Aharon Kotler (1892–1962) was an Orthodox Jewish
rabbi
A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as '' semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form o ...
and a prominent leader of
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses o ...
in
Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
and the United States; the latter being where he founded
Beth Medrash Govoha
Beth Medrash Govoha ( he, בית מדרש גבוה, Sephardi pronunciation: ''Beth Midrash Gavoha''. lit: "High House of Learning"; also known as Lakewood Yeshiva or BMG) is a Haredi Jewish Lithuanian ''yeshiva'' in Lakewood Township, New Jerse ...
in
Lakewood Township, New Jersey
Lakewood Township is the most populous township in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A rapidly growing community as of the 2020 U.S. census, the township had a total population of 135,158 representing an increase of 41,415 (+45.5 ...
.
Early life
Kotler was born Aharon Pines in
Śvisłač,
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...
(historically
Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
, now
Belarus
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...
) in 1891. He was orphaned at the age of 10 and adopted by his uncle, Rabbi Yitzchak Pines, a
Dayan in Minsk. He studied in the
Slabodka yeshiva in Lithuania under the "Alter (elder) of Slabodka", Rav
Nosson Tzvi Finkel, and Rabbi
Moshe Mordechai Epstein
Moshe Mordechai Epstein (1866–1933) was rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Knesseth Yisrael in Slabodka, Lithuania and is recognized as having been one of the leading Talmudists of the twentieth century. He is also one of the founders of the city of Had ...
. Subsequently, he joined his father-in-law, Rabbi
Isser Zalman Meltzer
Isser Zalman Meltzer ( he, איסר זלמן מלצר) (February 6, 1870 – November 17, 1953),Isser Zalman Meltzer "Even HaEzel" (1870 - 1953) was a famous Lithuanian Jewish and Belarusian Orthodox rabbi, rosh yeshiva and posek. He is also kn ...
, to run the
yeshiva of Slutsk.
[
]
World War II and move to the United States
After World War I, the yeshivah moved from Slutsk
Slutsk ( officially transliterated as Sluck, be, Слуцк; russian: Слуцк; pl, Słuck, lt, Sluckas, Yiddish/Hebrew: סלוצק ''Slutsk'') is a city in Belarus, located on the Sluch River south of Minsk. As of 2022, its population i ...
to Kletsk
Kletsk ( be, Клецк, Klieck, originally known as ''Klechesk'', russian: Клецк, pl, Kleck, ) is a city in the Minsk Region of Belarus, located on the Lan River. In 2015 it had 11,237 inhabitants.
History
The town was founded in the ...
in Belarus. With the outbreak of World War II, Kotler and the yeshivah relocated to Vilna
Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urba ...
, then the major refuge of most ''yeshivoth'' from the occupied areas. The smaller Yeshivos followed the lead of the larger Yeshivos, and either escaped with them to Japan and China, or were arrested by the communists and sent to Siberia or Kazakhstan. Most of his students did not manage to escape and were murdered by the Nazis. He was brought to America on April 10, 1941 by the Vaad Hatzalah
Vaad Hatzalah (the Rescue Committee or Committee for Rescuing) was an organization to rescue Jews in Europe from the Holocaust, which was founded in November 1939 by the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada (''Agudath Harabb ...
rescue organization, and guided it during The Holocaust
The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europ ...
.[ At first, he settled in ]New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
's Upper West Side
The Upper West Side (UWS) is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Central Park on the east, the Hudson River on the west, West 59th Street to the south, and West 110th Street to the north. The Upper West ...
, and in 1949, he moved to the Borough Park neighborhood of Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
.
In 1943, Kotler founded Beth Medrash Govoha
Beth Medrash Govoha ( he, בית מדרש גבוה, Sephardi pronunciation: ''Beth Midrash Gavoha''. lit: "High House of Learning"; also known as Lakewood Yeshiva or BMG) is a Haredi Jewish Lithuanian ''yeshiva'' in Lakewood Township, New Jerse ...
in Lakewood Township, New Jersey, with 15 students.[ By the time of his death in 1962, the yeshiva had grown to 250 students.][ He was succeeded by his son, Rabbi Shneur Kotler, as ]rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva ( he, ראש ישיבה, pl. he, ראשי ישיבה, '; Anglicized pl. ''rosh yeshivas'') is the title given to the dean of a yeshiva, a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primar ...
. As of 2011, Beth Medrash Govoha is run by his grandson, Rabbi Malkiel Kotler, and three of his grandsons-in-law, Rabbis Yerucham Olshin, Yisroel Neuman, and Dovid Schustal
Dovid Tzvi Schustal ( he, דוד צבי שוסטאל) (born July 1947)Donn, Yochonon. "Hagaon Harav Eliyahu Simcha Schustal, zt"l, Rosh Yeshiva of Beis Binyomin in Stamford". '' Hamodia'', 3 May 2012, pp. B30-31. is an Orthodox rabbi and one of th ...
. By 2019 the yeshiva had grown into the largest institution of its kind in America with 6,715 students, 2,748 regular and 3,967 in Kollel status. while the surrounding Lakewood community supports a network of more than 100 other yeshivas and approximately 200 synagogues for an Orthodox population estimated at more than 66,000.
Upon the death of his father-in-law, Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer, he inherited his father-in-law's position of rosh yeshiva of Etz Chaim Yeshiva of Jerusalem. In an unusual arrangement, he held this position while continuing to live in America, and visiting Jerusalem occasionally. Today, his grandson, Rabbi Zevulun Schwartzman, heads a kollel
A kollel ( he, כולל, , , a "gathering" or "collection" f scholars is an institute for full-time, advanced study of the Talmud and rabbinic literature. Like a yeshiva, a kollel features shiurim (lectures) and learning ''sedarim'' (sessions); ...
located at Etz Chaim Yeshiva.
Activism
Following his arrival in the United States, he joined the presidium of the Vaad Hatzalah
Vaad Hatzalah (the Rescue Committee or Committee for Rescuing) was an organization to rescue Jews in Europe from the Holocaust, which was founded in November 1939 by the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada (''Agudath Harabb ...
, working feverishly to save Rabbis and Yeshiva students who were trapped in Europe. Along with Rabbi Eliezer Silver , Rabbi Avraham Kalmanowitz and others, he worked day and night, using both private and government channels to try and save lives. A committed anti-Zionist, Kotler also helped establish Chinuch Atzmai
Jewish education ( he, חינוך, ''Chinuch'') is the transmission of the tenets, principles, and religious laws of Judaism. Known as the "people of the book", Jews value education, and the value of education is strongly embedded in Jewish cul ...
, the independent religious school system in Israel, and was the chairman of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah
Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah (, "Council of great Torah ages) is the supreme rabbinical policy-making council of the Agudat Yisrael and Degel HaTorah movements in Israel; and of Agudath Israel of America in the United States. Members are usually pr ...
of Agudath Israel. He chaired the Rabbinical administration board of Torah Umesorah
The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the s ...
, and was on the presidium of the Agudas HaRabbonim
The Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada (UOR), often called by its Hebrew name, Agudath Harabonim or Agudas Harrabonim ("union of rabbis"), was established in 1901 in the United States and is the oldest organization of Orthod ...
of the U.S. and Canada.
Some of those noted Jewish activists who supported Kotler in his efforts were Irving Bunim, Moses Feuerstein, Stephen Klein and Zev Wolfson
Death
Rabbi Aharon Kotler died at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center
NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center (NYP/CUIMC), also known as the Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC), is an academic medical center and the largest campus of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. It includes Co ...
in New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
on November 29, 1962.[Staff]
"Rabbi Aaron Kotler Dead at 71; Jersey Rabbinical School Dean"
''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', November 30, 1962. Accessed August 29, 2011. A funeral service at the Congregation Sons of Israel Kalwarier on Manhattan's Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets.
Traditionally an im ...
drew 25,000 mourners, with 200 officers from the New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement
Law enforcement is the activity of some members of government who act i ...
assigned to the event, which was described by the congregation's president as the largest gathering of mourners in his experience. The 700 seats in the sanctuary were reserved for notables. In an atmosphere described as being reminiscent of Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur (; he, יוֹם כִּפּוּר, , , ) is the holiest day in Judaism and Samaritanism. It occurs annually on the 10th of Tishrei, the first month of the Hebrew calendar. Primarily centered on atonement and repentance, the day' ...
, eulogies were delivered by Rabbi Moshe Feinstein
Moshe Feinstein ( he, משה פײַנשטיין; Lithuanian pronunciation: ''Moshe Faynshteyn''; en, Moses Feinstein; March 3, 1895 – March 23, 1986) was an American Orthodox rabbi, scholar, and ''posek'' (authority on ''halakha''—J ...
and by Satmar Hasidic leader Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum
Joel Teitelbaum ( yi, יואל טייטלבוים, translit=Yoyl Teytlboym, ; 13 January 1887 – 19 August 1979) was the founder and first Grand Rebbe of the Satmar dynasty.
A major figure in the post-war renaissance of Hasidism, he espoused a ...
, among others. Following the funeral, Rabbi Aharon Kotler's body was transported to Idlewild Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport (colloquially referred to as JFK Airport, Kennedy Airport, New York-JFK, or simply JFK) is the main international airport serving New York City. The airport is the busiest of the seven airports in the Ne ...
to be flown to Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
accompanied by two dozen of his students. After arriving in Israel, the plane carrying Rabbi Aharon Kotler's coffin was greeted by a crowd of 5,000 at the airport. Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
traffic was brought to a standstill by crowds of 30,000 people who lined the path of the procession transporting his body from the airport to Etz Chaim Yeshiva, where thousands of mourners from throughout Israel came to offer their final respects before his burial[Staff]
"30,000 March in Funeral Of Rabbi Aharon Kotler in Israel"
''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', December 5, 1962. Accessed August 29, 2011. on Har HaMenuchot
Har HaMenuchot ( he, הר המנוחות, Ashkenazi Jews, Ashkenazi pronunciation, Har HaMenuchos, lit. "Mount of Those who are Resting", also known as Givat Shaul Cemetery) is the largest cemetery in Jerusalem. The hilltop burial ground lies at ...
.
Works
*''Shu"t Mishnas R' Aharon''
*''Mishnas Rabbi Aharon'' on various tractates of the Talmud
The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law ('' halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the ce ...
Notable students
* Hakham José Faur
José Faur ( he, חכם יוסף פאור הלוי ''Ḥāḵām Yōsēf Fawr Hallēwī''; 1934, 2020) was a Sepharadi Hakham (rabbi), teacher and scholar. He was a Rabbi in the Syrian-Jewish community in Brooklyn for many years. He was also a pr ...
(1934–2020), Sepharadi Hakham
''Hakham'' (or ''chakam(i), haham(i), hacham(i)''; he, חכם ', "wise") is a term in Judaism, meaning a wise or skillful man; it often refers to someone who is a great Torah scholar. It can also refer to any cultured and learned person: "H ...
, teacher and scholar
* Rabbi Yitzchak Abadi
Yitzchak Abadi (born March 12, 1933) is an Orthodox Jewish Rabbi and Posek and a prominent leader of Orthodox Judaism in the United States and around the world.
Early life
Yitzchak Abadi was born in Venezuela. He moved with his parents to Tiber ...
(born 1933), posek
In Jewish law, a ''Posek'' ( he, פוסק , pl. ''poskim'', ) is a legal scholar who determines the position of ''halakha'', the Jewish religious laws derived from the written and Oral Torah in cases of Jewish law where previous authorities a ...
in Lakewood, New Jersey
* Rabbi Gedalia Schorr (born 1910), Rosh Yeshiva of Torah Vodaas
* Rabbi Shlomo Brevda (1931-2013), ''maggid
A maggid ( he, מַגִּיד), also spelled as magid, is a traditional Jewish religious itinerant preacher, skilled as a narrator of Torah and religious stories. A chaplain of the more scholarly sort is called a '' darshan'' (). The title of '' ...
'' and Vilna Gaon
Elijah ben Solomon Zalman, ( he , ר' אליהו בן שלמה זלמן ''Rabbi Eliyahu ben Shlomo Zalman'') known as the Vilna Gaon (Yiddish: דער װילנער גאון ''Der Vilner Gaon'', pl, Gaon z Wilna, lt, Vilniaus Gaonas) or Elijah of ...
scholar
* Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach (musician)
Shlomo Carlebach ( he, שלמה קרליבך; 14 January 1925 – 20 October 1994), known as Reb Shlomo to his followers, was a rabbi, religious teacher, spiritual leader, composer, and singer dubbed "the singing rabbi" during his lifetime.
...
* Rabbi Moshe Heinemann, posek in Baltimore
* Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch, rosh yeshiva Slabodka Yeshiva in Bnei Brak
* Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetsky
Shmuel Kamenetsky (born November 1924) is an American Haredi rabbi. He is the co-founder and rosh yeshiva (dean) of the Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia. He is also a member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah (Council of Torah Sages).
Biography
R ...
, rosh yeshiva Talmudical Academy of Philadelphia
* Rabbi (1935-2018), chief rabbi of Bnei Brak
Bnei Brak or Bene Beraq ( he, בְּנֵי בְּרַק ) is a city located on the central Mediterranean coastal plain in Israel, just east of Tel Aviv. A center of Haredi Judaism, Bnei Brak covers an area of 709 hectares (1752 acres, or 2.7 ...
* Rabbi Shlomo Leifer of Nadvorna
* Rabbi Shlomo Miller
Shlomo Eliyahu Miller is a member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah (Council of Torah Sages). He is a Rosh Kollel (dean) and co-founder of the Kollel Avreichim Institute for Advanced Talmud Study, a haredi post-yeshiva educational institution in Toron ...
, rosh kollel and posek in Toronto
* Rabbi Yechiel Perr
Rabbi Yechiel Yitzchak Perr (born 1935) is an American-born rabbi. He is the founder and rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Derech Ayson (Yeshiva of Far Rockaway) in Far Rockaway, New York.
Biography
Yechiel Yitzchak Perr grew up in South Ozone Park, Que ...
(born 1935), rosh yeshiva Yeshiva of Far Rockaway
Yeshiva of Far Rockaway (also known as Yeshiva Derech Ayson ( he, יְשִׁיבָה דֶרֶךְ אֵיתָן) and Derech Ayson Rabbinical Seminary) is a yeshiva located at 802 Hicksville Road, Far Rockaway, Queens in New York City. It comprises ...
* Rabbi Meir Stern
Rabbi Meir Stern is the rosh yeshiva (dean) of the Yeshiva Gedola of Passaic, a large yeshiva and kollel in the United States. He is known for the revival of the Orthodox communities of Passaic and Clifton.
Because he is the sole lecturer at Yeshiv ...
, rosh yeshiva Yeshiva Gedola of Passaic
Yeshiva Gedola of Passaic is an advanced yeshiva in the Passaic Park neighborhood of Passaic, New Jersey catering to post-high-school-age men. Founded in 1973 by Rabbis Chaim Davis and Gershon Weisenfeld, and further developed by Rabbi Meir Ste ...
* Rabbi Elya Svei
Elya Svei (March 19, 1924 ('' Taanis Esther 5684'') – March 26, 2009 ('' Rosh Chodesh Nisan 5769'')) was a Russian-born American Haredi Jewish rabbi and '' rosh yeshiva'' (dean) of the Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia together with Rabbi ...
(1924-2009), rosh yeshiva Talmudical Academy of Philadelphia
* Rabbi Yisroel Taplin, International Date Line
The International Date Line (IDL) is an internationally accepted demarcation on the surface of Earth, running between the South and North Poles and serving as the boundary between one calendar day and the next. It passes through the Pacific ...
scholar
* Rabbi Elyakim Rosenblatt
Rabbi Elyakim Getzel Rosenblatt (1933March27, 2019) was an American Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox rabbi. He was the founder and ''rosh yeshiva'' of Yeshiva Kesser Torah in Kew Gardens Hills, Queens.
Early life
Rosenblatt was born in 1933 in the Bro ...
, rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Kesser Torah
, image = Inside_of_Yeshiva_Kesser_Torah,_KGH.jpg
, alt =
, image_size = 250
, caption = Yeshiva Kesser Torah interior
, motto =
, motto_translation =
, location = 72-11 Vleigh Place, Kew Gardens Hills, Queens, New York City, New Y ...
* Philip Berg
Philip S. Berg (original name Feivel Gruberger, he, שרגא פייבל; August 20, 1927 – September 16, 2013) was an American rabbi and dean of the worldwide Kabbalah Centre organization.
Berg was a great populariser of Ashlagian Kabbalah. ...
(1927-2013), dean of the Kabbalah Centre
The Kabbalah Centre International is a non-profit organizationworldwide
located in Los Angeles, California that provides courses on the Zohar and Kabbalistic teachings online as well as through its regional and city-based centers and study groups ...
References
External links
Rav Aharon Kotler Site
Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on Rabbi Aharon Kotler
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kotler, Aharon
1891 births
1962 deaths
People from Svislach
People from Volkovyssky Uyezd
Belarusian Haredi rabbis
Beth Medrash Govoha
American Haredi rabbis
Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah
20th-century Lithuanian rabbis
People from Lakewood Township, New Jersey
Rosh yeshivas
The Holocaust and the United States
Exponents of Jewish law
Rabbis from New Jersey
Anti-Zionist Haredi rabbis
People from the Upper West Side
People from Borough Park, Brooklyn
Burials at Har HaMenuchot
Slabodka yeshiva alumni
20th-century American rabbis