Shrem’s unique musical talents quickly earned him the right to serve as the chief chazzan at some of the most central and well-known Syrian shuls in the city: at Magen David and then Bnei Yosef.

The dean of the Slabodka Yeshiva Rabbi Dov Lando, considered one of the leaders of the non-Hassidic (Litvish) haredi community, made harsh remarks about the religious Zionists and their rabbis in ...