Shlomo Freifeld

Rabbi Shlomo Freifeld (1925-1990) was an influential personality in the world of Orthodox Judaism who established a vibrant outreach Yeshiva in the New York City area. He influenced thousands of students and was a key figure in the Baal Teshuva 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, and eventually served as the principal of the Chaim Berlin High School, which was located in Far Rockaway, New York. After Chaim Berlin moved to Brooklyn, Rabbi Freifeld chose to remain in Far Rockaway and founded the Sh'or Yoshuv Yeshiva. The Yeshiva 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 attracted many students from a wide variety of Jewish backgrounds.

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