Yehezkel Abramsky

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Yehezkel Abramsky
Yahrtzeit
24 Elul 5736
BuriedHar HaMenuchot

Yehezkel Abramsky (

Lithuanian Jewish Orthodox rabbi and scholar, born and raised in the Russian Empire, who later headed the London Beth Din rabbinical court for 17 years,[1] before retiring to Jerusalem in 1951.[2]

Rabbinate and scholarship

Yehezkel Abramsky was born in

Brisk under Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik. At the age of 17 he became a rabbi, serving, in turn, the communities of Smolyan, Smalyavichy, and Slutsk.[4]

Following the

Soviet government refused Abramsky permission to leave and take up the rabbinate of Petah Tikva in Palestine in both 1926 and 1928. In 1926, while serving as the rabbi of Slutsk, he joined (together with Rabbi Shlomo Yosef Zevin) the Vaad Harabbonim of the U.S.S.R.[6]

In 1928, he started a Hebrew magazine, Yagdil Torah (lit. "Make [the] Torah Great"), but the Soviet authorities closed it after the first two issues had appeared. In 1929, he was arrested and sentenced to five years' hard labor in Siberia, 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 the German government under Chancellor Brüning, who exchanged him for six communists they held.[1]

London Beth Din

Main article: London Beth Din

He arrived in

talmidei chachamim served both during and since his time—such as Dayan Aryeh Leib Grosnass (Lev Aryeh) and Dayan Avrohom 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 a rosh yeshiva of Slabodka yeshiva in Bnei 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 on Har HaMenuchot.[1]

Family

In 1909 he married Hendl Reizel, daughter of Rabbi

Thumen, and son-in-law, through his second marriage, of "the Ridbaz," Rabbi Yaakov Dovid Wilovsky.[1][14]

Descendants

He had four sons including Professor Chimen Abramsky, and was the grandfather of Professor Samson Abramsky and Jenny Abramsky.[1][15][16]

Awards

  • In 1956, Rabbi Abramsky was awarded the first
    Rabbinical literature.[17]

Works

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Sasha Abramsky, The House of Twenty Thousand Books, Halban London, 2014, pp. 57-71 & passim.
  2. ^
    ISBN 978-1-59826-249-0
    .
  3. ^ a b c "Yehezkel Abramsky". jewishlivesproject.com. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  4. ISBN 978-0199712502
    . Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  5. ISBN 978-0-87306-144-5
    .
  6. 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. ISBN 978-1-933143-06-4
    .
  11. ^ "About the London Beth Din". Archived from the original on 24 July 2008. Retrieved 26 January 2007.
  12. ^ RavFrand List - Rabbi Frand on Parshas Ki Savo - 5756 - Torah.org
  13. ^ "הפרדס, תשרי תשל"ז, שער פנימי, "הגאון מרן יחזקאל אברמסקי זצ"ל"".
  14. ^ Preschel, Tovia (25 September 2016). "New Biography of Rabbi Yehezkel Abramsky ZTL". toviapreschel.com. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  15. ISSN 0027-8378
    . Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  16. ^ Summerskill, Ben (3 February 2002). "Observer Profile: Jenny Abramsky". theguardian.com. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  17. ^ "Israel Prize Official Site - Recipients in 1956 (in Hebrew)".
  18. ISBN 978-1-57819-594-7
    .

Further reading

External links
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