An epic journey across wartime borders, The Vale of Tears chronicles two years in the life of Rabbi Pinchas Hirschprung as he seeks an escape route from Nazi-occupied Europe. In this rare near day-by-day account Rabbi Hirschprung illuminates what life was like for an Orthodox rabbi fleeing persecution finding inspiration and hope in Jewish scripture and psalms as he navigates the darkness to a safe harbour in Kobe Japan. Written in Yiddish in 1944 this translation offers a unique perspective into the man who would become the world-renowned Chief Rabbi of Montreal for almost thirty years.