This week, the Jewish people mourned the loss of two remarkable men in their 101st year. Rav Gershon Edelstein, the Rosh Yershiva of the Yeshiva Ketana (high school age division) of the Ponevezh Yeshiva in Bnei Brak, passed away at the age or 100, just hours after delivering his final shiur. Rav Edelstein taught Torah for nearly eight decades, and was conferred with the mantle of leadership for the Lithuabian chareidi community in the last several years of his life. On Shabbat morning, in the context of the Bat Mitzvah of Gabriela Raphael, I will be speaking about one important lesson we can learn from Rav Edelstein’s style of leadership.
This week as well, Cantor Moshe Kraus passed away at the age of 100. Born in Uzhgorod, he studied in yeshivot, was ordained as rabbi, and went to Vienna to study under the well-known cantor Yehuda Leib Miller. Kraus served as cantor in Marmoresh, Szeged, and Budapest. Cantor Kraus was a Holocaust survivor who was saved in Bergen Belsen due to his remarkable voice, the subject of his incredible autobiography . He joined Tito's partisans and after the war went to Bucharest where he was appointed cantor to the Malbim synagogue. From 1946 to 1949 he served as cantor and rabbi in Germany and in 1949 moved to Israel, joining the Israel Defense Forces, where he became the first chief cantor. He appeared in concerts and led prayers in the main Jewish centers of Europe. He served as cantor in the Oxford Street synagogue in Johannesburg, South Africa, and also officiated in Mexico, Venezuela, and Canada, finally making Ottawa, Canada his residence. Cantor Kraus spoke often about his Holocaust experiences and gave interviews on the subject as well.Here is his testimonial, recorded as part of a series under the auspices of Carleton University in Ottawa. Here, he speaks abouthow he met his wife (Rivka, his wife of 72 years (!) who survived him). In addition to being an outstanding Chazzan, he was a captivating storyteller- here he tells a Chassidic story about a graveside miracle (the translation, in some places, is seriously mistaken). Here is Cantor Kraus singing Sim Shalom.
Hakarat HaTov Corner
On Monday, Memorial Day, I had the honor of participating in the third annual North vs. South Softball Game, between people from the South and North Eruv communities. I am grateful to the members of the South Eruv team for letting me play, and also for winning 11-10! A great time was had by all; a special thank you to Brett Diamond for his coaching and leadership, to Gavi Wolk for pitching all nine innings and to Rabbi Wolk for his benediction.
Last Week’s MSOTW
Last week’s clue was: This synagogue was built by one of the original communities in this city, which keeps it going with a small minyan even as its members have moved to other neighborhoods and established many other vibrant synagogues and Torah institutions. Due to supply shortages from WWII, it was not completed until 1953. There are several synagogues and communities in this city with the same Shavuot-themed name. Name the synagogue and the city.
The shul is Monte Sinai, in the Roma Norte neighborhood of Mexico City. It was started by Aleppian Jews who immigrated to Mexico in the 1920s. There is a large and vibrant Syrian community in Mexico city, with many shuls and Torah institutions, now located in other heavily Jewish neighborhoods. Roma is now an eclectic and trendy neighborhood, and the community maintains the shul and keeps a minyan going even as the community has largely moved away from that neighborhood.
This Week’s MSOTW
In a city that now boasts many, many shuls, this is one of the originals (if not the actual original), dating back to a time when the city was a resort town. Today, there are two branches of this shul. Name the shul and the community.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky
Congregation Shaare Tefilla 6131 Churchill Way Dallas, TX 75230
