Rabbinic Responsa

During the periods when they were suffering under the Nazi regime, religious Jews turned to their traditional leaders — the Jewish scholars. The body of legal literature produced by rabbis responding to questions on Jewish law during the Holocaust, known as "rabbinic responsa" — or she'elos u'teshuvos — is unique. It reveals profound faith in a transcendent code of conduct that sustained believing Jews then, and continues to do so today. The responsa highlight both the intellectual creativity and the deep sensitivity of Jewish spiritual leaders during a catastrophic time.