Dov Tzvi Heller (1862 – 1935) commonly called by his Yiddish name, Ber Hirsch Heller, was a rabbi and mashgiach ruchani at the Slabodka Yeshiva in Europe, as well as the father-in-law of Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetzky and Rabbi Avraham Grodzinski.
Rabbi Dov Tzvi Heller רב דוב צבי העלער | |
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| Personal | |
| Born | 1862 |
| Died | 1935 |
| Religion | Judaism |
| Spouse | Feiga Esther Heller née Blankfield |
| Children | Avraham Meir Heller Chasya Grodzinsky Ita Ettel Kamenetsky Kayle Heller Sara Vernoskovsky |
| Parents |
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| Position | Mashgiach ruchani |
| Yeshiva | Knesses Yisrael Slabodka |
Life
editDov Tzvi Heller was born in 1862 in Shilel (Šilalė), Lithuania, then part of the Russian Empire, to Eliezer Yitzchak and Hasseh Gisseh Heller.[1] In 1890,[2] he became the mashgiach ruchani in the Yeshiva Knesses Yisrael Slabodka under Nosson Tzvi Finkel, where he was known for his sweet personality, gentleness, and love of his students, which was so strong, that he would often fast for their success. During World War I, the yeshiva escaped to Minsk, and later many of them Kremenchug, and Heller came with the yeshiva on these travels. Shimon Reuven Dvoretz, who was teenager in Kremenchug, described Heller as "a saint, a Chafetz Chaim in his simplicity," comparing him to Yisrael Meir Kagan, who had been the greatest rabbi of the time until his death a few years prior.[3]
Family
editHeller was married Feiga Esther Heller née Blankfield (c. 1862-1942). They had five children, four of which lived to adulthood (one son and four daughters).[4] Their son was Avraham Meir Heller (1887-1979).[5] Their oldest daughter, Chasya (1891-1944), married Avraham Grodzinski, who later served as mashgiach ruchani of the Slabodka Yeshiva as well. Their second daughter, Ita Ettel (1895-1954), married Yaakov Kamenetzky, a student of her father and Finkel, and future rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Torah Vodaath.[6][7][3] Their third daughter to live adulthood, Sara (1899-1941), married Shabsi Vernokovsky, and they both were murdered in the Holocaust.[8][9] They had another child, named Kayle, who was born in 1897 and died two years later.[10]
Death
editHeller died in 1935 in Jerusalem.
References
edit- ^ "R' DovBer Zvi (Hirsch) Heller, the Slobodka Yeshiva mashgiach". Geni.com. Geni.com. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
- ^ Wein, Berel (October 1990). Triumph of Survival (First ed.). Brooklyn, NY: Shaar Press. p. 138. ISBN 1-4226-1514-6.
- ^ a b Rosenblum, Yonasan (February 1993). Reb Yaakov: The Life and Times of HaGaon Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky. Brooklyn, NY: Mesorah Publications, Ltd. pp. 67–80. ISBN 0-89906-413-2.
- ^ "Faige Esther Heller (Blankfield)". Geni.com. Geni.com. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
- ^ "Abraham Meir Heller". Geni.com. Geni.com. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
- ^ "Chasya Gisseh Grodzinski (Heller)". Geni.com. Geni.com. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
- ^ "Itta Ettel Kamenetsky". Geni.com. Geni.com. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
- ^ "Sarah Wernikowsky". Geni.com. Geni.com. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
- ^ Rosenblum, Yonasan (February 1993). Reb Yaakov: The Life and Times of HaGaon Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky. Brooklyn, NY: Mesorah Publications, Ltd. p. 77. ISBN 0-89906-413-2.
Itta Ettil (Kamenetsky), Sara (Vernokovsky), Chasya (Grodzinski) daughters of R' Ber Hirsch Heller
- ^ "Kayle Heller". Geni.com. Geni.com. Retrieved August 17, 2020.