Shmuel Berenbaum

Rabbi Shmuel Berenbaum (March 1920 [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/08/nyregion/08berenbaum.html?ref=obituaries New York Times obituary giving age at death as 87] ] – January 6 2008) was the rosh yeshiva of the Mir yeshiva in Brooklyn, New York City which includes an elementary school and a high school, as well as its post-graduate Talmudical Academy.

History

Rabbi Berernbaum was born in Knyszyn, Poland in March 1920, and studied at "Ohel Torah Yeshiva" in Baranovich, led by Rabbi Elchonon Wasserman. He later studied in the Mir Yeshiva located in the town of Mir, Poland. [cite news |title= Hamodia |date= 10 Jan 2008 ] At the onset of World War II, he traveled with the rest of the Mir Yeshiva to Wilno, Poland (now Vilnius, Lithuania) where they remained for three weeks, awaiting visas to travel abroad. After receiving destination visas to Curacao, a Dutch protectorate in the Caribbean, tLhey were given travel visas by the Japanese Consul in Kovno, Chiune Sugihara. The yeshiva traveled across the Trans-Siberian Railway to Vladivostok in a trip that took over two months. From there they traveled to Kobe, Japan, where they remained for 7 months before being settled by the Japanese Government in Shanghai, China.

Rabbi Berenbaum traveled with the remnants of the Yeshiva to the United States where they settled in their current location in Brooklyn, New York, where he became engaged to the eldest daughter of the rosh yeshiva, Rabbi Avrohom Kalmanovitz.

In 1952, after the passing of his father-in-law, he became the rosh yeshiva of the Mirrer Yeshiva together with his brother-in-law Rabbi Shraga Moshe Kalmanovitz. He led the yeshiva for the next 56 years, teaching thousands of students during that period. His diligence was legendary, he would sit the entire day in the yeshiva's study hall speaking with the young students in learning.

As a policy, he would not attend any functions or weddings until after the afternoon seder in the yeshiva was over. This would cause many weddings to take place late in the evening so as to allow him to officiate. He opposed his yeshiva students going to college, and later banned it outright. fact|date=January 2008

After Rabbi Berernbaum's first heart attack, the name Refoel was added to his name. Even though his name was Rabbi Refoel Shmuel Berenbaum thereafter, he was still known to almost everyone as just Rabbi Shmuel.

Death

Rabbi Berenbaum died on January 6 2008, at his home in Brooklyn, NY from medical complications due to stomach cancer, aged 87. His funeral, held on January 7, was attended by tens of thousands of mourners. [ [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/942461.html Rabbi Shmuel Berenbaum, leader of N.Y. yeshiva, dies at 87 - Haaretz - Israel News ] ] His body was flown to Israel for burial.

References

External links

* [http://toldot.ru/eng/articles/art/108 Pictures and Audio from HaRav Shmuel Berenbaum]
* [http://toldot.ru/images/Rabbi_Berenbaum.jpgPicture of HaRav Shmuel Berenbaum]
* [http://toldot.ru/eng/articles/art/132 Speech of HaRav Shmuel Berenbaum]