rav aharon kotler's sister Rav Archik had once been engaged to one of the Frank daughters. Though he was well known for his association with Agudas Yisrael policies and ideology, and for his opposition to Zionism, he was single-handedly responsible for keeping the pro-Zionist Mizrachi faction within the Vaad Hatzalah. College education was seen as a necessity, even among the small American yeshivah community of the 1940s. I was once in my office when my secretary buzzed me, stating that there was a rabbi calling. Rather, it is the clarion call that brought a revolution to Americas yeshivah world. Its simply not worth it for me to stay here and miss out on such blessings.), The Chanukas Habayis in Kletzk was an impressive event that enhanced the yeshivahs prestige. Bunim suggested Lakewood, New Jersey, since it was out of town but not too far from New York. This man has a butler who works until then, but after eight hell open the door himself, and hopefully once he sees us, hell let us in!, Once Rav Aharon concluded a rather unsuccessful day of fundraising by telling his driver Velvel Pearl with a half-smile, Dont tell anyone how little money was raised; no one will want to become a rosh yeshivah.. Rav Aharons immediate placement in the yeshivah proper awarded him unique status. Reminiscing in Pinkas Slutzk, Rabbi Moshe Yissachar Goldberg, later a rav in New Orleans, described the painful scene: That winter day when the yeshivah was exiled from Slutzk to Kletzk is well preserved in my memory. Why do you write such nonsense? Rav Isser Zalman conveyed the Frank familys position to the Alter of Slabodka, emphasizing the pain this was causing his mother-in-law, the elderly widow. America has embraced and nurtured a vision of Torah learning for its own sake. In Volozhin he was a student of his cousin the Beis HaLevi, and was so attached to him that when the Beis HaLevi left Volozhin to assume the rabbinate of Slutzk in 1865, he joined him. It laid the groundwork for the establishment of Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood, and for a seismic change in Americas attitude toward Torah learning and living. Rav Moshe Zevulan Margolies (Ramaz) would spend the winter months in Lakewood during his later years. In 1896 his wife Sarah Pesha passed away and he was left to raise his children alone. Rav Aharon was never satisfied with words alone; this was a call for action. This would be especially true regarding European Jewry. He and his family were martyred during the Holocaust. These factors made him more amenable to the idea of traveling to the United States on his own, sensing that he could perhaps facilitate the exit of the yeshivah from there, and expedite the process by breathing new life into rescue work. He relished the opportunity to meet the aging Rav Dovidl (Karliner) Friedman. PDF 86 ve American Jewish Archives Journal The departure was painful, both for those who were leaving and those who remained in Slutzk. The majority of students, however, chose to remain with the Rav of Slabodka, Rav Moshe Danishevsky, until Rav Chaim Rabinowitz (known to posterity as Rav Chaim Telzer) was hired as rosh yeshivah. We cant even fix the building because the streets and markets are in the process of being rezoned. During the final decades of his life, Rav Aharon entered a phase of leadership that boggles the mind in terms of its scope and activism. As the yeshivah grew, Rav Aharons own family grew as well. Rav Aharon spent a Shabbos in East New York as the guest of Rav Tzvi Hirsch Dachowitz, an old friend and respected rav. For saving 24 rabbis from the Nazis, and with Rav Aharon Kotler s blessing, Joe Bonanno - the Mafia godfather - lived to 97 years old and died in bed. 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. Early life. Rav Aharon would oftentimes make extended visits to Israel, during which he delivered regular shiurim at Etz Chaim. All other creatures cannot fly. Mrs. Bertha Rayner Frank was born in Baltimore in 1847 into a prestigious Jewish family of German origin. 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. The lack of recruiters meant that few Americans came to Kletzk. Listen, said the man without the least bit of cynicism. Rav Aharon believed that the appropriate form of activism was for the American Jewish community to aim its frustration directly at elected officials, and that success was more likely through quiet diplomacy conducted behind closed doors. Most of the students left until just a small group remained. For that reason we must daven!. Rav Aharon told me of their experience and emotions in leaving Kletzk. When the Nazis enacted a law in Germany during the 1930s banning traditional shechitah, Rav Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg of Berlin wrote to halachic decisors of the time to elicit their opinions on whether German Jewry could rely on a leniency to stun the animals prior to shechitah. My grandfather used to come for mini-vacations sometimes. His elder daughter Malka was ensnared by the secularist movements that captured the hearts and minds of the local youth. Rav Aharon stopped talking and looked out the window, to the right and to the left. They claimed it would cause collateral damage to an already frosty relationship between Chinuch Atzmai and the Israeli government, which was vying for the same funding for its own educational and cultural institutions. The emergence of an experienced administrator for the kollel, helped it gain both legitimacy and financial backing for its initial months. There is no doubt that even the greatest rabbanim and lomdim of New York will be amazed when they will have the zechus to get to know the gaon, Rav Aharon Kotler, the Kletzker Rosh Yeshivah, who is great not only in his Torah learning, but also in worldly knowledge.. Eventually, Rav Aharon discovered that his mail was being censored and became extremely upset, and decided to leave the yeshivah. His father-in-law, Rav Isser Zalman, attended the first Knessiah Gedolah in Vienna in 1923, and Rav Aharon himself attended and served in an active role during the crucial third Knessiah Gedolah in Marienbad in 1937. Rav Aharon had an acute awareness of the Soviets and their methods. Eternal Child of the Yeshiva - Mishpacha Magazine Yekusiel, sing.. Rav Aharon's sister, Malka, also in Minsk, traveled in different circles in Minsk than her uncle, the dayan. That was Tof-shin-yud-gimmel, through Tof-shin-yud-zayin [2], '53-'57, approximately. He related the story about a poshute Yid who set aside a kopek from his earnings for hachzakas Torah. Fifty years later, almost to the day, at Mr. Wolfsons levayah, the rosh yeshivah Rav Malkiel Kotler, declared, The relationship between my grandfather and Reb Zev was that of a father to his son. Utilizing the emergency visa obtained for him by the Vaad Hatzalah, he, his wife, and daughter received their Soviet exit visas and departed Lithuania for Moscow on February 7, 1941. One of the rebbeim alongside Rav Aharon was his close friend Rav Elazar Shach, who had married a niece of Rav Isser Zalman. The early years of the yeshivah witnessed an interesting blend. When Rav Aharon told Reb Shraga Feivel of his plan to open the yeshivah in Lakewood, without hesitating, Reb Shraga chose some of the Mesivtas best including Rav Elya Svei, Rav Yisrael Kanarek, and Rav Yaakov Weisberg and sent them to Rav Aharon. In Minsk, Arke became acquainted with another budding Torah scholar just a few months his, senior named Yaakov Kamenetsky, with whom he developed a close relationship. Rav Aharon himself provided for many of the students in the early chaotic days. Rav Aharon shared his worldview with Irving Bunim, pointing to American history as proof. He decided to consult with Rav Aharon who told him, Bshum oifen nisht! By 1915, a secular Yiddish school was dedicated in town, and within four years the cheder was shuttered. The departure of Rav Bishko soon after the yeshivah opened compounded the financial strain. Kennedy refused and was rude to the rabbi. Prior to delivering the shiur, Rav Aharon would review it with a few select talmidim. Of course, he did not attend. Was it possible? Mrs. Frank agreed to donate $5,000 and help raise the remaining balance from wealthy friends. Must leave Moscow within 24 hours. His dual places of residence serve as a metaphor for this delicate attempt at equilibrium in his twin goals. The Shechinah shines from him!. When Rav Aharon got on the line, the caller respectfully referred to him as Kletzker rosh yeshivah. Rav Mottel exclaimed, Kletzker rosh yeshivah? Menashe Rabinowitz later recounted how the yeshivah was able to purchase a building at a discounted rate. Rav Aharons shiurim gained renown during the Kletzk era, and he came to be known as a great charif, a sharp and incisive thinker. Rav Aharon Kotler was a man with a fiery passion for Torah and a deep love for his students. Yisrael af al pi shechatu yisroel hu.. One must know, as it is written in the Mesillas Yesharim, that a wise person for example has no right to be arrogant. And since he has the ability, he must persevere! The reply was not long in coming; the telegram was delivered an hour before the onset of Shabbos: Yes. The studentslistened attentively until the flow was interrupted by a quiet but assertive voice. Not this shul and not any other shul I have much bigger plans for you!, Exiting the Chinuch Atzmai dinner in 1956 (right to left) Agudah MK Rabbi Menachem Porush, Rav Aharon, Zev Wolfson, Julius Klugman (to Mr. Wolfsons right in background), Zev Wolfson survived the Holocaust as a teenager in Asiatic Russia and arrived in America with his mother and brother in 1947. But it was his partnership with Torah luminary Rav Aharon Kotler as well as his important connections with Washington insiders that advanced his advocacy on behalf of Orthodox Jewry. Even after this harrowing journey, Rav Aharon wasnt about to rest on his laurels. Due to Rav Aharon Kotler's influence, Rav Mendel was appointed rosh yeshivah of RJJ on the Lower East Side in 1948. In these efforts he was quite successful, and his charisma, sense of urgency, and boundless energy motivated others as well. In 1956, Rav Aharon enlisted Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik to serve as guest of honor at the Chinuch Atzmai dinner, (correctly) surmising that his presence and endorsement would draw a large, diverse audience of supporters. Rav Aharon was the Rabban Yochanan Ben Zakkai of his time, tasked with picking up the pieces after the staggering destruction of the Holocaust. Vilna and its surroundings would be returned to Lithuania which was neutral during the hostilities and in return the Soviets would be allowed to establish military bases on Lithuanian territory. Rav Aharon also delivered schmuessen during those years. Rav Isser Zalman believed the ploy was permitted, because he could retain that height by wearing the slats for the rest of his life. Historian Dr. David Kranzler writes of the somber atmosphere that filled the Kotler home during the war years. Most ofthe Kletzk students, the rest of the yeshivos, the masses of Lithuanian Jews, and communities across Eastern Europe would bemartyred in the Nazi carnage of the coming years. Examinees would know the test went well if they were invited into his home for tea and cookies afterward. All these Yidden wanted to save the yeshivah money, or to expedite the construction so that the building would be completed even faster but most of all, everyone wanted some portion in this effort. Reb Aharon founded a yeshivah in Lakewood, New Jersey. One talmid recalled how Shmuel would recall precisely at which point Rav Aharon had cleared his throat during the shiur. During the course of his 11 months in the United States, Rav Aharon visited locations from Boston to Atlanta, New York to Nebraska. It had clearly made a deep impression on Rav Aharon. They named it Beth Medrash Govoha. Many of the more than 100 shuls in Minsk belonged to the various workers guilds common to urban life at the turn of the century. But Rav Aharon trusted the young activist who regularly drove him around and helped obtain appointments with donors. He bent forward and strained his neck to look backward. Shed often sit outside the dining room where a shiur was taking place and quietly mouth the answers to herself. PDF Saam Chayim - Agudath Israel of America 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. Menucha Frank instead married Rav Moshe Mordechai Epstein. Let us begin our journey with some amazing stories about Rav Aharon Kotler zt"l. The rosh yeshiva was na'eh doresh and na'eh mekayeim, he practiced what he preached. Suffice it to say that Rav Aharon believed that the very future of Torah education in Israel was at stake and devoted all his energies to the establishment of an entirely new educational infrastructure from scratch. At the wedding of Rav Shmuel Kamentsky: (left to right): Rabbis Shaul Goldman, Nachum Goldberg, Berel Peker, Rav Aharon, Chatzkel Horowitz, Paul Z. Levovitz, Shmuel Kamenetsky , Elya Svei, and Rav Dovid Bender. While their fellow Jews were suffering in Europe, there were no sweets or meat to be found, with the exception of Shabbos. This further deepened the yeshivahs deficit. Rav Aharon Kotler, the founding Rosh Yeshiva of Beis Medrash Gavoha in Lakewood, was a trailblazer of Torah Jewry after WWII. He had recently met withAgudath Harabonim emissary Dr. Samuel Schmidt in Yanova, Lithuania, wherehis yeshivah had relocated. Except one. Decades later, he still recalled the scene: I saw an older man speaking with a passion I had never seen before or since. Last year you gave me ten dollars. When they felt themselves beginning to suffocate, one of them told Rav Aharon they couldnt remain any longer. A week later the Wehrmacht invaded Poland from the west, while on September 17 the Red Army invaded from the east. R' Aharon Kotler very nearly got on a train to leave yeshiva and study mathematics in Moscow, and his sister spent the rest of her life regretting that he didn't do so; I thus find it unlikely that he would solve a Communist's challenge to solve a calculus problem. Still short of $10,000, he personally borrowed the funds. rav aharon kotler's sister Other supporters of note were Mrs. Necha Golding and her husband Sam, who hosted Rav Aharon in their New York home. This duo was assisted by a local farmer-turned-real estate-agent named Menashe Rabinowitz, and the search commenced for a building to host the yeshivah. To his right is Rav Sheftels mechutan, Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Schuchatowitz. He agreed to sell his property at a discounted price. And he (Zev) has a tremendous part in this accomplishment (to strengthen Chinuch Atzmai), through lobbying efforts and other means. In Poland, when there were many yeshivos, people would say, if you would like an approach full of life (lebedeigkeit) then go to Kletzk. An early student at the yeshivah described how it was such a novelty at the time, that visitors to Lakewood hotels would occasionally peer into the windows of the beis medrash and stare in astonishment at the men avidly learning. Kotler was buried in Israel[14][15] on Har HaMenuchot. With the founding of Slutzk Yeshiva in 1897, the Alter dispatched Rav Isser Zalman to be its rosh yeshivah, leaving Rav Moshe Mordechai the sole rosh yeshivah of Slabodka. In the 1890s, the Hafetz Hayim had published an entire book to deter Jews from jour Rav Aharon Kotler zt"l (1892-1962) was one of the predominant Torah leaders of his time, in pre-war Europe as the rosh yeshiva of Kletsk, Poland, as the leader of the Vaad Hatzolah during the Second World War, and as the founder and rosh yeshiva of Bais Medrash Govoah in Lakewood, New Jersey. The Russian principal was astonished. Rav Aharon would deliver two shiurim over the weekend, one on Friday night. He had a mind like the Rogatchover, Rav Shneur recalled his father saying. One student of Rav Aharon related how he was berated by a venerated chassidic leader over his choice to study in Lakewood. Also seen to his left are Rav Shlomo Halberstam of Bobov and Rav Moshe Teitelbaum (the Beirach Moshe) of Satmar, When Julius Klugman, one of Rav Aharons most trusted confidants, was in Israel attending the Fourth Knessiah Gedolah of Agudas Yisrael in 1954, he visited the Brisker Rav. Years later he heard that this child had somehow ended up in America and opened a yeshivah. The Vaad Hatzalah hosted a fundraising dinner in December of 1945 honoring Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau and other sympathetic officials. MYTH BUSTED: Reb Shlomo Carlebach Was Never Kicked Out Of BMG [WATCH Donate. Rav Aharon later related how much he enjoyed talking in learning with Rav Katz. Rabbi Aharon Kotler shlita, his family, and some of the older students loaded their belongings onto a wagon and they themselves walked on foot, their heads bent and their hearts heavy.. "It's a curse," Ted's wife Joan tells her sister-in-law Jackie Kennedy, the fresh widow of JFK, who was assassinated the year before. During his trip to Europe, Rav Isser Zalman visited the Chofetz Chaim in Radin. The Chofetz Chaim? Fearful of these. There was no longer any doubt that one of the youngest students in Slabodka was also one of its greatest, for there was nothing more complimentary in yeshivah circles than being the recipient of a full-frontal attack by the great Rav Leizer Telzer who would regularly use barbs to buy time as his lightning-quick mind reworked his thought process. Rav Aharon refused to enter until Rav Boruch Ber went first. During this time, Rav Aharon refused to commit to Lakewood. Rav Aharon himself was personally involved in commissioning the sefer Torah; he hired a resident of Kletzk, a reliable sofer named Yechezkel Peikuss, to write the Sefer Torah, which was completed in time for the Chofetz Chaims second yahrtzeit in 1935. My first memories of my grandfather are from when we lived in Hartford, CT with my uncle Rav Yankev Katz [1]. Sinister as his motivations may have been, Bradshaw arranged the donation of a plot of land, on the other side of the tracks, at the intersection of Park Avenue and Fourth Street for a synagogue. There were threethat led Klal Yisrael the Chofetz Chaim,. I know you do a lot, but Im begging you to do even more considering the circumstances. The boy obligingly goes inside and listens, not understanding a single word. Along with another young activist named Moshe Berger, the duo spent the entire night drafting a new dossier, after which Mike got on a 5:00 a.m. train to Washington and managed to find a sympathetic State Department official to send an authorization letter to the US Embassy in Moscow. Thousands of straying children came home in his merit they returned to the Torah, they became Shabbos observant, they adorn Tefillin, they are occupied with Torah study, and they are building homes of Torah. [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. As the community grew and more Jews began to spend their winters in Lakewood, Charles Goldstein began to envision a permanent home for the budding kehillah. Even among those who appreciated Torah and supported local day schools, the idea of full-time post high school Torah study without the goal of semichah was simply preposterous. Locals also volunteered to assist in its construction. Rav Aharon addressed the crowd and then Rav Dachowitz announced that for $12, one could cover the expenses of a student for a month. At the time, Rav Aharon was living on the Upper West Side and was completely occupied with rescue work, but still found time to deliver shiurim on Zeraim in his apartment to a small group of Torah Vodaath students, including Rav Avrohom Pam, Rav Elya Moshe Schisgal, Rav Yisrael Kanarek and Rav Simcha Schustal. We discussed this issue at a recent meeting, and it was decided that due to the current distressing financial situation there is nothing that should be done to prevent them from doing so., The poverty they faced was on display in another letter to Rav Yosef Shub where Rav Aharon urged, to give on our account to the bochur, Chaim Yehonasan, 50 volumes of Gemara Kiddushin, which are needed urgently.
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