It wasnt just the working class who bought into the warm weather fallacy and filled the numerous resort hotels that lined the streets along the lake. Of course, he did not attend. When he delivered his shiur in Kletzk or Lakewood, it was often a challenge to follow his line of reasoning. The Vaad HaYeshivos, which was the brainchild of the Chofetz Chaim, would serve as an umbrella organization for the fundraising and budgeting operations of all member yeshivos. Hed clarify that his fundamental position hadnt changed; it was rather counterbalanced in individual cases when specific needs arose (such as financial straits, the military draft, etc.). The Torah community in America had a general and we were his army.. A rapid Sovietization of Lithuania ensued. Rav Zalman Sender accepted and shortly thereafter opened a yeshivah there. A few minutes later, they were offically welcomed into the yeshivah. Eventually, Rav Aharon discovered that his mail was being censored and became extremely upset, and decided to leave the yeshivah. When Rav Aharon heard about it, he forbade the talmid from going along, saying, I forbid you from going! Rav Aharon emphasized that while Rav Yitzchak Meir was his brother-in-law, he was submitting his candidacy strictly based on his merits. Amidst it all was the young rosh yeshivah guiding his students spiritual growth, while providing for their physical needs.. November 29, 1962 - Kislev 2 5723 Anyone with biographical information is asked to please send it in. Other family members tried influencing him and even registered him in a. Our one consolation is the hope that I will be able to find some help.. His stanzia (lodging place) was two blocks from the yeshivah, and the young teenager was often fearful to walk alone late at night. The man looked up and asked, Mah hashaah what time is it?. His first order of business upon arrival in the spring of 1941 was to breathe new life into the splintered Vaad Hatzalah organization in order to revitalize its efforts to rescue Torah scholars and yeshivah students. My grandfather used to come for mini-vacations sometimes. Slutzks 10,000 Jews comprised more than 75 percent of the population. From that point on, every day the principal would send the young genius fresh eggs, fruit and other vegetables. His sefer Mekor Baruch garnered world-acclaim, specifically in the Torah community. Rav Mendel Krawiec, later rosh yeshivah of RJJ, recalled arriving for his entrance exam in Rav Aharons home in Kletzk: The three-room apartment was sparsely furnished and was packed with yeshivah students who had come for their daily meal. Rav Aharon's sister, Malka, also in Minsk, traveled in different circles in Minsk than her uncle, the dayan. The NKVD agent began to berate him. Fearful of these. Rav Aharon was once delivering a shiur in Kletzk when a stranger entered. For more than 20 years prior to his arrival in America, Rav Aharon Kotler was one of the leaders of Torah Jewry in Europe, standing alongside fellow gedolim a generation older than he. When he lost his money, he stopped hearing from all the rabbis who had solicited him for donations. The main attraction in Lakewood remained its hotels, which by then numbered more than 100, many of which catered primarily to Jewish patrons. When he arrived in the United States in April of 1941, while the fire of Nazism was raging in Europe, he addressed an audience, For myself, I wouldnt have come. All other creatures cannot fly. The rav of Kletzk, Rav Chaim Shimon Herensohn, is on Rav Aharons immediate right. Rav Shneur Zalman was described as short, thin, and weak, traits that young Arke inherited. Hashem gave you these abilities, he is the one who gave you the power to be successful. ISBN9781510770232. But Ive known him since his youth. While Rav Meir Shapiro, Rav Boruch Ber Leibowitz, Rav Eliezer Yehuda Finkel, Rav Shimon Shkop and others had conducted fundraising trips to America in the 1920s with varying results, no one had attempted such a journey since the stock market crash of 1929 and ensuing Great Depression. Yet his sense of responsibility for the wider yeshivah world was astonishingly broad. How could it be that such a small boy, who in his life never even visited an elementary school, should, on his own, immediately solve complex problems? Following a brief imprisonment by the Soviets, Rav Isser Zalman himself joined the yeshivah in Kletzk and resumed his former post as rosh yeshivah. He knew, however, that many had escaped to the Far East or had been arrested by the Soviets and deported to the Gulag, and he marshaled new energy to focus on saving these last remainders of Europes yeshivah world. The letter described how the yeshivah-farm could also open a cannery that would produce Kosher for Pesach products and serve as a summer camp as well, and ended on a note of optimism: The average worker on the Torah Farm Industrial Project would find more leisure time which may be devoted to the study of Torah, since he need not travel to or from work. Around the same time, Rav Hillel Bishko came to Lakewood on a fundraising trip for the kollel and delivered a rousing speech, alluding to what the Nazis were currently doing in Europe, dramatically saying, Dear Friends, I am here to invite you to the funeral and burial of Torah.. The chassan is in the far left and is flanked by his grandfather Rav Leizer Yudel Finkel. Upon seeing Rav Aharon after five years, Rav Isser Zalman said, Er hut azoi fil geshtiggen (he grew so much), ich hub em nisht derkent (I didnt recognize him)!. During his trip to Europe, Rav Isser Zalman visited the Chofetz Chaim in Radin. ), The new couple settled in Slutzk, where Rav Aharon soon joined the faculty of his father-in-laws renowned Slutzk Yeshivah. We went to see Secretary Morgenthau in order to get permission to transfer these funds. You may leave now, he said, but well be keeping a close eye on you and your group.. Picking up the phone, I heard a voice say in Yiddish, This is Kotler. Just weeks after Rav Aharons arrival in Americaon Erev Pesach of 1941, the Nazis invaded Soviet-occupied Lithuania andbrought an end to the golden age of Torah study in Eastern Europe. Anyone who had made it to Vilna found themselves in relative safety for the time being, in a city teeming with refugees. Hashem gave him certain strengths and abilities and when one sees results, one cannot let anything stand in the way, and must do whatever is possible to uphold the generation and fight for Yiddishkeit. A few minutes later the Rebbetzin entered the bedroom only to find the Rosh Yeshivah sitting on his bed. (Rav Shneurs full name was actually Yosef Chaim Shneur. The donations are larger and the cause remains on their minds as a result as well.. Rav Aharon told him, Your children will not have to worry. Today his children and grandchildren are major supporters of Torah. Rav Aharon is much more than just the rosh yeshivah of Kletzk!, Rav Aharon delivering a shiur in Kletzk In listening to Rav Aharon, one always sensed the genius of a deep and penetrating mind arriving at simple conclusions. He found an unlikely partner in a former Lakewood postmaster turned real estate and hotel owner, Captain Albert M. Bradshaw. This made Beth Medrash Govoha a bridge of sorts, where the yeshivah tradition of Eastern Europe was handed over to a new generation of leaders and Torah scholars. They assumed diverse leadership roles in the wider Jewish community, and were inspired by his palpable sense of urgency to act for the benefit of their nation. One group was in Lakewood and included many students who would emerge as leading roshei yeshivah and builders of Torah. vw golf door lock problems. An issue was debated and Rav Aharon, not yet 40, stated his opinion. The emergence of an experienced administrator for the kollel, helped it gain both legitimacy and financial backing for its initial months. Though Rav Aharons name is most closely linked to Lakewood, the impact of his Torah trailblazing goes far beyond a single yeshivah. I cant answer, Rav Zalman Sender replied. Tell your rabbi that hed better appear at our headquarters by tonight!. Rav Aharon had an acute awareness of the Soviets and their methods. The rabbonim at front, from right: Rav Yosef Leib Nenedik, Rav Aharon Kotler and Rav Nachum Baruch Ginzberg of Yanova. (His son Rav Shneur had already departed for Palestine using a certificate received from his grandfather Rav Isser Zalman.). The Vaad HaYeshivos attempted to centralize fundraising efforts on behalf of the yeshivos within the Kresy region. Instead, he wanted to ensure that the shul was built away from the towns hotels, because he believed that a visible Jewish presence would diminish their value. In Lakewood, Torah iz di beste sechoirah is not a lullaby to put a child to sleep. Following Rav Isser Zalmans appointment as rosh yeshivah in Slabodka, the Alter wished to hire Rav Aharon Bakst as an additional rosh yeshivah. united methodist church global methodist. Bunim suggested Lakewood, New Jersey, since it was out of town but not too far from New York. Come Shabbos, Rav Aharon would move into the yeshivah, sleeping in the dorm and eating all the Shabbos meals with his beloved talmidim, then personally thanking the cook for the delicious meals. The attendees were an assemblage of senior yeshivah students from NewYork yeshivos such as Torah Vodaath, Rabbeinu Yaakov Yosef (RJJ), and acouple of others. Rav Leib Rotkin, one of the Kletzkers who survived the war in Siberia and came to Lakewood, recalled that in Europe, Rav Aharon had delivered mussar shmueussen only once a year, on Yom Kippur night. Dershowitz Family Saga. Rav Aharon was the Rabban Yochanan Ben Zakkai of his time, tasked with picking up the pieces after the staggering destruction of the Holocaust. Disappointed, the new Mafia chiefs bid farewell to Rav Shneur and left. Some roshei yeshivah felt that the college challenge could be solved by creating an external college option for yeshivah students. He dedicated his life, night and day, to the building of Torah in America and by leadership of an organization called Chinuch Atzmai, Independent Torah Education, in Israel as well. Vaad operative Rabbi Nathan Baruch would never forget his first encounter with Rav Aharon. In Poland, when there were many yeshivos, people would say, if you would like an approach full of life (lebedeigkeit) then go to Kletzk. He said how, after he asked Rav Moshe Mordechai to serve as shadchan, a fleeting look crossed Rav Moshe Mordechais face and he realized that Rav Moshe Mordechai, who also had a daughter of marriageable age, had likely set his eye on him as well. The Vaad HaYeshivos decided to honor its founder with the writing of a sefer Torah in his memory, with the proceeds going toward the support of its affiliate institutions. Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky stood up, walked over to Rav Mordechai and said, I was the second child., Rav Aharon as a student in Slabodka, seated second from left. The older students would steal across the still-porous border led by the young and talented son-in-law of the rosh yeshivah, Rav Aharon Kotler. Mike rushed straight to the home of Rav Gedaliah Schorr and together they ran to consult with Rav Shlomo Heiman, who instructed them to draft a new visa application immediately. It was not until after one oclock in the morning that Rav Aharon returned home. When they felt themselves beginning to suffocate, one of them told Rav Aharon they couldnt remain any longer. A Western Union messenger handed him an emergency cable, which read: Came to American Embassy in Moscow to receive Emergency Visa. The Vaad worked together with the JDC, in an often-rocky relationship, to provide the bedraggled survivors with kosher food, religious articles, and religious education until they could relocate to established Jewish communities. He told my father that he hoped to eventually have over a hundred students. Early life. He could spend a whole day running around for Klal Yisrael, but his life was coming back to the Gemara., Rav Chaim Leib Epstein, Rosh Yeshivah of Zichron Meilech, remembers Rav Aharon preparing for the trip to Lakewood after a tiring week in New York. The Rosh Yeshivah faced Morgenthau across the desk, and Morgenthau told him, Ransom payments we cant allow., The Rosh Yeshivah, his piercing eyes flashing with fury, spoke emphatically [in Yiddish]. He is about 48 years, blue smiling eyes, small stature, powerful determination, and penetrating vision. What he said was magnificent. [8], Upon the death of his father-in-law, he inherited his father-in-law's position of rosh yeshiva of Etz Chaim Yeshiva of Jerusalem. Rav Aharons shiurim gained renown during the Kletzk era, and he came to be known as a great charif, a sharp and incisive thinker. The mans father, a wealthy philanthropist who supported a plethora of causes including Beth Medrash Govoha, experienced a financial reversal. Completely oblivious to the guests sitting on the other side of the room or the dinner awaiting him on the table, he sat down to learn with incredible passion and energy, as if it were the middle of the day. The appeal netted more than a quarter of a million dollars. Who knows why they converted and at what risk they did it? he countered. Prior to his passing, Reb Shraga Feivel Frank requested of his wife to ensure that their four daughters all married young men who were fully engaged in a life of Torah. Another son, named Boruch Peretz after Rav Isser Zalmans father, also died in infancy. While the Kotler name carries with it a glorious history, Reb Aaron is a student of his mother, nee Rischel Friedman. Luminaries who studied in Slutzk during its first two decades include Rav Elazar M. Shach, Rav Yosef Eliyahu Henkin, Rav Aryeh Levine, Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky, Rav Moshe Aharon Poleyoff, and Rav Moshe Feinstein. Few were optimistic that Orthodoxy would flourish in America, and some made helpful suggestions as to how the Kletzker Yeshivah of Lakewood could be improved. The October 1945 edition of The Orthodox Union, a bimonthly newsletter primarily dedicated to kashrus issues and edited by Rabbi Leo Jung and Dr. Joseph Kaminetsky, featured a letter from a Boro Park resident offering an earnest suggestion to help the yeshivah: There are quite a number of young men in this country who are motivated by a supreme desire to spend a greater part of their time in the study of Torah. He was only 14 years old, but that didnt stop him from being outspoken in shiur, challenging the rosh yeshivah, Rav Moshe Mordechai Epstein. He derided the value of secular knowledge by minimizing its achievement. After a couple of days Rav Shraga Feivel approached Rav Aharon and proposed that he stay in the position long term. He recalled how the small group had been tasked by their general with holding the line, as he promised the imminent arrival of reinforcements. Rav Aharon delivering a shiur at the Bialystoker Synagogue on New Yorks Lower East Side. He probably couldnt. A person supporting Torah, who is Zevulun, doesnt have the simchah of growing in Torah every day. It is a great honor to stand at the helm of a packed beis medrash and teach Torah, that is RAM lofty and elevated. Even with assistance from the Vaad HaYeshivos and Joint Distribution Committee, meeting the yeshivahs budget remained a constant challenge. Rav Aharon insisted that Rav Boruch Kaplan quit his position at Torah Vodaath and go work alongside wife, Rebbetzin Vichna Kaplan, who had founded the first Bais Yaakov Teachers Seminary in America. I could not break out of what sounded to me like a harangue against secular study. None waiting. Rav Yaakov Teitelbaum, leader of the Zeirei Agudah in prewar Vienna and later the rav of Adas Yereim in Kew Gardens, told of a rabbinic gathering in Europe attended by Rav Chaim Ozer. Rav Nachum Baruch was the president of the Lithuanian rabbinate and at one point the chairman of the Vaad HaYeshivos. Unfortunately, the trend toward socialism wasnt limited to labor unions, and ambivalence toward religion soon turned into animosity. They even locked the doors and incapacitated his waiting automobile to try and prevent his departure. The Yeshiva, which now boasts more than 5,000 talmidim is a testament to his devotion and passion for Torah learning.18"x24" BannerEasy to display with metal eyelets; easy to store, just roll it He was soon followed by several others, and the appeal was a success. Rav Aharon and Rav Shlomo Heiman in Camp Mesivta.Following Rav Shlomos sudden passing in 1944, Rav Aharon volunteered to fill in and say his shiur during the week. Rabbi Perr is the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Derech Ayson, Far Rockaway, NY. On October 10, the Lithuanian government signed a mutual assistance treaty with the Soviets, in which Vilna and its environs would be returned to the country in exchange for Soviet military bases on its territory. The granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy, Saoirse Kennedy Hill, died on Thursday at the Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, according to a spokesperson for the Kennedy family. On March 12, 1943, the sale was completed. In an interview conducted with the president of Lakewood's BMG, Rabbi Aharon Kotler, a myth and legend that has been well-entrenched in the chareidi world about famous Jewish composer and. Rav Shmuel Charkover, rosh yeshivah of Bais Hatalmud, shared with his student Rav Michel Shurkin that as a 14-year-old, Rav Aharon penned a kuntres on Maseches Mikvaos that dazzled the Torah world. Minsk began to take notice of the young boy learning diligently in the Butchers Shul. See CONTACT page for details. Arke may have had a shining reputation, but his childhood was marred by tragedy and pain. Yet, as is evident from a speech he delivered at a family simchah of Mr. Wolfsons just weeks before his passing, Rav Aharon, in his wisdom, saw his young charges potential to make a continuing and unprecedented impact and encouraged him to do even more: The plan was, G-d forbid, for a totally different type of education to take hold (in Israel), which would undermine the very existence of a life according to Torah values. public address announcer, bridgeport islanders coaching staff, bobby burkett akron football,
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