Rabbi Yehuda Heschel HaLevi Levenberg (December 18, 1884 – January 15, 1938) (יהודה העשל לעווענבערג) was a well-known pioneer in the implanting of the European Jewish community on the shores of America. Rabbi Levenberg moved to Cleveland and was buried in New Haven, Connecticut. His Mechutan (His son married Moshe Shatskesz daughter) Moshe Shatzkes,

Biography

In his youth, Rabbi Levenberg studied under Rabbi Zalman Sender Kahana-Shapira in the Maltch

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 ...

and later spent much time in the

Slabodka yeshiva Slabodka yeshiva may refer to: * Hebron Yeshiva, a branch of the Slabodka Yeshiva in Hebron, relocated afterward to Jerusalem * Slabodka yeshiva (Bnei Brak), a branch of the Slabodka yeshiva in Bnei Brak * Yeshivas Knesses Yisrael (Slabodka) Ye ...

. He immigrated to America in the summer of 1910 and soon afterwards was appointed as Chief Rabbi of

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous

. In 1915, he was among the most prominent rabbis in America who spoke at the dedication of the merged Etz Chaim yeshiva and

RIETS Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS ) is the rabbinical seminary of Yeshiva University (YU). It is located along Amsterdam Avenue in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. Named after Yitzchak Elchanan ...

. In 1917, he accepted a rabbinical position in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...

and was appointed as Chief Rabbi there in 1920. In New Haven, he was known for his great oratory skill in inspiring the members of his congregation. He established a yeshiva there in 1923 which did not offer any secular studies as only

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 () ...

study was on the curriculum. The yeshiva eventually became the most prestigious in America and at different times had on its faculty the likes of Rabbi

Moshe Feinstein Moshe Feinstein (; Lithuanian pronunciation: ''Moishe Fainshtein''; ; March 3, 1895 – March 23, 1986) was a Russian-born American Orthodox Jewish rabbi, scholar, and ''posek'' (authority on ''halakha''—Jewish law). He has been called ...

, Rabbi Yaakov Ruderman, and

Samuel Belkin Samuel Belkin (December 12, 1911 – April 19, 1976) was an American rabbi and Torah scholar who was the second President of Yeshiva University. He is credited with leading Yeshiva University through a period of substantial expansion. Biograp ...

. In 1930, after accepting a position as the community Rabbi of

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

, Rabbi Levenberg moved his Yeshiva to Cleveland. Although, it never reached the same position in prestige at its newer location. Amongst other famous personalities, Rabbi

Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg (;‎ 1 October 1910 – 20 March 2012) was a Polish-born, American-raised, Israeli Haredi rabbi and rosh yeshiva who, from 1965, made his home in the Kiryat Mattersdorf neighborhood of Jerusalem.Zuroff, Avraham. ''Ra ...

studied in Rabbi Yehuda Levenberg's yeshiva. In addition to his academic and communal contributions, Rabbi Levenberg also aided in the reformation of

Shechita In Judaism, ''shechita'' (anglicized: ; ; ; also transliterated ''shehitah, shechitah, shehita'') is ritual slaughtering of certain mammals and birds for food according to ''kashrut''. One who practices this, a kosher butcher is called a ''sho ...

practices in America. Rabbi Levenberg's son, Tzvi Levenberg, married Chana, a daughter of Rabbi Moshe Shatzkes (Chana died on 21 March 2013 / Nissan 10, 5773).The Yeshiva World
/ref> He was one of the

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 ...

s of

Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin or Yeshivas Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin () is an American Haredi Lithuanian-type boys' and men's yeshiva in Brooklyn, New York. The school's divisions include a preschool, a ''yeshiva ketana'' (elementary school), a ''mesivta ...

. Rabbi Tzvi Levenberg passed away on 13 Shvat 5777. His son, named Rabbi Yehuda Levenberg (named for his grandfather), is the author of ''Imrei Chayn'' (אמרי חן) and resides in

Lakewood, NJ Lakewood Township is the most populous township in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A rapidly growing community, as of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 135,158, its highest decennial count ever and a ...

. Rabbi Yehuda Heschel's other son, Samuel Levenberg was a Rabbi in New Haven for many years and subsequently Wheeling, WV, Kalamazoo, MI and retired from the pulpit outside Buffalo, NY. Rabbi Levenberg moved to Cleveland and was buried in New Haven, Connecticut.

References

Sources and External Links

Biography of Rabbi Levenberg (written by his son-in-law in Yiddish)Short biography of Rabbi Levenberg in Doros HaAcharonim, 1914, pp. 213-216 (Rabbi Benzion Eisenstadt)Short biography of Rabbi Levenberg in Orthodox Judaism in America, Rabbi Moshe Sherman, 1996, pp. 131-133The world of the Yeshiva: an intimate portrait of Orthodox JewryRabbi Yehuda Heschel Levenberg's tombstone
{{DEFAULTSORT:Levenberg, Yehuda 1884 births 1938 deaths Lithuanian Jews American people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent American Orthodox rabbis