Gershon Liebman was a rabbi, Holocaust survivor, and leader of the Novardok Yeshiva movement after World War II.
15 Facts About Gershon Liebman
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Gershon Liebman was the rosh yeshiva of the Novardok Yeshiva in France, where he created 40 Torah institutions.
3.
Gershon Liebman approached the Jewish head of the ghetto and asked if he could open a yeshiva.
4.
Gershon Liebman collected as many ration cards as he could for the yeshiva staff and saved many people that way.
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Gershon Liebman continued to study musar and work on his character traits just as if he was still in the yeshiva.
6.
Gershon Liebman found an old synagogue in Hanover with a full set of Mishnayos, and divided it up so the boys would have something to study.
7.
At a time when there were many Jews in France, but little Jewish infrastructure in place, Gershon Liebman was instrumental in building a network of Jewish schools in Lyon, Marseilles, Paris and farther afield.
8.
When Gershon Liebman obtained funding from the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee to set up a yeshiva, and eventually a full-fledged community, he set his sights on rural France, far from the distractions of the big city and close to the forest he felt was a critical element in full-blown service of God.
9.
Gershon Liebman had no question that the funding he secured from the Joint was God's personal stamp of approval for the project.
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Gershon Liebman traveled to Morocco to spread the word about the yeshiva, spending five weeks going from village to village recruiting boys.
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Gershon Liebman was always perfecting his character traits and running away from honor.
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Gershon Liebman would spend hours alone in the forest, and encouraged others to do the same.
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Gershon Liebman spoke every Friday night and on Motzei Shabbat, telling people what they needed and what they didn't really need, what they could relinquish and what they shouldn't.
14.
Grade and Gershon Liebman had been friends in Novardok before the war.
15.
Grade recounted that he had a short conversation with Gershon Liebman, and created this story on what he imagined Gershon Liebman would say to him if he had the words.