Gershon Liebman

Gershon Liebman (1905 – 8 March 1997) was a rabbi, Holocaust survivor, and leader of the Novardok Yeshiva movement after World War II. He was the rosh yeshiva (head of school) of the Novardok Yeshiva in France, where he created 40 Torah institutions.

Liebman devoted his life to rebuilding the Novardok style of musar and service of God through intensive work on one's personal character traits after the Novardok movement was largely destroyed in the Holocaust.

Biography

Before World War II Liebman was a student of the Novardok Yeshiva.

During World War II During the war, Liebman endured many horrors, first at the hands of the Soviets and later by the Nazis. In its heyday, the network had 40 schools and 6,000 students. He would travel all over France to check in on everything. spending five weeks going from village to village recruiting boys.

Liebman would spend hours alone in the forest, and encouraged others to do the same. He also spoke every Friday night and on Motzei Shabbat, telling people what they needed and what they did not really need, what they could relinquish and what they should not.

Death Liebman died in March 1997 They had no children. The narrator has lost his faith, while Rasseyner has continued to lead a pious and devoted religious life. The former friends debate the place of religion in the postmodern world. Grade and Liebman had been friends in Novardok before the war. Grade recounted that he had a short conversation with Liebman, and created this story on what he imagined Liebman would say to him if he had the words. The story has been made into a film, The Quarrel, and a play.