Yochanan Sofer: Difference between revisions
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| birth_name = |
| birth_name = |
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| birth_date = January 1, 1923 |
| birth_date = January 1, 1923 |
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| birth_place = [[Eger]], Hungary |
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| death_date = {{Death date and age|2016|2|22|1923|1|1}} |
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2016|2|22|1923|1|1}} |
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| death_place = Israel |
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| buried = |
| buried = [[Mount of Olives]] |
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| nationality = Israeli, Hungarian |
| nationality = Israeli, Hungarian |
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| denomination = [[Orthodox Judaism]] |
| denomination = [[Orthodox Judaism]] |
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| residence = [[Katamon]], Israel |
| residence = [[Katamon]], Israel |
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| dynasty = [[Erlau (Hasidic dynasty)|Erlau]] / [[Chassam Sofer]] |
| dynasty = [[Erlau (Hasidic dynasty)|Erlau]] / [[Chassam Sofer]] |
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| parents = Rabbi Moshe Sofer<br>Tushena Schoenfeld<ref name=obit>{{cite web |url=http://hamodia.com/2016/02/21/baruch-dayan-emes-erlauer-rebbe-ztl/|title=Baruch Dayan |
| parents = Rabbi Moshe Sofer<br />Tushena Schoenfeld<ref name=obit>{{cite web |url=http://hamodia.com/2016/02/21/baruch-dayan-emes-erlauer-rebbe-ztl/|title=Baruch Dayan Ha'Emes; The Erlauer Rebbe, zt"l|work=[[Hamodia]]|date=February 21, 2016|access-date=February 22, 2016}}</ref> |
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| spouse = Miriam Pall |
| spouse = Miriam Pall |
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| children = Moshe <br> Yaakov <br> Avraham Shmuel Binyomin <br> Shimon <br> Akiva Menachem <br> Zalman Yeshaya Dovid <br> Aharon |
| children = Moshe <br /> Yaakov <br /> Avraham Shmuel Binyomin <br /> Shimon <br /> Akiva Menachem <br /> Zalman Yeshaya Dovid <br /> Aharon |
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| occupation = |
| occupation = |
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| profession = |
| profession = |
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'''Yochanan Sofer''' (January 1, 1923 – February 22, 2016)<ref name=obit/><ref>{{Cite |
'''Yochanan Sofer''' (January 1, 1923 – February 22, 2016)<ref name=obit/><ref>{{Cite news |
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| url = http://www.jpost.com/Magazine/The-Tisch-Erlau-A-unique-case-of-Hassidism-446080 |
| url = http://www.jpost.com/Magazine/The-Tisch-Erlau-A-unique-case-of-Hassidism-446080 |
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| title = The Tisch: Erlau - A unique case of Hassidism |
| title = The Tisch: Erlau - A unique case of Hassidism |
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| |
| newspaper = The Jerusalem Post | Jpost.com |
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| access-date = 2016-02-25 |
| access-date = 2016-02-25 |
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}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |
}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |
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| url = http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/208369#.Vs72zvl97IU |
| url = http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/208369#.Vs72zvl97IU |
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| title = Erlau Rebbe |
| title = Erlau Rebbe pasrses away |
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| website = Arutz Sheva |
| website = Arutz Sheva |
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⚫ | |||
| access-date = 2016-02-25 |
| access-date = 2016-02-25 |
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}}</ref> was the [[ |
}}</ref> was the [[rebbe]] of the [[Erlau (Hasidic dynasty)|Erlau]] dynasty. He was born in [[Eger]], Hungary, where his father and grandfather were also rebbes. After surviving [[the Holocaust]], he founded a [[yeshiva]], first in Hungary and then a few years later in [[Jerusalem]]. |
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== Family history == |
== Family history == |
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Sofer's father [[Moshe Sofer (II)|Moshe Sofer]], grandfather [[Shimon Sofer (Hungarian rabbi)|Shimon Sofer]], great-grandfather [[Samuel Benjamin Sofer]] and great-great-grandfather [[Moses Sofer]] (known as the ''Chasam Sofer'') were all rabbis. |
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Sofer was a great-great-grandson of Rabbi [[Moses Sofer]] (1762–1839), known as the ''Chasam Sofer''. The ''Chasam Sofer'' was the Rav of [[Pressburg]] (present-day [[Bratislava]]) and the leading rabbinical figure of Orthodox Judaism in the [[Austrian Empire]], as well as one of the greatest [[Talmud]]ic scholars of his time. |
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⚫ | Shimon Sofer led the Jewish community in [[Eger]] for some 64 years. He and his community were deported to [[Auschwitz concentration camp|Auschwitz]] by the [[Nazism|Nazis]] in 1944 where at the age of 94 he was murdered by the Nazis, as was his son, Moshe Sofer, and many others from the city of [[Eger]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0006_0_05575.html |title=Eger |year=2008 |access-date=2010-08-05 |publisher=Jewish Virtual Library}}</ref> |
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The ''Chasam Sofer'' was succeeded as the rabbi of Pressburg by his son, Rabbi [[Samuel Benjamin Sofer]] (1815 – 1872), known as the ''Ksav Sofer''. The ''Ksav Sofer'' had 10 children — 6 sons and 4 daughters. One of the sons, Rabbi [[Shimon Sofer (II)|Shimon Sofer]], was born in 1850. |
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In 1881,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.virtualjudaica.com/Item/21237/Ketav_Zot_Zikharon |title=Ketav Zot Zikharon |year=2008 |accessdate=2010-08-05 |publisher=Virtual Judaica}}</ref> Rabbi Shimon was appointed rabbi of the Hungarian city of Erlau ([[Eger]]). There he founded a large yeshiva, attended by elite Torah scholars from throughout Hungary. This yeshiva became a foundation of the Erlau dynasty, a branch and direct link to the philosophy and teachings of Rabbi Shimon's grandfather, the ''Chasam Sofer''. |
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⚫ | Yochanan Sofer was born in Eger in 1923. He received his rabbinical education from his father,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dafnotes.blogspot.com/2007_12_02_archive.html |title=Understanding Torah |date=2007-12-05 |access-date=2010-08-05 |publisher=Daf Notes}}</ref> and at yeshivas.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jewishpress.com/pageroute.do/38618 |title=My Machberes |last=Tannenbaum |first=Rabbi Gershon |date=2009-03-18 |access-date=2010-08-05 |newspaper=[[The Jewish Press]] }}{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=2010–2012 |title=David Deutsch (1898–1944) |url=http://www.balassagyarmatizsidosag.hu/en/david-deutsch |publisher=Kertész István Alapítvány |access-date=23 March 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Akiva Menachem Sofer | script-title=he:אגרות ומכתבי אמרי סופר |trans-title=Fees and letters tell a scribe |language=he | edition = 1 expanded | location =Bnei Brak | date = November–December 2011 | page = 226 }}</ref> |
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His father and grandfather were murdered at [[Auschwitz]], but he survived the war in the "[[Glass House (Budapest)|Glass House]]" in [[Budapest]]<ref>{{cite magazine|date=February 21, 2018|title=I WAS 'ARRESTED' BY RABBI PINCHAS ROSENBAUM|magazine=[[Ami Magazine]]|issue=356|pages=114–115}}</ref> and returned to Eger to lead the few Jewish survivors. |
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As Rabbi Shimon aged, he appointed his son, Rabbi [[Moshe Sofer (II)|Moshe Sofer]] (author of ''Yad Sofer'') to be the active rabbi and [[beth din|dayan]] of Erlau. Rabbi Shimon continued to be referred to by his congregation with the revered and affectionate title of "Rebbe". |
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In 1946 he and Moshe Stern, the rabbi of [[Debrecen]] became co-''[[roshei yeshiva]]'' of the year-old Yeshivas Chasam Sofer, the only yeshiva in Hungary at that time, with Sofer serving as ''rosh yeshiva'' Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday and Stern for the second half of the week, while serving their respective communities the rest of the time. Sofer slept in the dormitory with the students and refused to accept a salary. After a year and a half he opened a yeshiva in Eger. After the Budapest yeshiva closed, the rest of the students moved to Eger.<ref name=blum>Blum, Aryeh. "The Early Years: Father and Shepherd in Hungary – The Rebbe of Erloi". ''[[Mishpacha]]'', 27 September 2012, pp. 48–49.</ref> |
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⚫ | In 1947, he re-established the yeshiva in Eger with a small group of boys and adolescents (mostly orphans). He married and was appointed rabbi of the Orthodox Jewish community there.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pagefeed/hebrewbooks_org_30352_52.pdf |script-title=he:האהל |trans-title=The Tent (HaOhel) |language=he |access-date=2010-08-05 |publisher=Hebrewbooks.org}} p. 52</ref> |
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⚫ | |||
⚫ | Yochanan Sofer was born |
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While his father and grandfather were murdered at Auschwitz, the young Yochanan survived the war and returned to Eger to lead the survivors, who constituted barely a ''[[minyan]]''. In 1946 he was asked to serve as ''[[rosh yeshiva]]'' of the year-old Yeshivas Chasam Sofer, the only yeshiva in Hungary at that time, which had been established by Rabbi Shmuel Binyanim Frey for 30 orphaned young men in [[Budapest]]. The first ''rosh yeshiva'', Rabbi Eliyahu Katz, son of the [[Shmuel Dovid Ungar|Nitra Rav]], had returned to his community in [[Nitra]], Slovakia, and the directors sought a descendant of the Chasam Sofer as their next ''rosh yeshiva''. Sofer was willing to lead the yeshiva, but unwilling to leave his community in Eger. The directors next approached Rabbi Moshe Stern, the [[Debrecen]]er Rav, another descendant of the Chasam Sofer, but he was also unwilling to abandon his community. The yeshiva directors came up with the solution of appointing both rabbis as ''rosh yeshiva'', with Sofer serving as ''rosh yeshiva'' in the first part of the week (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday) and Stern serving for the second half of the week, and serving their respective communities the rest of the time. Sofer slept in the dormitory with the students and refused to accept a salary. He continued in this arrangement for a year and a half, after which he opened a yeshiva in Eger. After the Budapest yeshiva closed, the rest of the students moved to Eger.<ref name=blum>Blum, Aryeh. "The Early Years: Father and Shepherd in Hungary – The Rebbe of Erloi". ''[[Mishpacha]]'', 27 September 2012, pp. 48–49.</ref> |
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⚫ | In 1947, |
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==Move to Israel== |
==Move to Israel== |
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[[File:Ohel Shimon-Erlau.jpg|250px|right|thumb| Ohel Shimon-Erlau campus in |
[[File:Ohel Shimon-Erlau.jpg|250px|right|thumb| Ohel Shimon-Erlau campus in Jerusalem]] |
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Due to |
Due to [[People's Republic of Hungary|Communist Hungary]]'s oppression of Judaism, Sofer and members of his community escaped Hungary.<ref name=blum/> For a short period of time, the yeshiva merged with the [[Pressburg Yeshiva (Jerusalem)|Pressburg Yeshiva in Jerusalem]], which was headed by Akiva Sofer (known as the Daas Sofer), a great-grandson of the Chasam Sofer. Yochanan Suffer served there as a ''[[maggid shiur]]''. |
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During this time |
During this time he became a close disciple of [[Aharon Rokeach]], the [[Belz (Hasidic dynasty)|Belzer]] rebbe. Although Sofer's ancestors were not hasidic, he was influenced by Rokeach and the [[Skver (Hasidic dynasty)|Skverer]] rebbe to adopt numerous hasidic customs.<ref name="tog">{{cite web |url=http://www.tog.co.il/en/Article.aspx?id=196 |title=The Chassidus of Erloi |date=2009-06-13 |access-date=2010-08-05 |publisher=tog.co.il |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721140806/http://www.tog.co.il/en/Article.aspx?id=196 |archive-date=2011-07-21 }}</ref> Sofer named his youngest son Aharon after Rokeach.<name=obit/> |
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In 1953 Sofer founded the Erlau yeshiva and community in the [[Katamon]] neighbourhood of south-central Jerusalem, starting with the purchase of a few rooms in the building of the former Syrian Consulate on Yotam Street. The yeshiva was named the |
In 1953 Sofer founded the Erlau yeshiva and community in the [[Katamon]] neighbourhood of south-central Jerusalem, starting with the purchase of a few rooms in the building of the former Syrian Consulate on Yotam Street. The yeshiva was named the High Yeshiva of Rabbi Akiva Eiger after the father-in-law of the ''Chasam Sofer'' and later expanded to the whole building, where Sofer founded a dormitory and orphanage for Holocaust survivors and students from needy families. According to the Jerusalem Post, "He never moved from the non-haredi neighborhood, unlike other hassidic leaders who once lived in the area but who moved to haredi neighborhoods elsewhere in Jerusalem."<ref>{{Cite news |
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| url = http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Grand-rabbi-of-Jerusalems-Erlau-community-dies-at-93-445723 |
| url = http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Grand-rabbi-of-Jerusalems-Erlau-community-dies-at-93-445723 |
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| title = Grand rabbi of Jerusalem's Erlau community dies at 93 |
| title = Grand rabbi of Jerusalem's Erlau community dies at 93 |
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| newspaper = The Jerusalem Post | Jpost.com |
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| access-date = 2016-02-25 |
| access-date = 2016-02-25 |
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}}</ref> |
}}</ref> |
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⚫ | In 1961, Sofer constructed a new building in the empty lot adjacent to the yeshiva, named Ohel Shimon-Erlau after his grandfather. The campus includes a ''[[beth midrash]]'', which serves as the main [[synagogue]] and study hall for the ''[[yeshiva gedola]]'', a smaller study hall for the ''[[mesivta|yeshiva ketana]]'', dormitory, classrooms, library, kitchen and offices. In addition, Sofer opened the Institute for Research of the Teachings of the Chasam Sofer. This Institute researches, deciphers, and distributes handwritten documents of the ''Chasam Sofer'', his pupils and descendants. |
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He never moved from the non-haredi neighborhood, unlike other hassidic leaders who once lived in the area but who moved to haredi neighborhoods elsewhere in Jerusalem. |
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He died on February 22, 2016. Streets in Jerusalem were closed as thousands attended the funeral procession.<ref>{{Cite web| url = http://hamodia.com/2016/02/22/levayah-of-erlau-rebbe/| title = Thousands Attend Levayah of the Erlau Rebbe, zt"l| work= [[Hamodia]]| access-date = 2016-02-25}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web| url = http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/352218#.Vs727Pl97IU |
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⚫ | In 1961, Sofer constructed a new building in the empty lot adjacent to the yeshiva |
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| title = Jerusalem streets to be closed for Erlau Rebbe's funeral| work = [[Arutz Sheva]]| date = 22 February 2016| access-date = 2016-02-25}}</ref> Israeli President [[Reuven Rivlin]] said he was |
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⚫ | <blockquote>a unique figure, beloved and admired by secular, religious and ultra-Orthodox Jews. With his pleasant ways, he represented both the Hasidim and Mitnagdim of Hungarian Jewry. The death of a public leader and head of a dynasty who was a Holocaust survivor and refugee who lost his father, mother and sisters in the labor and death camps, must also remind us of the respect and concern for the Holocaust survivors whose numbers are steadily dwindling, and the obligation to tell our people's history until the last generation.<ref name=dies>{{Cite news| url = http://www.haaretz.com/jewish/news/.premium-1.704828| title = Rabbi Yochanan Sofer, the Admor of Erlau, Dies at 93| last = Ettinger |
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He died on February 22, 2016. Streets in Jerusalem were closed as thousands attended the funeral procession.<ref>{{Cite web |
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| first = Yair| date = 2016-02-22| work= [[Haaretz]]| language = en| access-date = 2016-02-25}}</ref></blockquote> |
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| url = http://hamodia.com/2016/02/22/levayah-of-erlau-rebbe/ |
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| title = Thousands Attend Levayah of the Erlau Rebbe, zt"l |
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| website = Hamodia |
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| access-date = 2016-02-25 |
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}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |
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| url = http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/352218#.Vs727Pl97IU |
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| title = Jerusalem streets to be closed for Erlau Rebbe's fneral - Latest News Briefs - Arutz Sheva |
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| website = Arutz Sheva |
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| access-date = 2016-02-25 |
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⚫ | |||
| url = http://www.haaretz.com/jewish/news/.premium-1.704828 |
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| title = Rabbi Yochanan Sofer, the Admor of Erlau, Dies at 93 |
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| last = Ettinger |
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| first = Yair |
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⚫ | |||
| newspaper = Haaretz |
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| language = en |
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| access-date = 2016-02-25 |
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}}</ref> |
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==Erlau communities== |
==Erlau communities== |
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Sofer was considered a leading [[halakha|halakhic]] authority with enormous influence on the Orthodox Jewish community, as well as an expert in Israeli politics and security issues. He was often called upon to voice his opinion on global Jewish issues.<ref name="tog" /> |
Sofer was considered a leading [[halakha|halakhic]] authority with enormous influence on the Orthodox Jewish community, as well as an expert in Israeli politics and security issues. He was often called upon to voice his opinion on global Jewish issues.<ref name="tog" /> |
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He was appointed to the [[Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah]] of [[World Agudath Israel|Agudath Israel]] by [[Yisrael Alter]] when he was 38 years old after the protocol was amended to allow him, as the original protocol allowed only rabbis above the age of 40 to join.<ref name="tog" /> He was also appointed a member of the administration of [[Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam#Mifal HaShas|Mifal HaShas]] by its founder, [[Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam]], the [[Klausenberg (Hasidic dynasty)|Klausenberger]] rebbe.<ref>{{cite book |title=Prince of the Torah Kingdom: Excerpts from the glorious life of Rabbi Simchah Zissel Broide |last=Meller |first=Rabbi Shimon Yosef |year=2006 |publisher=[[Feldheim Publishers]] |isbn=1-58330-583-1 }} page 392</ref> |
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The rabbinical authorities of the Sofer family and their disciples opposed [[Zionism]]. They did not approve of the formation of a Jewish state nor the use of Hebrew for mundane purposes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jewsagainstzionism.com/Bookstore/productDetails.cfm?merchID=12 |title=Tikkun Olam (Repairing the World) |access-date=2010-08-05 |publisher=jewsagainstzionism.com |archive-date=2010-11-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101124143537/http://jewsagainstzionism.com/bookstore/productDetails.cfm?merchID=12 |url-status=dead }}</ref> They believed that the [[Jewish messianism|Messiah]] must arrive prior to the liberation of the Holy Land and that the Hebrew language was designated solely for the use of Torah study and prayer. |
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Sofer adopted |
Sofer adopted an approach to Zionism similar to that of Aharon Rokeach. This ideology allows for dialogue with the Zionist leaders and for representation in the [[Knesset]], though it does not give mandate or halachic justification to the legislative system of the State of Israel. |
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Sofer |
Sofer maintained that as a matter of Jewish law, any [[Arab–Israeli conflict|territorial concession to Arabs]] by Israel would endanger the lives of all the Jews in the Land of Israel and was therefore forbidden. He also insisted that even discussing the possibility of such concessions shows weakness and would encourage Arab attacks, and thus endanger Jewish lives. He was quoted as saying to [[Foreign Affairs Minister of Israel|Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister]] [[Silvan Shalom]]: "I am not prepared to cede even one grain of the Land of Israel to the Arabs."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chabad.info/#!g=1&url=article&id=9127 |script-title=he:האדמור מערלוי "אינני מוכן לתת גרגיר מהארץ |trans-title=The Admor of Erlau: "I am not prepared to cede even one grain of the Land of Israel to the Arabs" |language=he |date=2005-01-24 |access-date=2010-08-05 |publisher=chabad.info}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.katif.net/new.php?id=7073 |title=The Admor of Erlau: "I am not prepared to cede even one grain of the Land of Israel to the Arabs" |language=he |date=2005-01-23 |access-date=2010-08-05 |publisher=katif.net}}</ref> Sofer was also opposed to the [[Gaza Strip#2005 Israel's unilateral disengagement|unilateral pullout from Gaza]] and was quoted as saying, "Whoever leads to the transfer (of Jews from parts of Israel) is destroying the country".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/1,7340,L-2859100,00.html |script-title=he:ועד הרבנים: שרון יוביל להחרבת המדינה |trans-title=Va'ad HaRabbanim: Sharon will cause the destruction of the State |language=he |last=Weiss |first=Efrat |newspaper=Ynet |date=2004-01-14 |access-date=2010-08-05 |publisher=ynet.co.il}}</ref> |
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Despite some ideological differences, Sofer was respected by leaders of Orthodox Jewish communities, including [[Satmar (Hasidic dynasty)|Satmar]], [[Edah HaChareidis]], [[Lithuanian Jews#Current leaders of the Haredi "Lithuanian" community|Litvish]], [[Shas]] – [[Sephardi Jews|Sefardim]], [[Chabad|Chabad-Lubavitch]], and the [[National Religious Party]] / [[National Union (Israel)|National Union]]. |
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Sofer was known to have had a strong relationship with the late Rabbi [[Ovadia Yosef]] (former [[Chief Rabbi]] of Israel and spiritual leader of [[Shas]]) and with the late Rabbi [[Yosef Shalom Elyashiv]], spiritual leader of [[Degel HaTorah]]. |
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While Sofer was a presiding member of Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Agudath Israel, the Erlau community is part of the Shlomei Emunim faction within the [[United Torah Judaism]] political party, representing all Agudath Israel factions. Shlomei Emunim is represented in the Knesset by Rabbi [[Meir Porush]]. |
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Upon the initiative of the Rebbe, the Erlau community took an active part in the launch of the ''[[HaMevaser]]'' newspaper in late 2008, which is owned and run by Rabbi Meir Porush. |
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The Rebbe also had a strong connection to the Jewish community of [[Hebron]], which he visited every year on the [[Ten Days of Repentance]].<ref>{{Cite web |
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| url = http://hebron.org.il/news/364 |
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| title = האדמו"ר מערלוי זצ"ל - ידיד חברון |
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| website = הישוב היהודי בחברון |
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| access-date = 2016-02-25 |
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}}</ref> After prayers at the [[Cave of the Patriarchs|Tomb of Machpela]], he would hold a "chocolate tish" in which he would bless each child and distribute chocolate to them.<ref>{{Cite web |
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| url = http://www.inn.co.il/News/News.aspx/316885 |
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| title = שופריה דרבי יוחנן |
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| website = ערוץ 7 |
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| access-date = 2016-02-25 |
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| url = http://www.kolhazman.co.il/93002 |
| url = http://www.kolhazman.co.il/93002 |
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| title = מאחרוני דור הנפילים • האדמו"ר מערלוי זצ"ל שלי - כל הזמן |
| title = מאחרוני דור הנפילים • האדמו"ר מערלוי זצ"ל שלי - כל הזמן |
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| website = כל הזמן |
| website = כל הזמן |
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| date = 22 February 2016 |
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| language = he-IL |
| language = he-IL |
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| access-date = 2016-02-25 |
| access-date = 2016-02-25 |
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}}</ref> |
}}</ref> He was quoted as saying that if not for the existence of the Jewish community of Hebron, regular visits to the Tomb of Machpela would not be possible.<ref>{{Cite web |
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| url = http://en.hebron.org.il/news/365 |
| url = http://en.hebron.org.il/news/365 |
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| title = Erlau Rebbe Mourned As Hasidic Leader Who Visited, Supported Hebron |
| title = Erlau Rebbe Mourned As Hasidic Leader Who Visited, Supported Hebron |
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}}</ref> |
}}</ref> |
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Sofer's wife Miriam Pall, died in 1999. They had seven sons.<ref name=obit/> |
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==Children== |
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Sofer married Miriam Pall (d. 1999), daughter of Rabbi Yaakov Pall, a descendant of the Chasam Sofer's sister, in Erlau. Their first three sons were born in Erlau; they had seven sons in total:<ref name=obit/> |
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*Rabbi Moshe Sofer, [[London, England]] (born 1947) |
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*Rabbi Yaakov Sofer, Rav of the Erlau community in [[Beitar Illit]] (born 1948) |
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*Rabbi Avraham Shmuel Binyomin Sofer, [[Rosh Yeshiva]] of Erlau Yeshiva Gedola, Jerusalem, Israel (born 1949) |
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*Rabbi Shimon Sofer, Rav of [[Baka, Jerusalem]], Israel (born 1951) |
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*Rabbi Akiva Menachem Sofer, Rav of the Erlau community in [[Bnei Brak]], Israel (born 1953) |
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*Rabbi Zalman Sofer, Rav of the Erlau community in [[Borough Park, Brooklyn|Borough Park]], [[New York (state)|New York]] (born 1954) |
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*Rabbi Aharon Sofer, Rav of the Erlau community in [[El'ad|Elad]], Israel (born 1959) |
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== References == |
== References == |
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{{Authority control}} |
{{Authority control}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sofer, Yochanan}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sofer, Yochanan}} |
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[[Category:Hasidic rebbes]] |
[[Category:Hasidic rebbes]] |
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[[Category:Hasidic rabbis in Europe]] |
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[[Category:Hasidic rabbis in Israel]] |
[[Category:Hasidic rabbis in Israel]] |
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[[Category:Hungarian |
[[Category:Hungarian Hasidic rabbis]] |
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[[Category:20th-century rabbis]] |
[[Category:20th-century Hungarian rabbis]] |
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[[Category:21st-century rabbis]] |
[[Category:21st-century Israeli rabbis]] |
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[[Category:People from Eger]] |
[[Category:People from Eger]] |
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[[Category:1923 births]] |
[[Category:1923 births]] |
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[[Category:2016 deaths]] |
[[Category:2016 deaths]] |
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[[Category:Auschwitz concentration camp survivors]] |
[[Category:Auschwitz concentration camp survivors]] |
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[[Category:Hungarian emigrants to Israel]] |
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[[Category:20th-century Israeli rabbis]] |
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[[Category:Burials at Har HaMenuchot]] |
Latest revision as of 19:32, 30 October 2023
Rabbi Yochanan Sofer | |
---|---|
Titel | Erlau Rebbe |
Personal | |
Born | January 1, 1923 Eger, Hungary |
Died | February 22, 2016 Israel | (aged 93)
Religion | Judaism |
Nationality | Israeli, Hungarian |
Spouse | Miriam Pall |
Children | Moshe Yaakov Avraham Shmuel Binyomin Shimon Akiva Menachem Zalman Yeshaya Dovid Aharon |
Parent(s) | Rabbi Moshe Sofer Tushena Schoenfeld[1] |
Denomination | Orthodox Judaism |
Jewish leader | |
Predecessor | Rabbi Moshe Sofer (II) |
Yeshiva | Ohel Shimon-Erlau |
Began | 1945 |
Ended | 2016 |
Other | Presiding member of Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah |
Buried | Mount of Olives |
Residence | Katamon, Israel |
Dynasty | Erlau / Chassam Sofer |
Yochanan Sofer (January 1, 1923 – February 22, 2016)[1][2][3] was the rebbe of the Erlau dynasty. He was born in Eger, Hungary, where his father and grandfather were also rebbes. After surviving the Holocaust, he founded a yeshiva, first in Hungary and then a few years later in Jerusalem.
Family history
[edit]Sofer's father Moshe Sofer, grandfather Shimon Sofer, great-grandfather Samuel Benjamin Sofer and great-great-grandfather Moses Sofer (known as the Chasam Sofer) were all rabbis.
Shimon Sofer led the Jewish community in Eger for some 64 years. He and his community were deported to Auschwitz by the Nazis in 1944 where at the age of 94 he was murdered by the Nazis, as was his son, Moshe Sofer, and many others from the city of Eger.[4]
Early life
[edit]Yochanan Sofer was born in Eger in 1923. He received his rabbinical education from his father,[5] and at yeshivas.[6][7][8]
His father and grandfather were murdered at Auschwitz, but he survived the war in the "Glass House" in Budapest[9] and returned to Eger to lead the few Jewish survivors.
In 1946 he and Moshe Stern, the rabbi of Debrecen became co-roshei yeshiva of the year-old Yeshivas Chasam Sofer, the only yeshiva in Hungary at that time, with Sofer serving as rosh yeshiva Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday and Stern for the second half of the week, while serving their respective communities the rest of the time. Sofer slept in the dormitory with the students and refused to accept a salary. After a year and a half he opened a yeshiva in Eger. After the Budapest yeshiva closed, the rest of the students moved to Eger.[10]
In 1947, he re-established the yeshiva in Eger with a small group of boys and adolescents (mostly orphans). He married and was appointed rabbi of the Orthodox Jewish community there.[11]
Move to Israel
[edit]Due to Communist Hungary's oppression of Judaism, Sofer and members of his community escaped Hungary.[10] For a short period of time, the yeshiva merged with the Pressburg Yeshiva in Jerusalem, which was headed by Akiva Sofer (known as the Daas Sofer), a great-grandson of the Chasam Sofer. Yochanan Suffer served there as a maggid shiur.
During this time he became a close disciple of Aharon Rokeach, the Belzer rebbe. Although Sofer's ancestors were not hasidic, he was influenced by Rokeach and the Skverer rebbe to adopt numerous hasidic customs.[12] Sofer named his youngest son Aharon after Rokeach.<name=obit/>
In 1953 Sofer founded the Erlau yeshiva and community in the Katamon neighbourhood of south-central Jerusalem, starting with the purchase of a few rooms in the building of the former Syrian Consulate on Yotam Street. The yeshiva was named the High Yeshiva of Rabbi Akiva Eiger after the father-in-law of the Chasam Sofer and later expanded to the whole building, where Sofer founded a dormitory and orphanage for Holocaust survivors and students from needy families. According to the Jerusalem Post, "He never moved from the non-haredi neighborhood, unlike other hassidic leaders who once lived in the area but who moved to haredi neighborhoods elsewhere in Jerusalem."[13]
In 1961, Sofer constructed a new building in the empty lot adjacent to the yeshiva, named Ohel Shimon-Erlau after his grandfather. The campus includes a beth midrash, which serves as the main synagogue and study hall for the yeshiva gedola, a smaller study hall for the yeshiva ketana, dormitory, classrooms, library, kitchen and offices. In addition, Sofer opened the Institute for Research of the Teachings of the Chasam Sofer. This Institute researches, deciphers, and distributes handwritten documents of the Chasam Sofer, his pupils and descendants.
He died on February 22, 2016. Streets in Jerusalem were closed as thousands attended the funeral procession.[14][15] Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said he was
a unique figure, beloved and admired by secular, religious and ultra-Orthodox Jews. With his pleasant ways, he represented both the Hasidim and Mitnagdim of Hungarian Jewry. The death of a public leader and head of a dynasty who was a Holocaust survivor and refugee who lost his father, mother and sisters in the labor and death camps, must also remind us of the respect and concern for the Holocaust survivors whose numbers are steadily dwindling, and the obligation to tell our people's history until the last generation.[16]
Erlau communities
[edit]Sofer set up a network of communities around Israel and abroad, including batei medrash (called by the name Yad Sofer), Talmud Torahs (known as Ksav Sofer) and kollelim (called by the name Chasam Sofer).[12] The main communities are in Katamon, Ezrat Torah, El'ad, Bnei Brak, Beitar Illit, Ashdod and Haifa. The community in Israel is estimated to number 500 families.
Sofer was known to the Jewish population as the Erlauer Rebbe (Yiddish) or Admor of Erlau (Hebrew). He was actively involved in all aspects of the yeshiva, giving daily shiurim to both students and elderly members of the Erlau community and surrounding neighbourhood, and prayed the daily prayers together with his pupils.
Opinion and politics
[edit]Sofer was considered a leading halakhic authority with enormous influence on the Orthodox Jewish community, as well as an expert in Israeli politics and security issues. He was often called upon to voice his opinion on global Jewish issues.[12]
He was appointed to the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Agudath Israel by Yisrael Alter when he was 38 years old after the protocol was amended to allow him, as the original protocol allowed only rabbis above the age of 40 to join.[12] He was also appointed a member of the administration of Mifal HaShas by its founder, Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam, the Klausenberger rebbe.[17]
The rabbinical authorities of the Sofer family and their disciples opposed Zionism. They did not approve of the formation of a Jewish state nor the use of Hebrew for mundane purposes.[18] They believed that the Messiah must arrive prior to the liberation of the Holy Land and that the Hebrew language was designated solely for the use of Torah study and prayer.
Sofer adopted an approach to Zionism similar to that of Aharon Rokeach. This ideology allows for dialogue with the Zionist leaders and for representation in the Knesset, though it does not give mandate or halachic justification to the legislative system of the State of Israel.
Sofer maintained that as a matter of Jewish law, any territorial concession to Arabs by Israel would endanger the lives of all the Jews in the Land of Israel and was therefore forbidden. He also insisted that even discussing the possibility of such concessions shows weakness and would encourage Arab attacks, and thus endanger Jewish lives. He was quoted as saying to Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Silvan Shalom: "I am not prepared to cede even one grain of the Land of Israel to the Arabs."[19][20] Sofer was also opposed to the unilateral pullout from Gaza and was quoted as saying, "Whoever leads to the transfer (of Jews from parts of Israel) is destroying the country".[21]
He also came out publicly against the Hebron Protocol of 1997 which divided the city into H1 and H2.[22] He was quoted as saying that if not for the existence of the Jewish community of Hebron, regular visits to the Tomb of Machpela would not be possible.[23]
Sofer's wife Miriam Pall, died in 1999. They had seven sons.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Baruch Dayan Ha'Emes; The Erlauer Rebbe, zt"l". Hamodia. February 21, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ "The Tisch: Erlau - A unique case of Hassidism". The Jerusalem Post | Jpost.com. Retrieved 2016-02-25.
- ^ "Erlau Rebbe pasrses away". Arutz Sheva. 22 February 2016. Retrieved 2016-02-25.
- ^ "Eger". Jewish Virtual Library. 2008. Retrieved 2010-08-05.
- ^ "Understanding Torah". Daf Notes. 2007-12-05. Retrieved 2010-08-05.
- ^ Tannenbaum, Rabbi Gershon (2009-03-18). "My Machberes". The Jewish Press. Retrieved 2010-08-05.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "David Deutsch (1898–1944)". Kertész István Alapítvány. 2010–2012. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
- ^ Akiva Menachem Sofer (November–December 2011). אגרות ומכתבי אמרי סופר [Fees and letters tell a scribe] (in Hebrew) (1 expanded ed.). Bnei Brak. p. 226.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ "I WAS 'ARRESTED' BY RABBI PINCHAS ROSENBAUM". Ami Magazine. No. 356. February 21, 2018. pp. 114–115.
- ^ a b Blum, Aryeh. "The Early Years: Father and Shepherd in Hungary – The Rebbe of Erloi". Mishpacha, 27 September 2012, pp. 48–49.
- ^ האהל [The Tent (HaOhel)] (PDF) (in Hebrew). Hebrewbooks.org. Retrieved 2010-08-05. p. 52
- ^ a b c d "The Chassidus of Erloi". tog.co.il. 2009-06-13. Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2010-08-05.
- ^ "Grand rabbi of Jerusalem's Erlau community dies at 93". The Jerusalem Post | Jpost.com. Retrieved 2016-02-25.
- ^ "Thousands Attend Levayah of the Erlau Rebbe, zt"l". Hamodia. Retrieved 2016-02-25.
- ^ "Jerusalem streets to be closed for Erlau Rebbe's funeral". Arutz Sheva. 22 February 2016. Retrieved 2016-02-25.
- ^ Ettinger, Yair (2016-02-22). "Rabbi Yochanan Sofer, the Admor of Erlau, Dies at 93". Haaretz. Retrieved 2016-02-25.
- ^ Meller, Rabbi Shimon Yosef (2006). Prince of the Torah Kingdom: Excerpts from the glorious life of Rabbi Simchah Zissel Broide. Feldheim Publishers. ISBN 1-58330-583-1. page 392
- ^ "Tikkun Olam (Repairing the World)". jewsagainstzionism.com. Archived from the original on 2010-11-24. Retrieved 2010-08-05.
- ^ האדמור מערלוי "אינני מוכן לתת גרגיר מהארץ [The Admor of Erlau: "I am not prepared to cede even one grain of the Land of Israel to the Arabs"] (in Hebrew). chabad.info. 2005-01-24. Retrieved 2010-08-05.
- ^ "The Admor of Erlau: "I am not prepared to cede even one grain of the Land of Israel to the Arabs"" (in Hebrew). katif.net. 2005-01-23. Retrieved 2010-08-05.
- ^ Weiss, Efrat (2004-01-14). ועד הרבנים: שרון יוביל להחרבת המדינה [Va'ad HaRabbanim: Sharon will cause the destruction of the State]. Ynet (in Hebrew). ynet.co.il. Retrieved 2010-08-05.
- ^ "מאחרוני דור הנפילים • האדמו"ר מערלוי זצ"ל שלי - כל הזמן". כל הזמן (in Hebrew). 22 February 2016. Retrieved 2016-02-25.
- ^ "Erlau Rebbe Mourned As Hasidic Leader Who Visited, Supported Hebron". the Jewish Community of Hebron. Retrieved 2016-02-25.