(AMERICAN JUDAICA).

AUCTION 40 | Thursday, June 26th, 2008 at 1:00

Fine Judaica: Printed Books, Manuscripts, Autograph Letters, Graphic & Ceremonial Art

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Lot 258

(AMERICAN JUDAICA).

(SILVER, ELIEZER). Important archive of c. 206 letters from rabbis of communities throughout North America all written to Rabbi Eliezer Silver (1882-1968), President of the Agudath Harabanim de-Artzoth ha-Berith ve-Kanada (Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada). These letters, in Hebrew and occasionally Yiddish, reflect the trying conditions of the American Orthodox rabbinate in the first half of the 20th-century. Also reflected in several communiqués is the linguistic and sociological shift, as elder rabbis, educated in the yeshivoth of Eastern Europe, felt threatened by young American rabbis trained at Yeshiva University and able to preach in the English language. Beyond that, there is felt the tension between the Agudath Harabanim, headed by R. Silver, and the competing rabbinic organization "Knesseth Harabanim," headed by R. Gavriel Ze'ev ["Velveleh"] Margolis; and yet later, the threat posed by the newly formed "Mo'etzeth Gedolei Hatorah" of the Agudath Israel movement. Oftentimes, Silver was called into a community to settle a dispute between warring factions. Many of the letters are devoted - if not totally, then partially - to Divrei Torah, especially Seder Kodashim which was R. Silver's forté. R. Silver's wont was to pen his responses to these halachic queries or novellae in the margins of the incoming letter. See Aaron Rakeffet-Rothkoff, Silver Era in American Jewish Orthodoxy: Rabbi Eliezer Silver and His Generation (1982); Joshua Hoffman, The American Rabbinic Career of Rabbi Gavriel Zev Margolis (Master's thesis, Bernard Revel Graduate School, Yeshiva University, 1992); Silver Linings: A Memoir by Rabbi David L. Silver (Harrisburg, 1997), EJ, Vol. XIV, cols. 1544-5

Est: $4,000 - $6,000

PRICE REALIZED $13,000

Unpublished Questions to and Responsa by the Dean of American Orthodox Rabbis. An Important Archive for Research of the American Orthdox Rabbinate. Letters include those written by well-known Rabbis: Joseph Konvitz, Newark; Bernard L. Levinthal, Philadelphia; Moses Zebulun (Rama"z) Margolies, New York; Judah Leib (Louis) Seltzer (Agudath Harabanim); Moshe Shimon Sivitz, Pittsburgh; Ephraim E. Yolles, Philadelphia. Additionally: J. Adler (NY); J. Bauman (Los Angeles); M. Berman (L.A.); B. Boruchoff (Malden, MA); J. Braver (Kansas City; L.A.); A.D. Burack (Brooklyn); H. Dachowitz (Brownsville-Brooklyn); E. Epstein (Chicago); H.F. Epstein (St. Louis); Ch. B. Ginsberg (Vancouver); M.I. Goldberg (Danville, VA); M.M. Goldberg (Saratoga Springs, NY); M.J.Golinkin (Worcester, MA); L. Gorelick (Springfield, MA); D. Graubart (Rock Island, IL); E. Greenblatt (Memphis); Leopold Greenwald, (Columbus, OH); H. Heiman (Minneapolis, Minn.); H. Herson (Winnipeg); M. Hirshprung (Canton, OH; Columbus, OH; Long Branch, NJ); C. Hoffenberg (Hartford); M. Hurewitz (NY); J.B. Hurvitz (St. Paul); Z. Hurwitz (Worcester, MA); F. Israelite (Chelsea, MA); M.W. Kahn (Chicago); I. Karlinsky (NY); S.A. Katz (Indianapolis); M. Klatchko (Dorchester, MA); M. Klebanov (Boston); B.M. Klein (NY); S.H. Klibansky (St. Louis); J. Kopstein (Sioux City, Iowa); Ch.Y. Levin (Seattle; Newark); I.J. Levin (Salem, MA); J.L. Levin (Detroit); M.J. Levinson (Providence); O.N. Levitan (Bronx); Solomon Levitan (Rock Island, IL); C. Manello (Youngstown, OH); I. Marcus (Roxbury, MA); E. Maza (Sheboygan, Wis.); M.J. Mendelowitz (Brooklyn); J. Mendelson (NY); J.L. Moinester (Brooklyn); E.R. Muskin (Chicago); B. Notelevitz (Harrisburg, PA; Louisville, KY); H. Papkin (New Bedford, MA); S.A. Pardes (Chicago); E. Pelchovitz (Canton, OH); E. Pollak (Brooklyn); S.D. Posner (Jersey City); D.M. Rabinovitz (Boston); N. Rabinowitz (Brooklyn); S. Rafalin (Mexico City); E. Regensburg (Chicago); N.H.J. Riff (Camden, NJ); F. Rizenman (Toronto); W. Roggin (Brooklyn); M. Romm (Minneapolis, Minn.); J. Rosen (Passaic, NJ); M. Rosen (Brownsville-Brooklyn); M.J. Rosenberg (Springfield, MA); P. Rosenberg (Cleveland); E.L. Rosenbloom (Denver); D. Rub (Mansfield, OH); I.S. Rubinstein (Providence); S. Sachs (Cleveland); A. Shapiro (Utica, NY); M. Shapiro (Atlantic City, NJ); N. Shapiro (Stamford, CT); M.D. Sheinkopf (Springfield, MA); M. Shohet (Portland, ME); E.D. Stampfer (Memphis, TN; Akron, OH); D.I. Traub (New London, CT); S. Winograd (Stamford, CT); N.H. Zeitchik (Des Moines, Iowa); A.D. Zeldner (Lawrence, MA); M.M. Zilberman(Brooklyn). A random sampling of the questions: whether a woman married to a man who claimed to be Jewish, but may in reality have been a non-Jew posing as Jew, requires a get (Stamford, CT, 1920); whether the unused portion of a Jewish cemetery may be sold to Greek Orthodox (Danville, VA, 1933); whether it is proper for the Cong. Shomrei Shabbos to pass bylaws whereby only a Sabbath observer may receive an aliyah, act as prayer leader and (in the case of a kohen) bless the congregation (Providence, RI, 1933); whether hundreds of deer may be ritually slaughtered specifically for the consumption of the "achorayim" (hind quarter) (R. Yeshayah Karlinsky, New York, 1934); whether Californian hybrid ethrogim (citrons) may be used for Sukot, the proceeds from the sales to be donated to Keren ha-Shevi'ith [fund for farmers in Israel observing the Shemitah or Sabbatical year] (R. Yehuda Braver, Los Angeles, CA, 1951); an attack upon Rabbis Henkin and Silver's permission to use "kosher" gelatin (1952); whether the introduction of a conveyor belt in a kosher slaughterhouse for the mass production of poultry renders the slaughter unfit (R. Eprhaim Yolles, Philadelphia, 1952), etc