Chaim Dov Keller (1930August 17, 2020) was an American

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

ic scholar, and

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) of the Telshe Yeshiva in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

for six decades. He was also a member of the "''Nesius''" (Presidium) of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of

Agudath Israel of America Agudath Israel of America (; also called the Agudah) is an American organization that represents Haredi Judaism, Haredi Orthodox Jews. It is loosely affiliated with the international World Agudath Israel. Agudah seeks to meet the needs of the Har ...

Biography

Chaim Dov Keller was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1930.Hellman, Gershon. "Rav Chaim Dov Keller, zt'l". '' Ami'', August 19, 2020, pp. 46–7. He studied at

Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a Private university, private Modern Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City.

and subsequently attended the Telshe yeshiva in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

, under the leadership of Rabbis Chaim Mordechai Katz and Eliyahu Meir Bloch. Keller became a student and disciple of Bloch in particular.

Telshe yeshiva in Chicago and Agudath Israel of America

In 1960, Rabbi Avrohom Chaim Levin and Rabbi Chaim Schmelczer were hand-picked by Katz to open a new branch of the yeshiva in Chicago. Keller came to serve as

of the Chicago branch the following year. The Chicago yeshiva became the main non-Hasidic Lithuanian yeshiva in Chicago. Keller led the yeshiva for six decades, presenting tens of thousands of '' shiurim'' (Torah lectures) and '' mussar'' talks, and producing thousands of students. He also maintained a personal relationship with each student, being a source of guidance for his choice of higher yeshivas, finding a ''

shidduch The ''Shidduch'' (, pl. ''shidduchim'' , Aramaic ''shidduchin)'' is a system of matchmaking in which Jewish singles are introduced to one another in Orthodox Jewish communities for the purpose of marriage. The practice In the past and until t ...

'', and advice after marriage.

Recognition by Agudath Israel

With the passage of time, and as a relatively significant number of alumni graduated from the Telshe yeshiva in Chicago, it added to the reputations of its founders in the world of (New York-based)

to which they belong. While Levin was elevated to a seat on the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Agudath Israel of America, Keller became a member of its "''Nesius''" (Presidium), a lesser yet still prestigious appointment. Thus at Agudath Israel's premier event, its annual convention, Keller was frequently one of the official rabbis and rosh yeshivas designated to give official speeches or lectures, such as at the 77th Agudah convention in 1999 (symposium, "Drawing Lines, Drawing Near — Securing The Future Of American Jewry"); the 80th Agudah convention in 2002 (plenary session, "What in the World is Going On? — Searching for Meaning in the Maelstrom"); and the 83rd Agudah convention in 2005 ("

Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; , , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazi Hebrew, Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the seven-day week, week—i.e., Friday prayer, Friday–Saturday. On this day, religious Jews ...

speakers").Dei'ah veDibur - Information & Insight - NEWS
He frequently wrote articles for the Agudah magazine ''The Jewish Observer'' as well.

Personal life and death

Keller's first wife died in the 1990s; his son-in-law, Rabbi Dovid Schechter, also died in the 2000s. Keller was prone to weakness and poor health in his later years. He became ill from

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

during the

COVID-19 pandemic in Illinois The COVID-19 pandemic began in the U.S. state of Illinois on January 24, 2020, when a woman in Chicago, who had just returned from the pandemic's place of origin in Wuhan, Hubei, China, tested positive for the virus. This was the second case o ...

in March 2020. He never recovered and died on August 17, 2020.

Bibliography

Keller authored ''Sefer Chidekel'' on weekly portions of the Torah. The following is a short list of subjects and articles to which Keller has addressed his critiques: *Criticism of

Modern Orthodox Judaism Modern Orthodox Judaism (also Modern Orthodox or Modern Orthodoxy) is a movement within Orthodox Judaism that attempts to Torah Umadda#Synthesis, synthesize Jewish principles of faith, Jewish values and the halakha, observance of Jewish law with t ...

*Criticising

Chabad Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (; ; ), is a dynasty in Hasidic Judaism. Belonging to the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) branch of Orthodox Judaism, it is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, as well as one of ...

Messianists *Opposing female rabbis *Attacking the existence of a gay club at Yeshiva College *A Torah perspective attacking the decision in the Dover case on

intelligent design Intelligent design (ID) is a pseudoscientific argument for the existence of God, presented by its proponents as "an evidence-based scientific theory about life's origins".#Numbers 2006, Numbers 2006, p. 373; " Dcaptured headlines for it ...

Keller also wrote a widely published obituary on Rabbi Boruch Sorotzkin, Telshe rosh yeshiva, in 2007.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Keller, Chaim Dov 1930 births 2020 deaths Rosh yeshivas American Haredi rabbis 20th-century American rabbis 21st-century American rabbis American male writers Rabbis from Chicago Rabbis from New York City Writers from New York City Yeshiva University alumni Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Illinois