Meyer Abovitz (מאיר בן ישעיהו אבוביץ; alternate spelling Meir Abowitz; born 1876 - died 1941) was a

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

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 ...

active in Mizrachi in

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic connotations. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Ural Mountain ...

between the Two World Wars.

Biography

He studied in Slabodka,

Kovno 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 ...

and

Radin Radin is a surname and given name. Given name Radin (Persian: رادین) is also an Ancient Persian given name meaning "gentleman". Surname Notable people with the surname include: * Adolph Moses Radin (1848–1909), Polish-American rabbi * ...

, and 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 ...

'' (ordination) from Rabbis Moshe Danishevsky, Hirsh Rabinovich, and Malkiel Tannenbaum, respectively holding the positions of ''

Av Beit Din The ''av beit din'' (), abbreviated ( ''avad''), was the second-highest-ranking member of the Sanhedrin during the Second Temple period and served as an assistant to the nasi. The av beit din was known as the "Master of the Court;" he was consid ...

'' in Slabodka, Kovno and Lomza. He was married to Chana ''

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

'' Malach; their daughter Feige Rachel ("Fanny") later married Rabbi Simcha Wasserman. Rabbi Abovitz was Av Beit Din and ''Rav'' in Telatycze,

White Russia White Russia, White Russian, or Russian White may refer to: White Russia *White Ruthenia, a historical reference for a territory in the eastern part of present-day Belarus * An archaic literal translation for Belarus/Byelorussia/Belorussia * Rus ...

and then Lubiezh (Lubcza, modern

Lubcha Lyubcha is an urban-type settlement in Novogrudok District, Grodno Region, Belarus. It is located near the Neman River about from Novogrudok. As of 2025, it has a population of 962. History Within the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Lyubcha was par ...

). The latter was destroyed during the early days of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, and he then relocated to German held

Navahrudak Novogrudok or Navahrudak (; ; , ; ) is a town in Grodno Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Novogrudok District. As of 2025, it has a population of 27,624. In the Middle Ages, the city was ruled by King Mindaugas' son ...

, where he headed the ''Bet Yosef''

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 ...

; see Novardok Yeshiva. The ''Rav'' there was Meyer Meyerovitz. Rabbi Abovitz participated in the founding assembly of Mizrachi of Lithuania and Poland, in

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 ...

, 1919; he was involved in various committees of the movement in Poland between the two World Wars. See Mizrachi in Poland. He was also active in "religious national education" which he saw a counterweight to the Jewish

secular school Secular education is a system of public education in countries with a secular government or separation between religion and state. History Secular educational systems were a modern development intended to replace religious ecclesiastical and rab ...

s founded in Navahrudak following the First World War. Despite his involvement with Mizrachi he was also accepted by the '' Agudath Yisrael''. Navahrudak was occupied by

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

in July 1941, and Rabbi Abovitz was murdered by the Nazis with the rest of the Jewish population; see .

Works

He authored the following works: *''Zichron Yeshayahu'' - ''derushim'' *''Kochvei Ohr'' - explanations of the ''

Aggadah Aggadah (, or ; ; 'tales', 'legend', 'lore') is the non-legalistic exegesis which appears in the classical rabbinic literature of Judaism, particularly the Talmud and Midrash. In general, Aggadah is a compendium of rabbinic texts that incorporat ...

'' *''Pnei Meir'' - on the

Jerusalem Talmud The Jerusalem Talmud (, often for short) or Palestinian Talmud, also known as the Talmud of the Land of Israel, is a collection of rabbinic notes on the second-century Jewish oral tradition known as the Mishnah. Naming this version of the Talm ...

*''Pnei Meir'' - on the

Weekly Torah portion The weekly Torah portion refers to a lectionary custom in Judaism in which a portion of the Torah (or Pentateuch) is read during Jewish prayer services on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday. The full name, ''Parashat HaShavua'' (), is popularly abbre ...

References

External links and references

* אנציקלופדיה של הציונות הדתית, א, עמ 2–1; ספר הציונות הדתית, ב, עמ 499 {{DEFAULTSORT:Abovitz, Meyer 1876 births 1941 deaths Belarusian Orthodox rabbis Rosh yeshivas 20th-century Russian rabbis Soviet rabbis Slabodka yeshiva alumni