Rabbi Chaim Kreiswirth (1918–2001) was an Orthodox

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 ...

who served as the longtime

Chief Rabbi Chief Rabbi ( he, רב ראשי ''Rav Rashi'') is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities. Since 1911, through a ...

of Congregation

Machzikei Hadass Machzikei Hadass was a Haredi Jewish political party in 19th-century Austria-Hungary. At the 1879 Reichsrat election, the party ran on a joint list with the Polish nationalist Polenklub. Krakow's chief rabbi, Shimon Sofer Shimon Sofer (1820� ...

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

. He was the founder and

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 ...

of the

Mercaz HaTorah Mercaz HaTorah is a Lithuanian-style Orthodox yeshiva located in the Arnona neighborhood of Jerusalem. Mercaz HaTorah was founded by Rabbi Aryeh Rottman, and is currently led by his son, Rabbi Mordechai Rottman, who is the rosh yeshiva (dean). ...

yeshiva A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy a ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

, and was a highly regarded

Torah 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 ...

scholar.

Early years

Rabbi Kreiswirth was born in

Wojnicz Wojnicz () is an ancient historic town in Tarnów County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship. In the early medieval period of the Polish state, it became one of the most important centres in the province of Lesser Poland, as part of the system of Dunajec ri ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

in 1918, the son of Rabbi Avrohom Yosef Schermann and Perla Kreiswirth. In his youth, he was well known for his brilliance, excellent character traits and geniality, dubbed the "Cracower

Illui ''Illui'' ( he, עילוי or עלוי also ilui; pronounced plural: ''illuim'') is a young Torah and Talmudic prodigy or genius. The Hebrew term and title is applied to exceptional Talmudic scholars among Orthodox Jews. It is used among Engli ...

" at age 15 in recognition of his prodigious powers of

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 ...

ic analysis. Rabbi Kreiswirth studied for many years in the famous Torah centers of Poland and Lithuania. Upon application to the Chachmei Lublin Yeshiva, he was tested by the Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Meir Shapiro. Rabbi Shapiro was impressed by Rabbi Kreiswirth's proficiency in all aspects of Torah. Rabbi

Chaim Ozer Grodzinski Chaim Ozer Grodzinski ( he, חיים עוזר גראדזענסקי; August 24, 1863 – August 9, 1940) was a ''Av beis din'' (rabbinical chief justice), '' posek'' (halakhic authority), and Talmudic scholar in Vilnius, Lithuania in the late 19 ...

as well as rabbi Chanoch Henoch Eigis were very fond of him and gave his sefer on Tractate

Zevachim Zevachim ( he, זְבָחִים; lit. "Sacrifices") is the first tractate of Seder Kodashim ("Holy Things") of the Mishnah, the Talmud and the Tosefta. This tractate discusses the topics related to the sacrificial system of the Temple in Jerusale ...

a warm recommendation (the manuscript was lost during the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

). Rabbi Kreiswirth received Semicha from Rabbi Chanoch Henich Eigess.

Second World War

With the 1939

German invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week afte ...

, Rabbi Kreiswirth fled to Lithuania. In Lithuania, he married the daughter of the Slabodka

Mashgiach A mashgiach ( he, משגיח, "supervisor"; , ''mashgichim'') or mashgicha (pl. ''mashgichot'') is a Jew who supervises the kashrut status of a kosher establishment. Mashgichim may supervise any type of food service establishment, including sl ...

, Rabbi Avraham Grodzinski. The couple then left via

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 ...

to Palestine, where he met many famous personalities, including the Brisker Rav, the

Chazon Ish Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz (7 November 1878 – 24 October 1953), also known as the Chazon Ish () after his magnum opus, was a Belarusian-born Orthodox rabbi who later became one of the leaders of Haredi Judaism in Israel, where he spent his ...

, the Steipler, Rabbi

Shlomo Zalman Auerbach Shlomo Zalman Auerbach ( he, שלמה זלמן אויערבאך; July 20, 1910 – February 20, 1995) was a renowned Orthodox Jewish rabbi, posek, and rosh yeshiva of the Kol Torah yeshiva in Jerusalem. The Jerusalem neighborhood Ramat Shlomo ...

and Rabbi

Yosef Shalom Elyashiv Yosef Shalom Elyashiv ( he, יוסף שלום אלישיב; 10 April 1910 – 18 July 2012) was a Haredi Rabbi and ''posek'' (arbiter of Jewish law) who lived in Jerusalem. Until his death at the age of 102, Rav Elyashiv was the paramount lead ...

Post-World War II

At the end of World War II, Rabbi Kreiswirth returned to Poland in an attempt to rescue Jewish children who had been sheltered by the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

for the war's duration. In 1947, he moved to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

and from 1947 to 1953 served as Rosh Yeshiva at the

Hebrew Theological College The Hebrew Theological College, known colloquially as "Skokie Yeshiva" or HTC, is a yeshiva in Skokie, Illinois. Although the school's primary focus is the teaching of Torah and Jewish tradition, it is also a private university that is part of t ...

in Skokie,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

. In 1953 he moved to Antwerp in an effort to rebuild the Jewish community there. This move was against the counsel of the Chazon Ish, and the Amshinover Rebbe. Rabbi Kreiswirth devoted the rest of his life to the Belgian community, became the

Av Beth Din The ''av beit din'' ( ''ʾabh bêth dîn'', "chief of the court" or "chief justice"), also spelled ''av beis din'' or ''abh beth din'' and abbreviated ABD (), was the second-highest-ranking member of the Sanhedrin during the Second Temple period, ...

and

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 Antwerp and was active in Agudath Israel.

Death

Rabbi Kreiswirth died on Sunday 30 December 2001 (''16

Tevet Tevet ( he, טֵבֵת, ''Ṭevet''; ; from Akkadian ) is the fourth month of the civil year and the tenth month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. It follows Kislev and precedes Shevat. It is a month of 29 days. Tevet usually occ ...

5762'' on the

Hebrew calendar The Hebrew calendar ( he, הַלּוּחַ הָעִבְרִי, translit=HaLuah HaIvri), also called the Jewish calendar, is a lunisolar calendar used today for Jewish religious observance, and as an official calendar of the state of Israel ...

) shortly before midnight, aged 82, after suffering from an illness. He is buried 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 ...

. Thousands of people came from all over

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

to participate in the funeral in Antwerp. Among the eulogizers were Dayan

Yitzchok Tuvia Weiss Rabbi Yitzchok Tuvia Weiss (26 August 1926 – 29 July 2022) was the Chief Rabbi, or ''Gaavad'' (''Gaon Av Beis Din''), of Jerusalem for the Edah HaChareidis. He was appointed to this post in 2004, after having served as a ''dayan'' of the ' ...

and Dayan Elya Sternbuch of

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

. The main funeral and burial was held in Jerusalem, where, among many, Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel and Rabbi Kreiswirth's son Rabbi Dov Kreiswirth of Lakewood gave eulogies. In 2015, Rav Dov Kreiswirth (Chaim Kreiswirth's son) and Rav Zvi Twersky established Yeshivas Toras Chaim in the Romema neighborhood of Jerusalem in Rav Chaim Kreiswirth's name.

References

External links

Rav Chaim Kreiswirth zt”l, On His Yahrtzeit, Tomorrow, 16 Teves

Yeshivas Toras Chaim
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kreiswirth, Chaim 1918 births 2001 deaths 20th-century American rabbis 20th-century Belgian Jews 21st-century Belgian Jews Belgian Ashkenazi Jews Rosh yeshivas Polish Haredi rabbis Belgian Orthodox rabbis Belgian people of Polish-Jewish descent People from Tarnów County Burials at Har HaMenuchot Judaism in Antwerp