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

Haredi Haredi Judaism ( he, ', ; also spelled ''Charedi'' in English; plural ''Haredim'' or ''Charedim'') consists of groups within Orthodox Judaism that are characterized by their strict adherence to '' halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions, in opp ...

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 ...

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 cen ...

ic scholar, 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 ...

(dean) of the

Telshe Yeshiva Telshe Yeshiva (also spelled ''Telz'') is a yeshiva in Wickliffe, Ohio, formerly located in Telšiai, Lithuania. During World War II the yeshiva began relocating to Wickliffe, Ohio, in the United States and is now known as the Rabbinical College ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

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

Agudath Israel of America Agudath Israel of America ( he, אגודת ישראל באמריקה) (also called Agudah) is an American organization that represents Haredi Orthodox Jews. It is loosely affiliated with the international World Agudath Israel. Agudah seeks to ...

Biography

Chaim Dov Keller was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

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 Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City."About YU
on the Yeshiva Universi ...

and subsequently attended the

Telshe yeshiva Telshe Yeshiva (also spelled ''Telz'') is a yeshiva in Wickliffe, Ohio, formerly located in Telšiai, Lithuania. During World War II the yeshiva began relocating to Wickliffe, Ohio, in the United States and is now known as the Rabbinical College ...

in Cleveland, Ohio, under the leadership of Rabbis Chaim Mordechai Katz and

Eliyahu Meir Bloch Rabbi Eliyahu Meir Bloch (October 23, 1894 – January 22, 1955), often referred to as Rav Elya Meir Bloch, was a leading Orthodox Jewish rabbi in the United States in the years after World War II. He founded the Telshe Yeshiva in Cleveland, ...

. 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 Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the special relationship between the ...

and Rabbi

Chaim Schmelczer The name ''Haim'' can be a first name or surname originating in the Hebrew language, or deriving from the Old German name '' Haimo''. Hebrew etymology Chayyim ( he, חַיִּים ', Classical Hebrew: , Israeli Hebrew: ), also transcribed ''H ...

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 Shiur (, , lit. ''amount'', pl. shiurim ) is a lecture on any Torah topic, such as Gemara, Mishnah, Halakha (Jewish law), Tanakh (Bible), etc. History The Hebrew term שיעור ("designated amount") came to refer to a portion of ...

'' (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'' ( he, שִׁדּוּךְ, pl. ''shidduchim'' , Aramaic ) 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 ...

'', 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

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 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 a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...

during the

COVID-19 pandemic in Illinois The ongoing 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 seco ...

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 synthesize Jewish values and the observance of Jewish law with the secular, modern world. Modern Orthodoxy draws on severa ...

*Criticising

Chabad Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (), is an Orthodox Jewish Hasidic dynasty. Chabad is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, particularly for its outreach activities. It is one of the largest Hasidic groups ...

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 pseudoscience, 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 he ...

Keller also wrote a widely published obituary on Rabbi Boruch Sorotzkin, Telshe rosh yeshiva, in 2007. When the Sun Set at Midday

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