As I sit here at the desk of my father, Rav Shimon Schwab, zecher tzadik levracha, with my mother, shetichyeh le’orach yamim tovim,* at my side, my mind wanders back over many decades to the beautiful memories of Congregation Shearith Israel, the shul in which I grew up.

Let me say that our family has the deepest feelings of gratitude, hakaras hatov, to the congregation, its officers, and members for having been the messengers of Hakadosh Baruch Hu to save our lives from the impending disaster that was developing in Germany during the middle thirties. Had it not been for men

This morning, as I was learning Chumash with Rashi in the bais medrash of Ner Israel, the passage we were studying and the ambiance in the room brought back pleasant memories. Several years ago, Isaac Kinek, a frequent contributor to the Where What When, asked me to learn with him any subject of my choosing. I immediately responded that I would love to learn Chumash and Rashi, without any pressure to finish, and to be able to delve into Rashi’s beautiful words, which have inspired generations of students. Since I first learned a little modern Hebrew in Yeshiva University High

One who enters the vibrant kehila Shearith Israel, the Glen Avenue Shul, today and sees the panoply of shiurim and activities, the level of Torah learning, and the meticulous observance of the growing membership owes it to him or herself to know that the its mere existence is a rarity; it is an Orthodox Shul founded before the Civil War that is still Orthodox! It wasn’t easy, and it didn’t happen without a lot of Divine help. Let us now continue the journey:
The Era of Rabbi Mendel Feldman
In 1958, Rabbi Schwab accepted a rabbinical post in New York’s