Menashe Klein (; 1924–2011), also known as the Ungvarer Rav (

Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

: אונגווארער רב), was a

Hasidic Hasidism () or Hasidic Judaism is a religious movement within Judaism that arose in the 18th century as a spiritual revival movement in contemporary Western Ukraine before spreading rapidly throughout Eastern Europe. Today, most of those aff ...

Rebbe A Rebbe () or Admor () is the spiritual leader in the Hasidic movement, and the personalities of its dynasties.Heilman, Samuel"The Rebbe and the Resurgence of Orthodox Judaism."''Religion and Spirituality (Audio)''. UCTV, 20 Oct 2011. web. ...

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 ...

(arbiter of Jewish law). He authored 18 volumes of

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 ...

, spanning over 50 years, entitled ''Mishneh Halachos''. Additionally, he authored some 25 other ''

seforim ''Sifrei Kodesh'' (), commonly referred to as ''sefarim'' (), or in its singular form, ''sefer'', are books of Jewish religious literature and are viewed by religious Jews as sacred. These are generally works of Torah literature, i.e. Tanakh an ...

'', including a commentary on

Simeon Kayyara Simeon Kayyara, also spelled ''Shimon Kiara'' (Hebrew: שמעון קיירא), was a Jewish-Babylonian halakhist of the first half of the 8th century. Although he lived during the Geonic period, he was never officially appointed as a Gaon, and the ...

's ''BeHag''. Toward the end of his life, he relocated from

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, New York to

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 ...

Biography

Menashe Klein was born in 1924 in the town of Orlova, Czechoslovakia (now known as Irlyava, Ukraine) near the city of

Ungvar Uzhhorod (, ; , ; , ) is a city and municipality on the Uzh River in western Ukraine, at the border with Slovakia and near the border with Hungary. The city is approximately equidistant from the Baltic, the Adriatic and the Black Sea (650– ...

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

(now known as Uzhhorod,

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

). He studied in the

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 ...

of the

Rav ''Rav'' (or ''Rab'', Modern Hebrew: ) is the Hebrew generic term for a person who teaches Torah or is a Jewish spiritual guide or a rabbi. For example, Pirkei Avot (in the Talmud) states (1:6) that: The term ''rav'' is also Hebrew for ''rabbi ...

of Ungvar, Yosef Elimelech Kahane. During World War II, he was incarcerated in

Auschwitz-Birkenau Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 Nazi concentration camps, concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany, occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) d ...

, Auschwitz-Buna, and finally in

Buchenwald Buchenwald (; 'beech forest') was a German Nazi concentration camp established on Ettersberg hill near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937. It was one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps within the Altreich (Old Reich) territori ...

. At Buchenwald, he was sent out to "Stein," a

Nazi 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 ...

satellite camp at

Eschershausen Eschershausen () is a municipality in the Holzminden (district), district of Holzminden, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 20 km northeast of Holzminden, and 50 km south of Hanover. Eschershausen was the seat of the ...

, but was listed in camp records as returned to Buchenwald, where he was liberated and where he completed a postwar military interview. On June 2, 1945, he was evacuated by train with 427 other former Buchenwald inmates ages 7 to 17 – among them

Yisrael Meir Lau Yisrael (Israel) Meir Lau (; born 1 June 1937) is a Holocaust survivor who served as the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1993 to 2003. He was previously Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv, Israel. After his tenure as chief rabbi, he was appointed chairm ...

Naphtali Lau-Lavie Naphtali Lau-Lavie (sometimes Naphtali Lavie) (; 1926 – December 6, 2014) was an Israeli journalist, author, and diplomat. Biography Lavie's entire family was murdered during the Holocaust, with the exception of his younger brother, Yisrael, w ...

, and

Elie Wiesel Eliezer "Elie" Wiesel (September 30, 1928 – July 2, 2016) was a Romanian-born American writer, professor, political activist, List of Nobel Peace Prize laureates#1980, Nobel laureate, and Holocaust survivor. He authored Elie Wiesel bibliogra ...

– to France, where they boarded at a sanitarium in

Écouis Écouis () is a commune in the Eure department in northern France. Population Gallery See also *Communes of the Eure department The following is a list of the 585 communes of the Eure department of France France, officially th ...

. He was transferred to

Ambloy Ambloy () is a commune in the Loir-et-Cher department in central France. Population See also *Communes of the Loir-et-Cher department A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other deriv ...

together with about 100 other boys who desired

kosher (also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, ), from the Ashke ...

facilities and a higher level of religious observance. This group was under the supervision of social worker

Judith Hemmendinger Judith Hemmendinger (née Feist, 2 October 1923 – 24 March 2024) was a German-born Israeli researcher and author who specialised in child survivors of the Holocaust. During World War II, she was a social worker and refugee counselor for the � ...

, who attempted to re-acclimate the boys to normal living. The group was transferred to

Taverny Taverny () is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. Inhabitants are called ''Tabernaciens''. History In 1806 the commune of Taverny merged with the neighboring commune of Saint-Leu, r ...

after

Yom Kippur Yom Kippur ( ; , ) is the holiest day of the year in Judaism. It occurs annually on the 10th of Tishrei, corresponding to a date in late September or early October. For traditional Jewish people, it is primarily centered on atonement and ...

1945.Schmidt, Shira, and Mantaka, Bracha. "A Prince in a Castle". ''

Ami AMI or Ami may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media *AMI (Romanian singer), a Romanian singer and songwriter *AMI-tv, a Canadian TV channel **AMI-télé, the French-language version *AMI-audio, a Canadian audio broadcast TV service *''Ami Magaz ...

'', September 21, 2014, pp. 136-143. Klein immigrated to the United States in 1947. After World War II, he served as Rav in the "Chevrah Liyadi"

shul A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as Jewi ...

, (which was located in the

Williamsburg Williamsburg may refer to: Places *Colonial Williamsburg, a living-history museum and private foundation in Virginia *Williamsburg, Brooklyn, neighborhood in New York City *Williamsburg, former name of Kernville (former town), California *Williams ...

section of Brooklyn) and Principal of Yeshivas Shearis Hapleitah, under the direction of

Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam (; January 10, 1905 – June 18, 1994) was a rebbe (hereditary rabbinical leader) of the Hasidic Judaism, Hasidic dynasty of Klausenburg (Hasidic dynasty), Sanz-Klausenburg. Early life Halberstam was born in 1905 in ...

, Klausenberger Rebbe. In 1964, he founded

Yeshiva Beis Shearim A yeshiva (; ; pl. , or ) is a traditional 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. T ...

Borough Park, Brooklyn Borough Park (also spelled Boro Park) is a neighborhood in the southwestern part of the borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn, in New York City. The neighborhood is bordered by Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, Bensonhurst to the south, Dyker Heigh ...

, where he served as

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 ...

. In 1983, he established "Kiryat Ungvar" in the

Ramot Ramot (, ''lit.'' Heights), also known as Ramot Alon (), is an Israeli settlement and neighborhood in East Jerusalem. Ramot was founded in 1974 as one of Jerusalem's so-called " Ring settlements", considered illegal under international law. In ...

section of Jerusalem in memory of his hometown. Today, it is a thriving neighborhood with hundreds of inhabitants. In 1998, he established "Zichron Kedoshim Square" in honor of the people of Ungvar, Czechoslovakia that were erased as a result of the Holocaust,

Mayor of New York City The mayor of New York City, officially mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The Mayoralty in the United States, mayor's office administers all ...

Rudy Giuliani Rudolph William Louis Giuliani ( , ; born May 28, 1944) is an American politician and Disbarment, disbarred lawyer who served as the 107th mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001. He previously served as the United States Associate Attorney ...

Signed Bill that Adds the Name "Zichron Kedochim Square" to the Intersection of 53rd Street and 16th Avenue in

. The Ungvarer Rav was active until old age. He had thousands of students. In 2009, he stirred controversy. He published a

which, in part, denoted

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 as "

apikoras Epikoros (or apikoros or apikores; , pl. epikorsim; ) is a Jewish term figuratively meaning "a heretic", cited in the Mishnah, that refers to an individual who does not have a share in the World to Come: The rabbinic literature uses the term ' ...

" (heretics). At the time, he referred to them and was quoted; "This sect of crazies, which falsify the Torah and our sages' words, to say the Moshiach is dead but is really alive... these are things against our holy Torah." Referring to

Chabad messianism Messianism in ChabadReferred to as Chabad messianism, Lubavitch messianism, or ''meshichism''. refers to the belief within some of the Chabad-Lubavitch community—a prominent group within Hasidic Judaism—regarding the Jewish messiah (, or ) ...

within Chabad which has adopted the late Rebbe,

Menachem Mendel Schneerson Menachem Mendel Schneerson ( – June 12, 1994; Anno Mundi, AM 11 Nissan 5662 – 3 Tammuz 5754), known to adherents of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement as the Lubavitcher Rebbe or simply the Rebbe, was an American Orthodox rabbi and the most rec ...

as the

Jewish messiah The Messiah in Judaism () is a savior and liberator figure in Jewish eschatology who is believed to be the future redeemer of the Jews. The concept of messianism originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible a messiah is a king or High Priest o ...

. He died on the last day of

Elul Elul (Hebrew language, Hebrew: , Hebrew language#Modern Hebrew, Standard , Tiberian vocalization, Tiberian ) is the twelfth month of the civil year and the sixth month of the Jewish religious year, religious year in the Hebrew calendar. It is a m ...

(September 28) 2011, and was buried in

Safed Old Jewish Cemetery Safed (), also known as Tzfat (), is a city in the Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of up to , Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and in Israel. Safed has been identified with (), a fortified town in the Upper Galil ...

, near the grave of the Arizal, the Alshich Hakadosh and Beis Yosef.

Works

''Mishneh Halachos'' (Hebrew language Hebrew: ''משנה הלכות'') is an 18-volume set of

authored by Klein. These responsa span over a course of about 50 years, and cover every aspect of the Torah. In the early 1960s, he published a book entitled ''Mitzvos Hamelech'' ( Hebrew: מצות המלך), a

sefer Sefer may refer to: * Sefer (Hebrew), a term for a book People with the surname * Franjo Šefer (born 1905), Yugoslav tennis player * Bela Šefer, Yugoslav footballer playing in 1924 People with the forename * Sefer Reis, Turkish privateer and O ...

designated to learn each day, on the 613 Mitzvos. This program is called Mitzva Yomis.See Persumei Nisah, first printed in volume 10 of Mishneh Halachos, 1987. Reprinted in Jerusalem 2011.

Biography

Works

References

Further reading