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The orphan, raised by his grandmother, caught in an unusual custody battle that only a bet din can resolve.
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The
prosperous businessman building up a family and a community on the quiet
streets of Bensonhurst, lending money to others so that they can open a
business that will compete with his own.
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The generous philanthropist cleaning up the synagogue he helped to build.
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The indomitable optimist who pulled himself out of poverty, but who always knew where his success really came from.
This is Nouri's story
He was a man of many names:
Ezra, Nouri (which, appropriately, means "my light"), Isidore, Izzy. He
was a larger-than-life personality, helping to create a
larger-than-life community, and it needs a larger-than-life book to tell
his story. This is Nouri's book.
Nouri: The Story of Isidore
Dayan, and the growth of a vibrant community in America focuses on one
of the most intriguing personalities of the modern Jewish world. The
tale spans almost a century, includes two World Wars, and features a
panoramic background ranging from Baghdad and Damascus to Brooklyn, from
Czechoslovakia to Baltimore to tiny Vineland, New Jersey.
In the pages of this
biography-that-reads-like-a-novel, you will meet famed gedolim: Hacham
Murad, Nouri's mentor and eventually his father-in-law; Rav Avraham
Kalmanowitz, the Mirrer Rosh Yeshiva, whose efforts and care for Klal
Yisrael included the Sephardim of America; and Rav Yitzchok Hutner, who,
together with Nouri's daughter and son-in-law, underwent a harrowing
terrorist plane hijacking.
You will meet men who
create businesses built on generosity and adherence to Jewish values;
Sephardic grandmothers filled with the unyielding strength of simple
devotion; and a new generation of young Sephardim determined to reach -
and teach - higher levels of Torah learning. And, of course, you will
meet Nouri, the quiet, unassuming, and friendly man who became a legend
in his community.
The young, poor orphan
becomes a wealthy businessman: it's almost a cliche. But in Nouri's
story there are no cliches. There are only remarkable instances of
Divine Providence, self-sacrifice, devotion, and an almost extraordinary
level of chesed and caring - a true life odyssey that reads like a
novel.
