This is a true story so full of non-stop action, physical and spiritual courage, Divine Providence, spine-tingling adventure -- and an utter dedication to Torah -- that it can only be called: Incredible!
As CEO of Arachim, the ultra-successful global kiruv organization, Rabbi Yossi Wallis has touched and transformed the lives of tens of thousands of Jews, and has developed personal, warm relationships with many of our greatest Torah leaders.
Before he became a renowned kiruv master, Yossi ("Joe") Wallis lived a life of breathtaking exploits and hair-raising escapes. It began on the tough New York streets, where Joe led the Bronx's first all-Jewish gang, black leather jackets and all. It was a life that included dangerous encounters with the Mafia underworld, a stint in the Israeli air force, and an unexpected discovery of his Torah heritage while waiting in a restaurant for his treife sandwich.
Rabbi Wallis wasn't the only illustrious member of his family. Under the deft hands of master storyteller Rabbi Nachman Seltzer we meet Rabbi Wallis's ancestor, Rafael Vallis, one of the three last Jews to be publicly burned in a Spanish auto-da-fe. And Yeedle Wallis, Rabbi Wallis's father, whose against-all-odds survival in the Holocaust and journey to pre-State Palestine is something you'd expect only to find in fiction.
This is a story that reads like a thriller, and, at the same time, it is an inspiring account of a spiritual journey.
This is a story that is simply Incredible!