(Rosh Yeshiva of the Hildesheimer Seminary in Berlin, Author of Seridei Eish. 1884-1966). Autograph Letter Signed in Hebrew, written to Dr. Zev Tzvi (Hermann) Klein (1879-d).

WEINBERG, YECHIEL YA’AKOV.

Rosh Chodesh Tammuz

Montreux

1949

A most personal letter overflowing with anguish. Rabbi Weinberg thanks Klein for his earlier words of praise concerning Weinberg’s writings, yet sharply notes: “What does praise help me? I am as a prisoner with no possibility for escape. I only live here as I know of no place better.” Weinberg bemoans the fact he has no access to a library, nor to people he can converse with (as intellectual equals) and dismisses the standards of the local yeshivah. Concludes: “I hope to visit America but certainly not in order to settle there. I have no desire to waste what little strength and few years that remain to me on the profane, crass and superficial land of America.” The recipient was a former colleague of Rabbi Weinberg at the Hildesheimer Seminary and served as a Rabbi in Kronstadt, Eisenstadt and Berlin. He later settled in Buenos Aires and published a number of volumes on both Halacha and Aggadah entitled Chochma im Nachalah (Berlin, 1925, Bilgoraj, 1935, Buenos Aires, 1948). His last public position was Rabbi of Cong. Achdut Yisrael of Buenos Aires.