Ephraim Oshry (1914–September 28, 2003), 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 ...

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 ...

, and author of ''The Annihilation of Lithuanian Jewry''. He was one of the few European rabbis to survive

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 ...

Early life

Ephraim Oshry was born in Kupiškis,

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 ...

. He studied alongside some of the most prominent and revered

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

leaders and rabbis of his time, including the Alter of Slabodka, Moshe Mordechai Epstein, Isaac Sher and Avraham Duber Kahana Shapiro (author of ''Devar Avraham''). He quickly rose to prominence among the students at Slabodka Yeshiva.“Rabbi Ephraim Oshry, 89, Led Norfolk St. Temple”
, ''The Villager'' (New York), vol. 73, No. 22, dated October 1–7, 2003.

World War II

When the Nazis invaded

Kaunas Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...

in 1941 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 ...

, Oshry's community was forced into the

Kaunas Ghetto The Kovno Ghetto was a ghetto established by Nazi Germany to hold the Lithuanian Jews of Kaunas, Kaunas (Kovno) during the Holocaust. At its peak, the ghetto held 29,000 people, most of whom were later sent to Concentration camps, concentratio ...

and

Concentration Camp A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploitati ...

, where his first wife and children were murdered. In his book, ''The Annihilation of Lithuanian Jewry'', Oshry tells his story of living through 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 ...

. He related in horrific detail how the

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

and their Lithuanian collaborators viciously murdered Jews, but he also focused on the spiritual life of the

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

living in the Kovno Ghetto and

concentration camp A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploitati ...

. Despite being starved and beaten, the Jews continued to study

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 () ...

in secret, and risked their lives in order to fulfill the '' mitzvot'' (God's commandments).

Responsa

While in the Kaunas Ghetto and concentration camp, Oshry began writing his

responsa ''Responsa'' (plural of Latin , 'answer') comprise a body of written decisions and rulings given by legal scholars in response to questions addressed to them. In the modern era, the term is used to describe decisions and rulings made by scholars i ...

regarding the Holocaust, answering difficult questions in such subjects as human nature, God, and Jewish ethics. Before the final battle between the Nazis and the Soviets, Oshry buried his responsa in the ground. After the war, he retrieved them, and in 1959, he published some of the

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

responsa under the title ''She'eilos Uteshuvos Mima'amakim'' (Questions and Responses from the Depths). This volume was later followed by four additional volumes, the final one being published in 1979. An English volume of the original work (adbridged, with much of the halakhic argumentation removed), was published, titled ''Responsa from the Holocaust''.

Post-war activities

After Kaunas was liberated in August 1944, Oshry and his wife Frieda Greenzwieg, a survivor of Auschwitz, went to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. There Oshry started a yeshiva for orphaned refugee children. In 1950, Oshry moved to

Montreal, Quebec Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, with his family and yeshiva students. In 1952, Oshry moved to

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 ...

, where he became the rabbi of Beth Hamedrash Hagodol. Oshry opened a yeshiva for boys and a yeshiva for girls named Yeshivah Torah V'Emunah in the East Bronx.

Family

In 1949, Oshry became engaged to his second wife, Frieda Greensweig, a daughter of Sigeter Hasidim, at the suggestion of her uncle Moshe Friserman, the Tomashover Rebbe. Together they had 6 sons, all of whom became rabbis, and 3 daughters. Frieda died in 2018.Hoffman, Rafael (May 29, 2018
"Rebbetzin Freida Oshry, A”h"
''Hamodia''

Death

Oshry died on September 28, 2003, at Mount Sinai Hospital in

. Nearly 1,000 mourners attended his funeral. He is buried in

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

Legacy

Yeshiva Shaar Ephraim in Monsey, New York is named after him. It is headed by his son-in-law.

Works

* Oshry, Ephraim. ''Annihilation of Lithuanian Jewry'', Judaica Press, 1995 * Oshry, Ephraim. ''Responsa from the Holocaust,'' B. Goldman and Y. Leiman Eds., Judaica Press, 2001

References

External links

* Individual PDFs of each of the five Hebrew volumes can be accessed at the following links: Volume
"one""two""three""four"
an
"five"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oshry, Ephraim 1914 births 2003 deaths People from Kupiškis 20th-century Lithuanian rabbis American people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent Lithuanian emigrants to Italy Kovno Ghetto inmates Jewish American historians Personal accounts of the Holocaust Writers from New York City Orthodox rabbis from New York City Historians from New York (state) 20th-century American rabbis 21st-century American rabbis Burials at Har HaMenuchot Orthodox poskim 21st-century Lithuanian rabbis