Rabbi Haskel Besser represents a slice of New York history little understood by most Jews, let alone most New Yorkers. In the 1940s and early `50s more than 50,000 Hasidim immigrated to New York from Poland and Hungary, where their once vibrant communities had been wiped out by the Holocaust. Rabbi Besser escaped from Poland in 1939, after a harrowing encounter where a group of soldiers threatened to throw him from a moving train. His aunts, uncles, cousins and grandfather were killed in concentration camps. In his adopted city, Rabbi Besser has amassed an impressive array of achievements: not only has he succeeded in the commercial real estate world and the diamond district, but he has presided for 40 years over a small synagogue on the Upper West Side and he invented the miniature talmuds often read by devout Jews on New York subways. This extremely engaging character, who has met with world leaders and addressed crowds of thousands at Madison Square Garden, tells his life story with wisdom and wit.
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© 2008 Educational Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved.
We saw the program and enjoyed it very much. We would like to buy the DVD but can not find it on your website. Please tell me how I can purchase this and also the program on Yiddish that also aired on 27 January (I believe it was A World of Yiddish). Thank you. Rochelle
awesome show
I would like to say hello to Rabbi Besser. I worked with him twenty years ago with Ronald Lauder. He was a wonderful friend and I wanted to say hello.
I recently read the book, “The Rabbi of 84th Street,” and was deeply moved by this story of one man’s precious life and his gift or helping others. I want to learn more about him.
I would dearly love to meet this man, who is so inspirational and seems to be so in touch with people.
I would like to know how to purchase the DVD as I don’t see any notice as to how to order one. Thank you.
Thank you for sharing this priceless footage with us. Rabbi Besser is truly a treasure.
my name is shalom kolin, i live at Efrat (gush etzyon) in israel.
the name of my garnd mother was Sara Konesense.
her family name before she maried my grand fother was Haskel.
my grand fother was Aharon-Yosef Konsense. they lived at DZIALOSZYN before the 2nd war.
in the 2nd war, they lived in getto LODZ. they was killed in aushvitz.
i look for any one that can be my family.
pleas, give me answer even you are not my family.
thanks
shalom kolin
I am so pleased to tell you that I recently read another book about a Holocaust survivor entitled, “They Called me Frau Anna,” by Chana Marcus Banet. I am inspired to pray more frequently for the Jewish people, especially the young people in Israel, now that I have read it. I recommend this book to everyone.
I read the book about Rabbi Besser and it greatly blessed me! I am not Jewish but I loved the book!
Hi, how are you?
I live in Aberdeen, Scotland, UK a part of the world that doesn’t have a very big Jewish community. I have a quick question: would/do (hacidic) jews find the attachment of Gin and Jews amusing? Or not? I believe its a reference to a Snoop Dog song. More to the point is it offensive? is there a part of Judaisim that bans alcohol or wouldn’t see the funny side?
Thanks
Dan
dear mr kolin we can be family
please ansered we can be family
Found this very interesting. I never realized how comprehensive the gemara (talmud) is covering every aspect of life…. one could spend the rest of his life studying such. The church in europe made great efforts to destroy the Talmud. In fact King Louis of france burned all the copies he could gather. BaRuch HaShem he did not succeed.
One of the most amazing facts that I discovered is that the entire Talmud some 2300pgs was kept in the memory of Rabbis and handed to the next generation for 1600 years! It was not written down until the time of Rabbi Akkiva when the evil Romans were killing and burning everything Jewish the Rabbi s of that time decided to write it down and hide copies all over the world.
One good source to learn from as well as Rabbi Besser is a free phone site 718 953 6100 as well as Rabbi Weins destiny foundation. I have also learned alot from Chabad.org. The Rebbe wants all Jews regardless of background to learn and become more religious. We live in a country where you can be proud of your yiddishkeit!
please find me a rebbe that can help me. i’m jewish and i need him to heal me. it’;s urgent. thanks, tricia johnson
To shalom, my quest is same wish you the best of luck
hi, that’s a good airman. There is several mistakes but the principal is here.
Shalom,
I am 16 years old and I have an important question.
I would wish to get in contact with a rebbe..
I don’t know if its possible.
But If I want to ask a question I will try to ask it, that is much better than to have a question and not to ask.
Greetings from the netherlands
Luciana
Dear webmaster Such relevant writting like yours should be praised so don´t thank me….
I contribute threads in several pages and it is what I´m doing now, lol!:) and it was part of the reason I came here on this page…to seek for ideas.
I forgot to tell, I was raised In Mississipi from there it comes my different behaviour, an my nickname related to card games!!!!:)
Like one poet once said “The sure cure to lure those mured in a cave is to show them what is pure”……..
Just a small heads up you should put more social network pluggins on your website, like twitter, this is a perfect tool to improve google panda 3.0, thas has been driving webmasters crazy, they are every time telling to do goo conten , but what is quality to Goole staff ???
Good evening to everybody, Bye bye
Excellent study program…a page a day a person can finish shas (talmud) in seven years….2300 pgs . A young bucher just completed it in 2! I have two sites which also help Jews study… chabad.org and telephone study free 718 953 6100. I would also recommend only studying from frum (orthodox) sources…. also Rabbi Berel Weins history series is unsurpassed in quality. I was shocked how little of jewish history is taught in secular schools…there is more about eskimos than us in my college history texts…I am happy to see the young generation no longer being embarrassed about being to jewish…. The Chabad groups efforts are working bringing more and more lost jews back….from goyism… Shalom and bless all good people of the world…we are all children of G-d…..