Sweet Soul
A Biography of Rabbi Isaiah “Shy” Zeldin
- History & Biography
- Publisher: Resource Publications (Wipf and Stock)
- Published: 2025
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Publisher's Description
Rabbi "Shy" Zeldin was a visionary and an inspiring leader. A dynamic speaker, Zeldin was an advocate for social justice, Jewish education, and Zionism. He was an extraordinary fundraiser and organizer. With such skills, he created Stephen S. Wise Temple, the largest synagogue west of the Mississippi. His rabbinic career spanned two-thirds of the twentieth century, embodying the growth and development of liberal Judaism in the United States. Zeldin's humanity and positive outlook encourage people to fulfill their potential as Jewish human beings.
Endorsements (6)
“To read Citrin’s remarkable book, Sweet Soul, is to step inside the mind and heart of an inspired and visionary leader, Isaiah Shy Zeldin. Citrin brings Shy to life through his personal love of and respect for Rabbi Zeldin, as well as his extensive research. Every page offers a new lesson in the power of community, the imperative to evolve, and the importance of principled leadership. Sweet Soul is a nourishing, healing balm for our own souls.”
“Few practicing Catholics would count among their spiritual advisors and teachers a learned rabbi. Yet for thirty years, Rabbi Zeldin was that for me. I attended High Holy Day services to hear his sermons and to worship with him. More than anything, he was a good friend.”
“Would that we could all have a Shy in our lives to mentor and guide us. Rabbi Zeldin lived the Jewish tenet daily to leave the world a little better than how he found it. Through Rabbi Citrin’s sharing of Rabbi Zeldin’s story, and for those of us who have spent our careers in Jewish education, we are reminded through this book of the way to live, the way to lead, and the way to be.”
“Rabbi Shy Zeldin was the most influential Reform Rabbi in the western United States in the last half of the twentieth century. Rabbi Paul Citrin, who was Shy’s student, colleague, and now biographer shares in Sweet Soul his perspectives on his mentor and rabbi. Rabbi Zeldin was a great man, and this biography does him full credit.”
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