THE CURIOUS TALE OF THE KOZHNITZ-CHERNOBYL REBBE OF NEW YORK

In this episode of the “Rogues, Rascals and Rapscallions” series, Rabbi Dunner charts the extraordinary life story of the only rabbi who wrote a letter to defend the convicted felon Zeide Meir Schmellner, after his arrest in the late 1930s.

Who was Rabbi Yisroel Twersky, the celebrated Kozhnitz-Chernobyl Rebbe of New York? Where was he from? How did he end up in New York? What compelled him to defend Schmellner? And why did he fade into complete obscurity long before he died? Once again, Rabbi Dunner presents a stunning story from the margins of Jewish history.