Boruch Greenfeld

Reb Boruch Greenfield, (1872 - 1956), was a rabbi and Torah scholar. He was fondly known as Reb Burech Hermanshtater.

Born in Michalovce, Slovakia (then Hungary), as a young child he was already recognized by all who met him as an extremely devout and diligent student. He went to learn in Kisvadara by the famed author of the "Arugos Habosem" Reb Moshe Greenwald. He soon became one of his top students. Reb Yechezkel Shraga Halberstam, the Shinover Rebbe, spoke very highly of Reb Boruch and he held him in very high esteem. He married Rivkah Weinberger in 1891 in Stropkov where he founded a small yeshiva at that time. Later he became the Dayan of "Shebesh, Potneck, and Hermenshtat", were he founded the Orthodox Sephardic community he served as the interim Rabbi of "Klausenberg" (were he was also instrumental in founding the Orthodox Sephardic community) shortly before coming to the USA.

In 1923 he emigrated to the USA were he served as the Rabbi in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Pittston, Pennsylvania, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, The Bronx, New York City, and the Lower East Side at the 52 Cannon Street Shul. He was extremely upset with the laxness that Torah Judaism was being led and he fought it very fiercely. In 1935 he moved to Palestine and upon his arrival there he was offered many high rabinical posts, But as in previous times during his life due to his extreme humility he declined, He was however one of the leaders of the Edah HaChareidis, and later one of the founders of the Neturei Karta.

Reb Borech was very close with the Satmar Rebbe, Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum, and they actually learned together daily for a period of time. And he was also very close to the Belzer Rebbe Rabbi Aharon Rokeach who respected Reb Borech very much and spoke very highly of him.

Besides his fame as a great Torah Scholar he was also very talented musically; this was also true of his ability as a baal tefillah Chazan . In 1975 a sefer with a small collection of his writings was printed under the name "Ohel Boruch".

Reb Burech had five children that reached adulthood, The oldest was Mariam she married Reb Nusen Baumhaft who was the Rosh Yeshiva of Klausenberg, both Mariam and her husband togethether with fourteen of their children perished in the Holucost, The secon child was Ruchel She married a fine Torah scholar by the name of Reb Ahron Klausner, They had two children, The third child was Eidel she married Reb Shimon Fischman they were childless. The fourth child was Mirel she mariied Reb Chaim Pall She passed away during childbirth and was left childless. The fifth child Sarah married Reb Dovid Yaakov Friedman and they had six daughters .

Sources

# "Ohel Boruch"
# "Moshian Shel Yisroel", by Shloima Yissachar Gelbman
#
#
# "Lkoros Hayhadus BTranselvany" by Tzvi Yaakov Abraham pub. 1951

External links

* [http://www.jewishgen.org/Yizkor/Stropkov/str002.html#episode The Chevra Shas — (Talmud study group)]