine was a British Empire, British geopolitical entity that existed between 1920 and 1948 in the Palestine (region), region of Palestine, and after 1922, under the terms of the League of Nations's Mandate for Palestine. After ...

. The Alter of Slabodka sent

Avraham Grodzinski Avraham Grodzinski (c. 1884 - July 13, 1944) was a rabbi who served as the mashgiach ruchani (spiritual supervisor) of the Slabodka yeshiva in Lithuania. He is best known for being the primary disciple of Nosson Tzvi Finkel, the Alter of Slabodka ...

and

Yechezkel Sarna Yechezkel Sarna (; 1890–1969) was a disciple of Nosson Tzvi Finkel, spiritual mentor of the Slabodka yeshiva. He was sent by Finkel to move the yeshiva from Europe to Hebron in 1925, and following the 1929 Hebron massacre, to Jerusalem. In 1 ...

to Palestine to find a suitable location for the yeshiva, and they chose

Hebron Hebron (; , or ; , ) is a Palestinian city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Hebron is capital of the Hebron Governorate, the largest Governorates of Palestine, governorate in the West Bank. With a population of 201,063 in ...

.See Toras Avraham, page 13 The staff of the yeshiva in Lithuania was divided between the original Lithuanian yeshiva and the new Hebron branch, known as the

Hebron Yeshiva Hebron Yeshiva, also known as ''Yeshivas Hevron'', or Knesses Yisroel, is a yeshiva (school for Talmudic study). It originated in 1924 when the Rosh yeshiva, roshei yeshiva (deans) and 150 students of the Yeshivas Knesses Yisrael (Slabodka), Slabo ...

. Epstein was appointed rosh yeshiva in Hebron, while Finkel and Yehuda Leib Chasman served as ''mashgiachs''. In Lithuania, Finkel's son-in-law Yitzchak Isaac Sher became rosh yeshiva, with Ber Hirsch Heller and Grodzinski serving as ''mashgiachs''. Following the 1929 Hebron massacre, which resulted in the murder of twenty-four students, the yeshiva was re-established in the

Geula Geula ( lit. ''Redemption'') is a neighborhood in the center of Jerusalem, populated mainly by Haredi Judaism, Haredi Jews. Geula is bordered by Zikhron Moshe and Mekor Baruch on the west, the Bukharim neighborhood on the north, Mea Shearim on t ...

neighbourhood of

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

Holocaust and relocation to Israel

After World War II, the original yeshiva building was confiscated by the

Communist Party of the Soviet Union The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU),. Abbreviated in Russian as КПСС, ''KPSS''. at some points known as the Russian Communist Party (RCP), All-Union Communist Party and Bolshevik Party, and sometimes referred to as the Soviet ...

. The building, with its unique design—shaped like a

Torah scroll A Sephardic Torah scroll rolled to the first paragraph of the Shema An Ashkenazi Torah scroll rolled to the Decalogue file:Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue, Interior, Tora Cases.jpg">Torah cases at Knesset Eliyahoo Synagogue, Mumbai, India ...

—is still visible today in Lithuania. The yeshiva was reestablished by Sher in

Bnei Brak Bnei Brak ( ) or Bene Beraq, is a city located on the central Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean Israeli coastal plain, coastal plain in Israel, just east of Tel Aviv. A center of Haredi Judaism, Bnei Brak covers an area of 709 hectares (1,752 acre ...

, Israel as Slabodka yeshiva Bnei Brak.

Prominent alumni

Rabbis

* David Cohen, rabbi, talmudist, philosopher and kabbalist *

Tzvi Hirsch Ferber Tzvi Hirsch Ferber (; 1879 – November 1966) was a Lithuanian-born British rabbi. A gifted orator, prolific author and Torah scholar, he led the West End Talmud Torah Synagogue in Soho, London. Early life Tzvi Hirsch Ferber was born to Shim ...

, rabbi in

Soho SoHo, short for "South of Houston Street, Houston Street", is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Since the 1970s, the neighborhood has been the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, art installations such as The Wall ...

, London * Eliezer Yehuda Finkel, rosh yeshiva of Mir yeshiva in both Poland and

Tzvi Pesach Frank Tzvi Pesach Frank (; 20 January 1873 – 10 December 1960) was a renowned halachic scholar and served as Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem for several decades (1936-1960). Biography Frank was born in Kovno, Vilna Governorate, the son of Rabbi Yehuda ...

halakhic ''Halakha'' ( ; , ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws that are derived from the Written and Oral Torah. ''Halakha'' is based on biblical commandments (''mitzv ...

scholar and Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem *

, mashgiach ruchani, Slabodka yeshiva * Reuven Grozovsky, rosh yeshiva,

Yeshiva Torah Vodaas Yeshiva Torah Vodaas (or Yeshiva and Mesivta Torah Vodaath or Yeshiva Torah Vodaath or Torah Vodaath Rabbinical Seminary) is a ''yeshiva'' in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. History The yeshiva was conceived in 1917 and formal ...

Yosef Zvi HaLevy Yosef Zvi HaLevy (: 1874 – 13 March 1960) was an Israeli rabbi and head of the rabbinical court for Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv-Yafo. Biography HaLevy was born in 1874 in Vilijampolė, Kaunas, Lithuania, then part of the Russian Empire, and was the ...

, Israeli rabbi and head of the rabbinical court for

Tel Aviv-Yafo Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

Yitzchok Hutner Yitzchak Hutner (; 1906November 28, 1980), also known as Isaac Hutner, was an American Orthodox rabbi and rosh yeshiva (dean). Originally from Warsaw, Hutner was the long-time dean of Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin in Brooklyn, New York, an older i ...

, rosh yeshiva,

Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin or Yeshivas Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin () is an American Haredi Lithuanian-type boys' and men's yeshiva in Brooklyn, New York. The school's divisions include a preschool, a ''yeshiva ketana'' (elementary school), a ''mesivta ...

* Meyer Juzint, American Talmudic scholar *

Avraham Kalmanowitz Avraham Kalmanowitz (also Abraham; ; March 8, 1887 – 15 February 1964) was an Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox rabbi and rosh yeshiva (dean) of the Mir yeshiva (Brooklyn), Mir yeshiva in Brooklyn, New York from 1946 to 1964. Born in Russian Empire, he ...

, rosh yeshiva, Mir yeshiva in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

Yaakov Kamenetsky Yaakov Kamenetsky (February 28, 1891 – March 10, 1986), was a prominent rabbi, rosh yeshiva, ''posek'' and Talmudist in the post-World War II American Jewish community. Biography Yaakov Kamenetsky was born at a folwark called Kalyskovka owned ...

, rosh yeshiva, Yeshiva Torah Vodaas * Avraham Elya Kaplan, rosh yeshiva,

Hildesheimer Rabbinical Seminary The Hildesheimer Rabbinical Seminary (officially in until 1880, thereafter ''Rabbiner-Seminar zu Berlin''; in , ''Bet ha-midrash le-Rabanim be-Berlin'') was founded in Berlin on 22 October 1873 by Rabbi Dr. Israel Hildesheimer for the training of ...

Aharon Kotler Aharon Kotler (February 2, 1892 – November 29, 1962) was a Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) rabbi and a prominent leader of Orthodox Judaism in Lithuania and in the United States, where he founded Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood Township, New Jersey. ...

, rosh yeshiva,

Beth Medrash Govoha Beth Medrash Govoha (, pronounced: ''Beis Medrash Gavo'ha''. lit: "High House of Learning"; also known as Lakewood Yeshiva or BMG) is a Haredi Jewish Litvishe ''yeshiva'' in Lakewood Township, New Jersey. It was founded by Rabbi Aharon Kotle ...

Dovid Leibowitz Dovid Leibowitz (May 15, 1887 – December 4, 1941) was a Russian-born American rabbi. A disciple of Slabodka yeshiva in Lithuania, he went on to found Yeshivas Chofetz Chaim in the United States, where he served as rosh yeshiva (dean). Early l ...

, rosh yeshiva,

Yeshivas Rabbeinu Yisrael Meir HaKohen Yeshivas Chofetz Chaim (also known as the Rabbinical Seminary of America) is an Orthodox yeshiva based in Kew Gardens Hills, Queens, New York, United States. It is primarily an American, non-chasidic Haredi Talmudic yeshiva. The yeshiva is lega ...

Yehuda Levenberg Rabbi Yehuda Heschel HaLevi Levenberg (December 18, 1884 – January 15, 1938) (יהודה העשל לעווענבערג) was a well-known pioneer in the implanting of the European Jewish community on the shores of America. Rabbi Levenberg moved t ...

, chief rabbi and rosh yeshiva in

New Haven, CT New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...

Yeruchom Levovitz Rav Yeruchom Levovitz (; – 1936), also known by his hundreds of students simply as The Mashgiach, was a famous mashgiach ruchani and baal mussar (Jewish Ethics) at the Mir Yeshiva in Belarus. Early life R' Yeruchom Levovitz was born in 187 ...

, mashgiach ruchani, Mir yeshiva (Belarus) * Avigdor Miller, mashgiach ruchani, Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin, and community rabbi *

Ephraim Oshry Ephraim Oshry (1914–September 28, 2003), was an Orthodox rabbi, posek, and author of ''The Annihilation of Lithuanian Jewry''. He was one of the few European rabbis to survive the Holocaust. Early life Ephraim Oshry was born in Kupiškis, Li ...

, Lithuanian-born posek, rabbi of

Beth Hamedrash Hagodol Beth Hamedrash Hagodol"Beth Hamedrash Hagodol Des ...

and

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

survivor *

Eliezer Palchinsky Eliezer Manoach Palchinsky (; November 18, 1912 – October 6, 2007),"Harav Eliezer Manoach Paltzinsky, zt"l". ''Hamodia'' News, October 11, 2007, p. A18. also spelled Paltzinsky, Platchinsky and Platinsky, was a rosh yeshiva in Jerusalem for ...

, rosh yeshiva, Yeshivas Beis Aryeh, Jerusalem * Shlomo Polachek, Talmudic scholar and one of the earliest rosh yeshivas in America * Pesach Pruskin, rabbi and

Kobrin Kobryn or Kobrin is a town in Brest Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Kobryn District. It is located in the southwestern corner of Belarus, where the Mukhavets river and Dnieper–Bug Canal meet. The town lies about e ...

Yaakov Yitzchok Ruderman Yaakov Yitzchok Ruderman (1900 – July 11, 1987) was a Russian-born American Talmudic scholar and rabbi who founded and served as ''rosh yeshiva'' (yeshiva head) of Yeshivas Ner Yisroel in Baltimore. Early life Ruderman was born to a Hasidic ...

, rosh yeshiva,

Yeshivas Ner Yisroel Ner Israel Rabbinical College (ישיבת נר ישראל), also known as NIRC and Ner Yisroel, is a Haredi yeshiva (Jewish educational institution) in Pikesville, Maryland. It was founded in 1933 by Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchok Ruderman, a discipl ...

, Baltimore *

, rosh yeshiva, Hebron yeshiva *

Elazar Shach Elazar Menachem Man Shach (, Elazar Shach; January 1, 1899 O.S. – November 2, 2001) was a Haredi rabbi who headed Lithuanian Orthodox Jews in Israel and around the world from the early 1970s until his death. He served as chair of the Counc ...

, rosh yeshiva, Ponovezh yeshiva * Moshe Shatzkes, Polish-born rabbi and rosh yeshiva, Yeshivas

Grodno Grodno, or Hrodna, is a city in western Belarus. It is one of the oldest cities in Belarus. The city is located on the Neman, Neman River, from Minsk, about from the Belarus–Poland border, border with Poland, and from the Belarus–Lithua ...

* Zalman Sorotzkin, Polish-born rabbi *

Isaac Stollman Isaac Stollman (Hebrew: יצחק סטולמן) was a noted rabbi, author and religious Zionist leader. Biography He was born in Russia in 1897. He studied at some of the most prominent Yeshivos including the Yeshiva of the Chofetz Chaim in Radin ...

, rabbi, author and religious Zionist leader *

Naftoli Trop Rabbi Naftoli Trop (April 1871 - September 24, 1928) was a renowned Talmudist and Talmid Chacham. He served as ''rosh yeshiva'' of Raduń Yeshiva, Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim in Radun, Belarus, Radun, Second Polish Republic, Poland. Early years In his ...

, rosh yeshiva,

Raduń Yeshiva The Radin Yeshiva, originally located in Radun, Belarus, Radun, Vilna Governorate, Russian Empire (now in Belarus), was established by Rabbi Israel Meir Kagan (known as the ''Chofetz Chaim'' after the title of his well-known ''Sefer (Hebrew), sefe ...

Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg (1884–1966) was an Ashkenazi Orthodox rabbi, posek ("decisor" of Jewish law) and rosh yeshiva. He is best known as the author of the work of responsa ''Seridei Eish''. Biography Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg was born in Cie ...

, rosh yeshiva, Hildesheimer Rabbinical Seminary

Other

Gedaliah Alon Gedaliah Alon (; 1901–1950) was an Israeli historian. Biography Gedaliah Rogoznitski (later Alon) was born in 1901 in Kobryn, Belarus (then in Russian-ruled Poland). In 1924, he studied for a year at Berlin University and, in 1926, he emigra ...

, Israeli historian *

Pessah Bar-Adon Pessah Bar-Adon (; b. 1907, d. 1985) was a Polish-born Israeli archaeologist and writer. Early life Born Pessah Panitsch in Kolno, Poland, to a Zionist, Haredi family, he was educated in a Jewish orthodox school and in yeshivas. He immigrated t ...

, Israeli archaeologist and writer *

Ezriel Carlebach Ezriel Carlebach (also ''Azriel''; born Esriel Gotthelf Carlebach, , ; November 7, 1908 – February 12, 1956) was a leading journalist and editorial writer during the period of Jewish settlement in Palestine and during the early days of the stat ...

, journalist and editorial writer *

Ben-Zion Dinur Ben-Zion Dinur (; January 1884 – 8 July 1973) was a Ukrainian-born Israeli historian, educator, and politician. He held the position of professor of Jewish history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and represented Mapai in the first ...

, Zionist activist, educator, historian and Israeli politician *

Lazarus Goldschmidt Lazarus Goldschmidt (born at Plungė, December 17, 1871; died in England, April 18, 1950) was a German Jewish writer and translator. He translated the Babylonian Talmud into German, and was the first to translate the entire Babylonian Talmud. He r ...

, writer and translator of the

Babylonian Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the centerpiece of Jewi ...

into

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

Saul Lieberman Saul Lieberman (; May 28, 1898 – March 23, 1983), also known as Rabbi Shaul Lieberman or, among some of his students, the ''Gra״sh'' (''Gaon Rabbeinu Shaul''), was a rabbi and a Talmudic scholar. He served as Professor of Talmud at the Jewish T ...

, professor of Talmud,

Jewish Theological Seminary of America The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) is a Conservative Jewish education organization in New York City, New York. It is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism as well as a hub for academic scholarship in Jewish studies ...

Harry Austryn Wolfson Harry Austryn Wolfson (November 2, 1887 – September 19, 1974) was an American scholar, philosopher, and historian at Harvard University, and the first chairman of a Judaic Studies Center in the United States. He is known for his seminal work on ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

scholar * Moshe Zilberg, Israeli jurist

Notes

References

External links

''Yeshiva of Slobodka'', YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe
{{Authority control Slabodka yeshiva Defunct schools in Kaunas Jews and Judaism in Kaunas Musar movement Yeshivas of Lithuania The Holocaust in Lithuania Pre–World War II European yeshivas Haredi Judaism in Lithuania

Origins

Division

World War I

Partial relocation to Palestine

Holocaust and relocation to Israel

Prominent alumni

Rabbis

Other

See also

Notes

References

External links