Rewriting Jewish history

 In the current Mishpacha there is an article about Rav Yisroel Salanter which notes at the end that the writing of Professor Etkes was utilized. It describes his mesiras nefesh in Paris to build Yddishkeit.

It first raises the question of why he lived most of his life outside the religious community of Eastern Europe and lived amongst the emigrants and irreligious in Western Europe. 

https://mishpacha.com/au-revoir-rav-yisrael/

Rav Yisrael Salanter left Eastern Europe in 1857, returning only for sporadic visits. For the next 26 years of his life, the great founder of the Mussar movement, and one of the greatest tzaddikim and geonim in the whole Russian Empire, resided in various cities across Germany — Halberstadt, Konigsberg, Memel, Berlin, Hamburg — and even spent a curious two-year stint in Paris, France.

What was behind his sudden departure? Why did he remain in Western Europe until his passing? And most importantly, what did he set out to accomplish during his long sojourn away from familiar surroundings?

He left for Germany to seek medical care for his worsening health issues. After he’d been there for several months, his observations on the spiritual state of German Jewry made him decide to remain. While Eastern Europe was then beginning its own confrontation with modernity and secularization, Germany and other Western European Jewish communities were already decades into the experience.

Since I have Professor Etkes biography I decided to compare it to the article. 

In the biography it is actually Part Five the Period of Wanderings 1857 to 1883

In the article it is noted that he left Eastern Europe for health reasons and then stayed in Germany because he saw a need for his influence. In the book it states that he left because he was not able to bring about significant change in the established religious communities. In fact, Rabbi Freifeld told me the same. Namely that he felt he could produce change only in a new community or one that had been destroyed by secularism. He himself used the metaphor of a team of horses racing downhill. Nothing can be done until they reach bottom. In other words, the frum community was not amenable to his influence and he felt more productive in kiruv work. That was left out of the article. 

In addition the book notes the health issue was a mental health issue - severe depression. Churchill and Lincoln also suffered from severe depression. Obviously, it is not politically correct to say that about a gadol

There were a number of other issues left out of the article. In other words, the article was willing to mention only that which might inspire without regard whether it provides an accurate understanding of what happened. There is no mention that the material was from a published biography and didn't even mention the name of the biography. For those who can get the biography and want to get a more realistic understanding I would recommend reading the book over the article. Rabbi Israel Salanter and the Mussar Movement Seeking the Torah of Truth published by JPS