Fried, Joseph Elijah. Ohel Yoseph [responsa]

The First Work of Responsa Published in America by an American Rabbi. Before emigrating to the United States in 1891, the Author served as Rabbi of Shokian, Lithuania for sixteen years. In New York, he assumed the position of Rabbi of Congregation Adath Jeshurun at 16-14 Eldridge Street. His work Ohel Yoseph, contains many exchanges with R. Yitzchak Elchanan of Kovno (chaps. 13, 23, 24), and a query from R. Simcha Zissel Ziv, the “Alter of Kelm” (chap. 2). The responsa depict the economic, social and religious conditions of the Jews of New York at the beginning of the twentieth century. Addresses issues such as whether to allow Kohanim who were lax in their religious observance to recite the priestly blessings; the status of bread baked on the Sabbath in a bakery with Jewish employees; travel by ferry on the Sabbath; constructing a Sukkah on a fire escape, etc.