Aharon Kotler (February 2, 1892 – November 29, 1962) was a

Haredi Haredi Judaism (, ) is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that is characterized by its strict interpretation of religious sources and its accepted (Jewish law) and traditions, in opposition to more accommodating values and practices. Its members are ...

(ultra-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 of t ...

and a prominent leader of

Orthodox Judaism Orthodox Judaism is a collective term for the traditionalist branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Torah, Written and Oral Torah, Oral, as literally revelation, revealed by God in Ju ...

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, 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, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

and in the United States, where he founded Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood Township, New Jersey.

Early life

Kotler was born Aharon Pines in Śvisłač,

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

(historically

, now

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

) in 1892. He was orphaned at the age of 10 and adopted by his uncle, Yitzchak Pines, a rabbinic judge in Minsk. He studied in the Slabodka yeshiva in Lithuania under Nosson Tzvi Finkel, and Moshe Mordechai Epstein.

Career

Kotler joined his father-in-law, Isser Zalman Meltzer, in running the yeshiva of Slutsk. After World War I, the yeshiva moved from

Slutsk Slutsk is a town in Minsk Region, in central Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Slutsk District, and is located on the Sluch (Belarus), Sluch River south of the capital Minsk. As of 2025, it has a population of 59,450. Geography ...

Kletsk Klyetsk or Kletsk is a town in Minsk Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Klyetsk District. Klyetsk is located on the Lan (river), Lan River. As of 2025, it has a population of 11,169. History The town was founded in the ...

in Belarus. With the outbreak of World War II, Kotler and the yeshiva relocated to

Vilna Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

, then the major refuge of most yeshivas from the occupied areas. The smaller yeshivas followed the lead of the larger ones, 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 rescue organization, and guided it during

the Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

. At first, he settled in New York City'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 We ...

, and in 1949, he moved to the Borough Park neighborhood of

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

. In 1943, Kotler founded Beth Medrash Govoha 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, Shneur Kotler, as

rosh yeshiva Rosh yeshiva or Rosh Hayeshiva (, plural, pl. , '; 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, primarily the Talmud and th ...

(dean). As of 2011, Beth Medrash Govoha is run by his grandson, Malkiel Kotler, and three of his grandsons-in-law, Yerucham Olshin, Yisroel Neuman, and Dovid Schustal. By 2019 the yeshiva had grown into the largest institution of its kind in the United States 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, Kotler inherited the latter's position of rosh yeshiva of Etz Chaim Yeshiva of Jerusalem. In an unusual arrangement, he held this position while continuing to live in the United States, and visiting Jerusalem occasionally. Today, his grandson, Zevulun Schwartzman, heads a located at Etz Chaim Yeshiva.

Activism

Following his arrival in the United States, Kotler joined the presidium of the Vaad Hatzalah, working feverishly to save rabbis and yeshiva students who were trapped in Europe. Along with Eliezer Silver, 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 (, ''Chinuch'') is the transmission of the tenets, principles, and religious laws of Judaism. Jews value education, and the value of education is strongly embedded in Jewish culture. Judaism places a heavy emphasis on Torah s ...

, the independent religious school system in Israel, and was the chairman of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Agudath Israel. He chaired the Rabbinical administration board of Torah Umesorah, and was on the presidium of the Agudas HaRabbonim 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

Kotler died at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City on November 29, 1962.Staff
"Rabbi Aaron Kotler Dead at 71; Jersey Rabbinical School Dean"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', 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. Historically, it w ...

drew 25,000 mourners, with 200 officers from the

New York City Police Department The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...

assigned to the event. Kotler was buried in IsraelStaff
"30,000 March in Funeral Of Rabbi Aharon Kotler in Israel"
''

'', December 5, 1962. Accessed August 29, 2011. on Har HaMenuchot.

Works

*''Shu"t Mishnas R' Aharon'', responsa *''Mishnas Rabbi Aharon'' on various tractates of the

Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...

Notable students

* Yitzchak Abadi (born 1933), in Lakewood, New Jersey * Philip Berg (1927-2013), dean of the Kabbalah Centre * Shlomo Brevda (1931-2013), ''

maggid A maggid (), 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 (Judaism), darshan'' (). The title of ''m ...

'' and

Vilna Gaon Elijah ben Solomon Zalman, ( ''Rabbi Eliyahu ben Shlomo Zalman''), also known as the Vilna Gaon ( ''Der Vilner Goen''; ; or Elijah of Vilna, or by his Hebrew acronym Gr"a ("Gaon Rabbenu Eliyahu": "Our great teacher Elijah"; Sialiec, April 23, 172 ...

scholar *

Shlomo Carlebach (musician) Shlomo Carlebach (; January 14, 1925 – October 20, 1994), known as Reb Shlomo to his followers, was an American rabbi and musician nicknamed "the Singing Rabbi". Although his roots lay in traditional Orthodox yeshivot, he branched out to c ...

* José Faur (1934–2020), Sepharadi , teacher and scholar * Moshe Heinemann, in Baltimore * Leib Heyman, Rav Beis Knesses HaGra, Jerusalem Israel * Moshe Hillel Hirsch, rosh yeshiva Slabodka Yeshiva in Bnei Brak * Shmuel Kamenetsky, rosh yeshiva Talmudical Academy of Philadelphia * (1935-2018), chief rabbi of

Bnei Brak Bnei Brak ( ) or Bene Beraq, is a city located on the central Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean Israeli coastal plain, coastal plain in Israel, just east of Tel Aviv. A center of Haredi Judaism, Bnei Brak covers an area of 709 hectares (1,752 acre ...

* Shlomo Leifer of Nadvorna * Shlomo Miller, rosh kollel and in Toronto *

Yechiel Perr Yechiel Yitzchok Perr (1935– May 3, 2024) was an American rabbi. He was the founder and rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Derech Ayson ( Yeshiva of Far Rockaway) in Far Rockaway, New York. Biography Yechiel Yitzchak Perr was born and raised in South ...

(born 1935), rosh yeshiva Yeshiva of Far Rockaway * Elyakim Rosenblatt, rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Kesser Torah * Gedalia Schorr (born 1910), rosh yeshiva of Torah Vodaas * Meir Stern, rosh yeshiva Yeshiva Gedola of Passaic * Elya Svei (1924-2009), rosh yeshiva Talmudical Academy of Philadelphia * Yisroel Taplin,

International Date Line The International Date Line (IDL) is the line extending between the South and North Poles that is the boundary between one calendar day and the next. It passes through the Pacific Ocean, roughly following the 180.0° line of longitude and de ...

scholar

References

External links

With Fire In His Eyes: The Burning Mission of Rav Aharon Kotler

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 Haredi poskim