He was sent from Brooklyn to Detroit in 1944 by his Rebbe, Rav Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz, to help launch the day school that had been established there by Rav Simcha Wasserman. On his first Shavuos there, the only two people to stay up learning Torah were Rav Freedman and Rav Wasserman. Rav Freedman is credited with the growth of Detroit into a Torah metropolis, including a Yeshiva Ketana, a Mesivta, a Bais Yaakov, a Bais Medrash, and a Kollel. His biography, written by Gary Torgow, is named Holy Warrior: A Portrait of Strength and Determination. The “warrior” reference in the book’s title describes Rav Freedman’s legacy: fifty-eight years of relentless striving in Detroit to instill in children and share with adults – especially the waves of Russian immigrants – his love for Torah and dedication to the religious way of life. Rav Freedman wrote an essay entitled 'We Are A Historical Society', which abounds with joy in the here and now and optimism for the future. “Everything,” he assures us, “is in God’s hands. While the once-mighty ancient empires that oppressed us are but forgotten dust, under God’s shepherding, the Jewish people and our Torah have survived for thousands of years and will survive forever. Our future is “as clear and vivid to us as our past”.
