In the more than five decades that he was involved in Agudath Israel of America, rising from a member of their youth group to the Executive Vice President of the organization, Rabbi Shmuel Bloom encountered literally thousands of fascinating people: gedolei Yisrael, dedicated askanim, politicians from all sides of the political spectrum, and so many “just plain Jews” – who proved, by their actions, that there is no such thing as a “just plain Jew.”

Rabbi Bloom met with gedolim at Agudah events, at meetings of the Moetzes Gedolei Torah, and in quiet, urgent conferences. He chatted with them in cars and on Shabbos afternoons at conventions. In this Inside ArtScroll interview, we hear stories from Rabbi Bloom, many of them not widely known, of generations of greatness. In these “stories behind the stories,” more of which you’ll find in Rabbi Bloom’s book, On the Shoulders of Giants, we gain a unique understanding of the inner workings of daas Torah, in all its glory. We also meet the Jewish people’s askanim, up close and personal. Watch and be inspired.