May 17, 2018
Why Religious Freedom Matters
Why religious freedom is so important to Jews and to Rabbi Soloveichik.
Ask Rabbi Meir Soloveichik about his congregation, and he’ll tell you about 23, 17th-century Jews who can thank pirates and the French for landing in New York. Ask him about religious freedom, and he’ll tell you about the Revolutionary War.
Historical references, as well as references to The Simpsons, Monty Python and the scriptures, come easily to the rabbi, who rarely comments on the world today without mentioning the past.
“We’re only in 1730,” he said, already 20 minutes into answering a question about his congregation’s beautiful synagogue on the western border of Central Park.
