Feldheim Publishers

Feldheim Publishers is an American Orthodox Jewish publishing house whose catalog centers on Torah literature and books for Orthodox Jewish readers. The company publishes works on Jewish law, Torah and Talmud, Jewish practice and lifestyle, Shabbat and the Jewish holidays, Jewish history, biography, family life, children's literature, and kosher cooking. Its publishing program combines translations and editions of classical Jewish texts with contemporary works by Orthodox rabbis, educators, scholars, and authors. The business was founded in 1939 by Philipp Feldheim, a Viennese Jew who escaped Nazi Austria that year. After settling in New York, Feldheim became involved in the Vienner Kehilla in Williamsburg and later moved to Washington Heights, where he was associated with the Orthodox community around Congregation Khal Adath Jeshurun. He initially operated a small bookshop on New York's Lower East Side. Customer demand for Jewish books led him to establish a publishing business under the name Philipp Feldheim Inc. Feldheim developed a distinctive role in Orthodox Jewish publishing by presenting Torah books with professional graphic design and production standards. It also helped popularize biographies of modern Orthodox Jewish figures, including books about Rabbi Aryeh Levin and Rabbi Yaakov Yosef Herman. The company's longstanding slogan, “Torah Literature of Quality,” reflects its emphasis on religious content, editorial usefulness, and durable editions rather than on a narrowly academic publishing list. Its catalog includes English translations and editions of major works such as Duties of the Heart, The Path of the Just, The Way of God, and The Kuzari. It has also published influential modern works, including Strive for Truth, based on the writings of Rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler; Shemirath Shabbath KiHilchatho by Rabbi Yehoshua Neuwirth; and Book of Our Heritage, based on Sefer HaToda’ah by Rabbi Eliyahu Kitov. Feldheim has maintained a substantial presence in the writings of Samson Raphael Hirsch, publishing collections and commentaries associated with his work on the Chumash, siddur, Passover Haggadah, and Psalms. The company established an Israeli division in Jerusalem in 1960. Its New York operation and Jerusalem publishing and sales activities have given Feldheim a cross-Atlantic position within the English-language Orthodox Jewish book market. The Jerusalem division operated separately enough that its bankruptcy filing in February 2012 was reported as not involving the New York publishing division, Philipp Feldheim Inc. Feldheim has also served as a distributor for Targum Press. Feldheim's author community has included rabbis, rosh yeshiva figures, scholars, educators, biographers, and children's writers. The resulting list spans religious law, Jewish philosophy, biblical commentary, contemporary religious biography, personal development, true stories, and children's series. Its identity is therefore less that of a general trade publisher than of a specialist religious house serving Orthodox Jewish communities in North America, Israel, and related readerships.

Feldheim Publishers emerged from the Jewish book trade created by Philipp Feldheim, a Viennese Jew who fled Nazi Austria in 1939. After arriving in New York, Feldheim settled first in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where he helped establish the Vienner Kehilla. He later moved to Washington Heights, an important Orthodox Jewish neighborhood in northern Manhattan, near Congregation Khal Adath Jeshurun, founded by Rabbi Dr. Joseph Breuer. Feldheim began with a small bookshop on New York's Lower East Side. His experience with readers showed him that there was sustained demand for Jewish religious literature in English and other accessible formats. In response, he moved into publishing and founded the company under the name Philipp Feldheim Inc. The enterprise subsequently became known publicly as Feldheim Publishers or simply Feldheim. From an early stage, Feldheim distinguished itself through the professional presentation of Torah books. The company is described as an early publisher to bring more polished graphic design and production practices to Torah publishing. This helped position its books as both religiously authoritative and commercially accessible. Alongside traditional religious works, Feldheim developed a notable list of biographies of modern Orthodox Jewish figures. Books such as A Tzaddik in Our Time, about Rabbi Aryeh Levin, and All For the Boss, about Rabbi Yaakov Yosef Herman, connected religious ideals with documented personal narratives and became representative of the house's approach to Orthodox biography. The company adopted the slogan “Torah Literature of Quality” and built its list around both classical and modern works. Its classical program included English versions of Duties of the Heart, The Path of the Just, The Way of God, and The Kuzari. These books made major works of Jewish ethics, philosophy, and theology available to a broader English-reading audience. Its modern religious list included Strive for Truth, based on the writings of Rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler; Shemirath Shabbath KiHilchatho by Rabbi Yehoshua Neuwirth; and Book of Our Heritage, based on Sefer HaToda’ah by Rabbi Eliyahu Kitov and translated by Rabbi Nachman Bulman. Feldheim also became closely associated with the writings of Samson Raphael Hirsch. Its catalog has included much of Hirsch's work, including collected writings and commentaries on the Chumash, siddur, Passover Haggadah, and Tehillim. This publishing activity reinforced the company's role as a significant English-language source for Orthodox Jewish thought and interpretation. International expansion within its core religious market came with the creation of an Israeli division on Beit Hadfus Street in Jerusalem in 1960. The Jerusalem operation provided publishing and sales capabilities in Israel while the New York headquarters continued to serve the American market. Feldheim also acted as a distributor for Targum Press, extending its role beyond its own imprint. Over time, the catalog broadened beyond rabbinic and classical texts. It came to include books on halakhah, Jewish history, biography, Jewish family and lifestyle, Shabbat and holiday observance, kosher cooking, and children's literature. Authors associated with the house have included Joseph Breuer, Aharon Feldman, Emanuel Feldman, Pesach Eliyahu Falk, Moshe Hubner, Dovid Kaplan, Yehuda Levi, Ruchoma Shain, Nathan Sternfeld, Yisroel Taplin, and Hanoch Teller, among others. In February 2012, Feldheim's Israeli division declared bankruptcy. Available descriptions distinguish that proceeding from the New York publishing division, Philipp Feldheim Inc.; the event therefore represents a setback or restructuring issue for the Israeli operation rather than evidence that the American publisher ceased to exist. Feldheim remains identified as an active Orthodox Jewish publisher with New York headquarters and publishing and sales activities in Jerusalem.

• 2012

  Israeli division declares bankruptcy

  [1]Feldheim Publishersen.wikipedia.org

  The Israeli division filed for bankruptcy; the filing was described as separate from the New York publishing division.

• 1960

  Israeli division established

  [1]Feldheim Publishersen.wikipedia.org

  Feldheim established an Israeli division on Beit Hadfus Street in Jerusalem.

• 1939

  Company founded in New York

  [1]Feldheim Publishersen.wikipedia.org

  Philipp Feldheim founded the publishing business after escaping Nazi Austria and establishing himself in New York.

A specialist Orthodox Jewish publishing house positioned around high-quality Torah literature, practical religious guidance, classical-text translations, contemporary Orthodox biography, and family-oriented Jewish reading.

• Religious classics

  Classical Torah translations

  Feldheim publishes accessible English editions and translations of major Jewish ethical, philosophical, and theological works, including Duties of the Heart, The Path of the Just, The Way of God, and The Kuzari. These editions connect the company's commercial publishing role with its stated commitment to preserving and disseminating foundational Torah literature.

• Jewish law and thought

  Modern Orthodox religious works

  This line covers contemporary rabbinic scholarship and practical religious guidance. Examples include Strive for Truth, based on Rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler's writings; Shemirath Shabbath KiHilchatho by Rabbi Yehoshua Neuwirth; and Book of Our Heritage, based on Sefer HaToda’ah by Rabbi Eliyahu Kitov. The books address belief, Jewish law, Shabbat, communal practice, and the annual Jewish calendar.

• Collected religious works

  Samson Raphael Hirsch works

  Feldheim's catalog includes a substantial body of writings associated with Samson Raphael Hirsch, including collected writings and commentaries on the Chumash, siddur, Passover Haggadah, and Psalms. This part of the list serves readers seeking the intellectual and exegetical tradition associated with modern Orthodox Judaism.

• Biography

  Orthodox Jewish biographies

  Feldheim helped develop a market for biographies of modern Orthodox Jewish figures. A Tzaddik in Our Time, about Rabbi Aryeh Levin, and All For the Boss, Ruchoma Shain's biography of her father Yaakov Yosef Herman, exemplify books that present religious values through the lives and experiences of rabbis and community leaders.

• Children's literature

  Children's books

  The children's list extends Feldheim's religious publishing mission to younger readers. It includes Jewish stories and educational reading, including Nathan Sternfeld's Adventures with Rebbe Mendel series. The category sits alongside the company's adult religious, historical, and family-oriented books.

• Lifestyle and cooking

  Jewish lifestyle and kosher cookbooks

  Feldheim publishes practical titles addressing Jewish family life, religious observance, holidays, and kosher cooking. These books broaden the imprint beyond formal scholarship and provide household-oriented guidance and reading for Orthodox Jewish communities.

• 2012

  Israeli division bankruptcy filingOther

  Background

  The Israeli division encountered financial difficulties and entered bankruptcy proceedings in February 2012.

  Action taken

  The Israeli division declared bankruptcy.

  Aftermath

  The filing was reported as separate from Philipp Feldheim Inc., the New York publishing division, so it did not establish that the overall Feldheim publishing business had ceased operations.

  Source

• 1960

  Establishment of a Jerusalem divisionStrategy

  Background

  Feldheim had developed as a New York-based Orthodox Jewish publisher and sought a direct presence in Israel, a major center of Jewish scholarship, publishing, and religious readership.

  Action taken

  The company established an Israeli publishing and sales division on Beit Hadfus Street in Jerusalem.

  Aftermath

  The Jerusalem operation gave Feldheim a continuing presence alongside its New York headquarters and supported its cross-Atlantic publishing model.

  Source

1. 1Feldheim Publishersen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Feldheim Publishers official websitefeldheim.com