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 of t ...

who served as the longtime

Chief Rabbi Chief Rabbi () 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 capitulation by Ben-Zion Meir ...

of Congregation Machzikei Hadass

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. He was the founder 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 ...

of the Mercaz HaTorah

yeshiva A yeshiva (; ; 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 are studied in parallel. The stu ...

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, and was a highly regarded

Torah The Torah ( , "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. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () ...

scholar.

Early years

Kreiswirth was born in Wojnicz,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

in 1918, the son of Rabbi Avrohom Yosef Schermann and Perla Kreiswirth. Kreiswirth studied for many years in Poland and Lithuania including the Chachmei Lublin Yeshiva. Rabbis Chaim Ozer Grodzinski and Chanoch Henoch Eigis warmly recommended his manuscript on Tractate Zevachim, which was lost during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Kreiswirth received

Semicha ''Semikhah'' () is the traditional term for rabbiinic ordination in Judaism. The original ''semikhah'' was the formal "transmission of authority" from Moses through the generations. This form of ''semikhah'' ceased between 360 and 425 CE. Si ...

from Chanoch Henich Eigess.

Second World War

With the 1939

German invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...

, Kreiswirth fled to Lithuania. In Lithuania, he married the daughter of the mashgiach of Slabodka, Avraham Grodzinski. The couple then left via

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 ...

for

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

, where he met rabbis including the Brisker Rav, the Chazon Ish, the Steipler, Shlomo Zalman Auerbach and Yosef Shalom Elyashiv.

Post-World War II

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

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for the war's duration. In 1947, he moved to the United States and from 1947 to 1953 served as Rosh Yeshiva at the Hebrew Theological College in Skokie,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. 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. Kreiswirth became the Av Beth Din and

Posek In Jewish law, a ''posek'' ( , pl. ''poskim'', ) is a legal scholar who determines the application of ''halakha'', the Jewish religious laws derived from the written and Oral Torah, in cases of Jewish law where previous authorities are incon ...

in Antwerp and was active in Agudath Israel.

Death

Kreiswirth died on Sunday 30 December 2001 (''16

Tevet Tevet (Hebrew: , ''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 occurs ...

5762'' on the

Hebrew calendar The Hebrew calendar (), also called the Jewish calendar, is a lunisolar calendar used today for Jewish religious observance and as an official calendar of Israel. It determines the dates of Jewish holidays and other rituals, such as '' yahrze ...

) shortly before midnight, aged 82, after suffering from an illness. He is buried on Har HaMenuchot. Thousands of people came from all over

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

to participate in the funeral in Antwerp. Among the eulogizers were Dayan (rabbinic judge) Yitzchok Tuvia Weiss and Dayan Elya Sternbuch. Thereafter, the main funeral and burial were held in Jerusalem, where Nosson Tzvi Finkel and others gave eulogies.

Legacy

In 2015, Rabbis Dov Kreiswirth (Chaim Kreiswirth's son) and Zvi Twersky established Yeshivas Toras Chaim in the Romema neighborhood of Jerusalem in Kreiswirth's name.

References

External links

Rav Chaim Kreiswirth zt”l, On His Yahrtzeit, Tomorrow, 16 TevesYeshivas Toras Chaim
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kreiswirth, Chaim 1918 births 2001 deaths 20th-century American rabbis 20th-century Belgian rabbis 21st-century Belgian rabbis 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 Haredi poskim