In Pressburg, where the phrase chadash asur min haTorah (the new is forbidden by the Torah) originated as a contra- modernist slogan, the pursuit of secular studies was discouraged.
Hoffman's life spanned a period in which the Jewish community experienced cataclysmic changes, such as the holocaust the establishment of the state of Israel, and growth of secularism.
After ascending to the chief rabbinate of Radauti in 1912, Hoffman began reaching out to the secular and even anti-religious communities.
A test of Hoffman's tenacity and independence came in 1923 when he was invited to serve as rabbi of the Jewish community (Judische Gemeinde) in Frankfurt am Main.
When, some 50–60 years earlier, Rabbi Hirsch began rejuvenating Orthodoxy in Germany, he believed that success would only come by starting anew.
This independent community, Rabbi Hirsch insisted, should represent pure and authentic Orthodoxy and be recognized by the government for doing so.
To Rabbi Hirsch, any Orthodox community that belonged to an umbrella organization with heterodox groups had no right to represent authentic Torah Judaism.
Rabbi Hoffman's kehillah did not separate itself from the general community, and therefore, in the eyes of those in Adas Yeshurun, did not represent authentic Orthodoxy.
We believe that it is our duty to be active in various organizations for our goals and to bring out into the public domain the religious cultural values that were created.” This statement encapsulates Rabbi Hoffman's ideology: a strong belief in Zionism and a fervent commitment to remain part of the larger Jewish community.
Despite the disapproval of the Agudah and the separatists (those who advocated secession), Rabbi Hoffman was chosen to be the sole representative of Orthodox Jewry in the nine-person ruling body of the Reichsvertretung der Deutschen Juden (the supreme representative body of German Jewry in its dealings with the Nazi regime).
He became involved in hatzalah work (acquiring certificates for his yeshivah students to go to Palestine) and spoke in cities throughout Germany to help raise the morale of the Jewish community.
Upon his arrival in the United States, Rabbi Hoffman hoped to raise funds to provide German Jewish institutions, including hospitals, old-age homes and yeshivot, with kosher meat.
He helped found Manhattan Day School; he became active in hatzalah work; he took on new leadership roles in the Zionist and Mizrachi movements.
With the end of World War II, Rabbi Hoffman turned to mobilizing American Jewry in the struggle to establish Medinat Yisrael.