Rabbi Shlomo Freifeld was an influential personality in the world of Orthodox Judaism

Orthodox Judaism

Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...

 who established a vibrant outreach Yeshiva in the New York City area

New York metropolitan area

The New York metropolitan area, also known as Greater New York, or the Tri-State area, is the region that composes of New York City and the surrounding region...

. He influenced thousands of students and was a key figure in the Baal Teshuva

Baal teshuva

Baal teshuva or ba'al teshuvah , sometimes abbreviated to BT, is a term referring to a Jew who turns to embrace Orthodox Judaism. Baal teshuva literally means, "repentant", i.e., one who has repented or "returned" to God...

 movement throughout the seventies and eighties.

Rabbi Shlomo Freifeld was born in 1925 in East New York. He was a student of Rabbi Isaac Hutner

Yitzchok Hutner

Yitzchok Hutner was an Orthodox rabbi and American rosh yeshiva.-Early years:Yitchok Hutner was born in Warsaw, Poland, to a family with both Ger Hasidic and non-Hasidic Lithuanian Jewish roots. As a child he received private instruction in Torah and Talmud...

, and eventually served as the principal of the Chaim Berlin High School, which was located in Far Rockaway, New York

Far Rockaway, Queens

Far Rockaway is a neighborhood on the Rockaway Peninsula in the New York City borough of Queens in the United States. It is the easternmost section of the Rockaways. The neighborhood starts at the Nassau County line and extends west to Beach 32nd Street. The neighborhood is part of Queens Community...

. After Chaim Berlin moved to Brooklyn, Rabbi Freifeld chose to remain in Far Rockaway and founded the Sh'or Yoshuv

Sh'or Yoshuv

Sh'or Yoshuv is a Haredi yeshiva in Lawrence, New York.The yeshiva was founded in 1967 by Rabbi Shlomo Freifeld, former mashgiach ruchani at Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin. The yeshiva was located in Far Rockaway from its inception until 2003, when it moved to its current location in Lawrence, New...

 Yeshiva. The Yeshiva

Yeshiva

Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...

 catered to individuals that did not necessarily fit into the parameters and mold of what other Yeshivas expected in their students.

Rabbi Freifeld's unique approach to teaching Judaism

Judaism

Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...

 attracted a number of wide-ranging students including the famous musician, Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...

.

Rabbi Freifeld was also a key figure in the establishment of the Peilim movement in Israel.

Sources

• Reb Shlomo, The Life and Legacy of Rabbi Shlomo Freifeld, Rabbi Yisroel Besser, Judaica Press, New York 2008
• Kayama Films, Profiles in Courage and Mesiras Nefesh, script manuscript