Rabbi J.B. Soloveitchik (1903–1993) was one of the most prominent leaders of modern Orthodox Jewry in the United States for nearly half a century. He stood out among rabbis because of his broad Torah learning and general learning, his pedagogical ability, his rhetorical capacity, and his halakhic authority. His rabbinic and Zionist activity also influenced religious Zionism in Israel.
Rabbi in the New World: The Influence of Rabbi J.B. Soloveitchik on Culture, Education, and Jewish Thought examines the extent to which his leadership influenced the character of Orthodox congregations in the United States, what the characteristics of this influence are, and in what areas it was manifested. Should we see Rabbi Soloveitchik as a guide only for his followers, or did his influence extend beyond the boundaries of Orthodoxy in America? Can we determine which of his students faithfully reflects his thought and his vision? To what degree was his vision flexible in relation to the challenges of the present and the future, and how open was he to interfaith discourse?
The book includes papers by twenty-six scholars, experts in the historical, sociological, educational, theological, and philosophical contexts of the work and times of Rabbi Soloveitchik.
The editors are Dr. Avinoam Rosenak, the head of the Jewish Thought Department at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a research fellow at the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, and Rabbi Prof. Naftali Rothenberg, senior research fellow at the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute and the rabbi of Har Adar.