Yehezkel Abramsky

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Lithuanian rabbi and scholar (1886–1976)

Yehezkel Abramsky
יחזקאל אברמסקי
Rav Yechezkel Abramsky
TitleRabbi
Personal life
Born(1886-02-07)7 February 1886
Died19 September 1976(1976-09-19) (aged 90)
NationalityRussian
SpouseHendl Reizel
ChildrenChimen Abramsky
Religious life
ReligionJudaism
DenominationOrthodox Judaism
PositionRosh yeshiva
YeshivaSlabodka yeshiva
PositionSeniorDayan
OrganisationLondon Beth Din
Yahrtzeit24 Elul 5736
BuriedHar HaMenuchot

Yehezkel Abramsky (Hebrew:יחזקאל אברמסקי; 7 February 1886 – 19 September 1976), also affectionately referred to asReb Chatzkel Abramsky, was a prominent and influentialLithuanian JewishOrthodoxrabbi and scholar, born and raised in theRussian Empire, who later headed theLondon Beth Din rabbinical court for 17 years,[1] before retiring toJerusalem in 1951.[2]

Rabbinate and scholarship

Yehezkel Abramsky was born inDashkovichy,Grodno Governorate,Russian Empire (in present-dayBelarus) was the third child and eldest son of Mordechai Zalman Abramsky, a local timber merchant, and his wife, Freydel Goldin of Grodno.[3] His parents were deeply religious but the village lacked enough Jews to support a prayer service so Yehezkel studied at home before moving on to study in theyeshivas ofTelz,Mir,Slabodka and particularlyBrisk under RabbiChaim Soloveitchik. At the age of 17 he became a rabbi, serving, in turn, the communities ofSmolyan,Smalyavichy, andSlutsk.[4]

Following theRussian Revolution, he was at the forefront of opposition to theCommunist government's attempts to repress the Jewish religion and culture. During this time he would serve as both the Rabbi of Slutsk andSmolensk.[5] As a result, theSoviet government refused Abramsky permission to leave and take up the rabbinate ofPetah Tikva inPalestine in both 1926 and 1928. In 1926 while serving as the rabbi ofSlutsk, he joined (together with RabbiShlomo Yosef Zevin) theVaad Harabbonim of the U.S.S.R.[6]

In 1928 he started aHebrew magazine,Yagdil Torah (lit. "Make [the]Torah Great"), but theSoviet authorities closed it after the first two issues had appeared. In 1929 he was arrested and sentenced to five years' hard labor inSiberia, where he is said to have composed Talmudic commentaries on translucent cigarette papers.[3][7] However, in 1931 he was released due to intervention by theGerman government underChancellor Brüning, who exchanged him for six communists they held.[1]

London Beth Din

Main article:London Beth Din

He arrived inLondon towards the end of 1931, where he was appointed rabbi of theMachzike Hadath community in London'sEast End.[8][9] In 1934Chief RabbiJoseph H. Hertz persuaded him to becomeRosh Beth Din of the LondonBeth Din, a post he held until he retired toJerusalem in 1951.[10] The appointment of an East Europeanchareidi rabbi to the London Beth Din was a departure for theUnited Synagogue, and started a tradition which continues to the present day. The prestige of the London Beth Din as a world-rankinghalachic authority was greatly enhanced through the appointment of Rabbi Abramsky as Rosh Beth Din. Although other renownedtalmidei chachamim served both during and since his time—such as DayanAryeh Leib Grosnass (Lev Aryeh) and DayanAvrohom Rapoport (Be'er Avrohom), it was Dayan Abramsky above all who established the policies and customs that are followed by the London Beth Din to this day.[11]

Following his retirement from the London Beth Din, he settled in Jerusalem.[2] While living there he also served as arosh yeshiva ofSlabodka yeshiva inBnei Brak.[12]

Rabbi Abramsky died in Jerusalem[13] on 19 September 1976 (24 Elul 5736). His funeral was attended by over 40,000 people, making it one of the largest ever seen in the city. He was interred onHar HaMenuchot.[1]

Family

In 1909 he married Hendl Reizel, daughter of RabbiYisroel Yehonasan Yerushamski (or Yershamiski), the rabbi of Orla and ofThumen, and son-in-law, through his second marriage, of "the Ridbaz," RabbiYaakov Dovid Wilovsky.[1][14]

Descendants

He had four sons including ProfessorChimen Abramsky, and was the grandfather of ProfessorSamson Abramsky andJenny Abramsky.[1][15][16]

Awards

Works

  • Hazon Yehezkel ("The Vision of Yehezkel"), a 24-volume commentary on theTosefta (based on the Vienna Codex). The commentary, written between 1925 and 1975, is highly acclaimed by both rabbis and academic scholars.[1][3][18]

See also

References

  1. ^abcdefSasha Abramsky,The House of Twenty Thousand Books, Halban London, 2014, pp. 57-71 &passim.
  2. ^abRaz, Simcha (2008).A Tzaddik in Our Time: The Life of Rabbi Aryeh Levin. Feldheim Publishers.ISBN 978-1-59826-249-0.
  3. ^abc"Yehezkel Abramsky".jewishlivesproject.com. Archived fromthe original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved13 August 2020.
  4. ^Medding, Peter Y.;Goldstein, Israel (2008).Sephardic Jewry and Mizrahi Jews : Vol # XXII: Vol # XXII.Oxford University Press. p. 302.ISBN 978-0199712502. Retrieved14 September 2014.
  5. ^Berniker, Bernard (1978).Great Rabbis: 46 Portraits in Pen & Ink. Feldheim.ISBN 978-0-87306-144-5.
  6. ^'Toldois Chabad B'Russya Ha'Sovietis' S.B.Levine, New York 1989,ISBN 0-8266-5331-6
  7. ^Sasha Abramsky,The House of Twenty Thousand Books, (Halban, 2014) New York Review of Books ed. 2015 p.50.
  8. ^Bernard Homa (1953),A fortress in Anglo-Jewry, Shapiro-Vallentine
  9. ^Fainhandler, Yiśraʼel Pesaḥ (2001).Beloved Neighbors: Insights from the Weekly Parsha on Dealing with Neighbors and Friends. Feldheim Publishers.
  10. ^Slifkin, Natan; Slifkin, Nosson (2006).Man and Beast: Our Relationships with Animals in Jewish Law and Thought. Zoo Torah.ISBN 978-1-933143-06-4.
  11. ^"About the London Beth Din". Archived fromthe original on 24 July 2008. Retrieved26 January 2007.
  12. ^"RavFrand List - Rabbi Frand on Parshas Ki Savo - 5756 - Torah.org".Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved7 September 2007.
  13. ^"הפרדס, תשרי תשל"ז, שער פנימי, "הגאון מרן יחזקאל אברמסקי זצ"ל"".Archived from the original on 7 July 2023. Retrieved7 July 2023.
  14. ^Preschel, Tovia (25 September 2016)."New Biography of Rabbi Yehezkel Abramsky ZTL".toviapreschel.com.Archived from the original on 1 July 2018. Retrieved11 May 2018.
  15. ^Abramsky, Sasha (27 August 2015)."How the Atheist Son of a Jewish Rabbi Created One of the Greatest Libraries of Socialist Literature".The Nation.ISSN 0027-8378.Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved13 August 2020.
  16. ^Summerskill, Ben (3 February 2002)."Observer Profile: Jenny Abramsky".theguardian.com.Archived from the original on 17 July 2018. Retrieved13 August 2020.
  17. ^"Israel Prize Official Site - Recipients in 1956 (in Hebrew)".Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved27 July 2009.
  18. ^Frand, Yissocher (2001).Rabbi Frand on the Parashah: Insights, Stories and Observations ... on the Weekly Torah Reading. Mesorah Publications.ISBN 978-1-57819-594-7.

Further reading

  • Raphael Loewe, ‘Abramsky, Yehezkel (1886–1976)’, rev.,Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004accessed 1 December, 2006
  • Bergman, Asher and Wallach, Shalom Meir,Haggadah of the Roshei Yeshiva vol 2.ISBN 978-1-57819-142-0
  • Sasha Abramsky,The House of Twenty Thousand Books, Halban London, 2014.ISBN 978-1-905559-64-0

External links

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