Chaim Yitzchak Bloch Hacohen

Rabbi Bloch

Chaim Yitzchak Hacohen Bloch was a prominent Lithuanian rabbi from 1894-1922. In 1922 he left to the United States and was appointed rabbi in Jersey City, New Jersey, where he remained until his death in 1948.^[1]

Background

Bloch was born in Plunge, Lithuania in the year 1864 into an illustrious family of rabbis where learning Torah was emphasized. He received an excellent Jewish education from birth. After having studied at bastions of Talmudic study such as yeshivos Volozhin and Grubin, Rabbi Bloch went on to be a beloved rabbi and scholar. In his later years after his move to New Jersey, Rabbi Bloch was nominated honorary president of the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the U.S. and Canada.^[2]

Formative years

With family roots traced back to the prominent Acharonin the Shach and the Shlah Hakodosh, Rabbi Bloch's upbringing was instilled with an emphasis on perfection of ones self and diligence in Torah study. During his teenage years he first studied at Yeshivas Grubin under Rav Simcha Zissel Ziv. His father then sent him to learn in the prominent Volozhin yeshiva where he got rabbinic ordination under the tutelage of Rav Chaim Soloveitchik. While in Volozhin, Rabbi Bloch not only gained proficiency in Torah study but also developed amazing character traits. He also was well known for his expertise in various other areas of general knowledge.^[3]

Early rabbinic years

In 1894, after returning from Volozhin with semicha (rabbinic ordination) from the illustrious Brisker Rav, Bloch returned to his hometown of Plunge and founded a yeshiva. Four years later at the young age of 34 he was appointed the rabbi of Plunge. However, Bloch was recognized as a rising star in the Lithuanian rabbinical community and was destined for even greater prominence. Attesting to this fact, In 1902, Bloch succeeded Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Hacohen Kook as the rabbi of Bausk, and was eventually chosen by the Lithuanian government to be the official chief rabbi. During World War I, Bloch was forced to leave Bausk and wandered in Russia before returning to Bausk in 1920.

Later years and activism

In the aftermath of the carnage that World War I wreaked upon Europe, Bloch decided (1922) to move to Jersey City, New Jersey. Upon his arrival, he was appointed rabbi and created a thriving Jewish community. In 1932, Bloch was elected president of the Union of Orthodox Rabbis (Agudas Harabonim), which was at the time the foremost grouping of American rabbis. Although Rabbi Bloch left Europe, the plight of the European Jews was constantly on his mind. Due to this instinctive empathy for his fellow Jews, during World War II Bloch became one of the leaders of the Vaad HaHatzola, the famous organization that worked to save the Jews of Europe. Not content with his work at the Vaad Hahatzola, Bloch joined other forms of activism. In 1943, Bloch joined hundreds of other prominent rabbis from across the United States on the historic march on Washington. The rabbis’ march, which was organized by the Bergson Group together with the Vaad ha-Hatzala (the Orthodox rescue committee), was the only rally for rescue of Europe's Jews that was held in the nation's capitol during the Holocaust. The march was an important part of the campaign to alert the American public about the mass murder of the Jews and the need for rescue.^[4]

Scholarly works

Bloch was not only a beloved pulpit rabbi, but also a scholar of great erudition. Below is a list of Seforim (books) on Talmud, Halachah, and Ethics that Rabbi Bloch compiled.

• Divrei Chibah on Chidushei Haritvah- Meseches Moed Katan^[5]
• Divrei Chibah on Chidushei Haritvah- Meseches Meggilah^[6]
• Divrei Chibah on Chidushei Haritvah- Meseches Makkos^[7]
• Divrei Chibah on Halachah^[8]
• Likkutei Ha-Rayiv
• Ha-Mavhin

Continuation of legacy

Bloch's legacy was passed on to his children. His son Rabbi Abraham P. Bloch was ordained at the Rabbi Issac Elchanan Theological Seminary and consequently became the Rabbi of Temple Petach Tikvah in Crown Heights. He also authored numerous scholarly books such as "Day by Day in Jewish History", "Midrashic Comments on the Torah", and " A book of Jewish Ethical Concepts."^[9] Rabbi Abraham Bloch also continued in the tradition of his father by blending his pulpit duties with communal activism.

References

1. ^ Jerusalem Post Feb 17, 2002
2. ^ http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=RELEVANCE&inPS=true&prodId=GVRL&userGroupName=imcpl1111&tabID=T003&searchId=R1&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm&currentPosition=32&contentSet=GALE%7CCX2587503107&&docId=GALE%7CCX2587503107&docType=GALE&role=
3. ^ http://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=2714&st=&pgnum=19&hilite=
4. ^ http://www.wymaninstitute.org/articles/secondpetition.php
5. ^ http://www.hebrewbooks.org/14590
6. ^ http://www.hebrewbooks.org/3170
7. ^ http://www.hebrewbooks.org/3130
8. ^ http://www.hebrewbooks.org/2816
9. ^ http://www.amazon.com/Abraham-P.-Bloch/e/B001KIT9N0

Persondata
Name
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1864
Place of birth
Date of death	1948
Place of death