By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for the Five Towns Jewish Times

As this Shabbos is the 53rd Yartzeit of Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l the Five Towns Jewish Times is publishing this biographical sketch.

FIRST TRIP TO AMERICA

Rav Aharon came to the United States in 1935 to raise funds for the Yeshiva. He arrived on September 10th, 1935 having left Europe from Cherbourg, France aboard the Majestic. He stayed by his friend, Rabbi Kudensky of 6 Rutger Street in Manhattan. Rabbi Kudensky owned a Seforim store and was active in Agudas haRabbonim. He remained for eleven months because the financial situation was so bleak.
A reception was held in Manhattan in his honor which included the names of some of New York’s most prominent Rabbis. Recognition was given to Rav Aharon as one of the leading Rabbis of the generation. Rav Aharon, however, was not particularly enamored by prominent pulpit Rabbis, and did not develop extensive contacts with them, even later in life.

Even though he was in America for fundraising, he did not rest in terms of spreading Torah. In the short months that he was in America he attempted to transplant the love and depth of study that the European Yeshivos were known for – in America. Under Rav Aharon’s influence, Reb Shraga Feivel Mendelevitch established the Yeshiva known as Beis Medrash Elyon in Monsey. Even while on a fundraising trip, Rav Aharon planted the seeds of Torah that would later allow Torah to thrive on the shores of America. After the eleven months, Rav Aharon returned to Europe.

On account of the interaction with Rav Aharon while he was in America, Rav Shraga Feivel Mendelevitz, leader of Yeshiva Torah V’Daas in Brooklyn, sent one of his prized Talmidim, Rav Gedaliah Shorr – newly married the former Shifra Isbee from Detroit, to study under Rav Aharon in Kletzk. He arrived for Elul Zman in 1938.

Reb Gedaliah had a unique manner of sitting and concentrating that hid his extreme focus. He stood somewhat hunched over, holding his head with his eyes near closed- almost as if he was half asleep. The truth was that he had remarkable powers of concentration and this particular stance helped him focus. At the time, Rav Aharon mentioned to his son Reb Schneur that there was a “naya yungerman from America – they say he’s an ilui but he seems to be sleeping. Check into him.” Rav Aharon, however, spoke to him before Rav Schneur did and was very impressed with him. He went back to his son and retracted the comment .

That year, Reb Gedaliah’s wife, Shifra wrote back to Reb Gedaliah’s sister, Mina Keller, in America that she was bored and had taken it upon herself to teach English to the Rosh HaYeshiva’s thirteen year old daughter, Sara. It seems that Rebbitzen Shorr taught her well, as Sara’s proficiency in language eventually landed her a prestigious post.
In another letter home she commented that the Kletzer’s were teasing the Americans about being a bit too naïve in regard to their mass hysteria over the October 30th broadcast of H.G. Wells “War of the Worlds” by Orson Welles. Both the Bnei HaYeshiva and the townspeople teased them about how so many Americans believed that America had been invaded by Martians.
Just ten months after the Schorrs had arrived in Poland, the American consulate warned Reb Gedaliah that he and his wife must leave Kletzk back to America because the Nazi invasion was imminent. At the time, Rav Aharon Kotler too was unaware of the depth of the conflagration that was to hit European Jewry. He penned a letter urging Reb Gedaliah to remain at Kletz. However, Reb Gedaliah was already on board the ship by the time Rav Aharon’s response had arrived.

A picture of the Kletzk Yeshiva’s hanhallah and 214 Talmidim from 1938 is available. Rabbi Shimon Goder was the executive director. The Mashgiach was Rav Yoseph Aryeh Nendig. Rav Yechezkel Levenstein was also a Mashgiach of the yeshiva at a certain point too. Another member of the Hanhallah was Rav Dovid Dov HaLevi Kreiser, who took charge of the Yeshiva Ketana. Rav Kreiser was the father-in-law of Rav Dovid Povarsky, the Rosh Yeshiva of Ponevech. Rav Shach too used to deliver Chaburos in the Yeshiva, and his picture appears prominently in the Yeshiva photograph under the mashgiach Rav Yechezkel Levenstein. Tragically, most of the students of Kletz were murdered by the Nazis.

THIRD KNESSIAH IN MARIANBAD

In the summer of 1937, the third convention of the rabbinical leaders of Agudath Israel was held in Marienbad. It was attended by hundreds of rabbis, heads of yeshivas and grand rabbis of Chassidic communities from a number of countries. Rabbi Aharon Kotler attended this convention. Rav Aharon was only 45 years old, but the other Roshei yeshiva and Gedolim of Europe accorded him remarkable respect.
At the convention, a seemingly supportive political position of Zionism was proposed by Dr. Isaac Breuer and some other Agudah leaders who followed the German Jewish approach to Agudah . Rav Aharon and Reb Elchonon, however, would have none of it. They protested the position in the strongest of terms.

The periodical HaPardes (Year 11, Issue 7) reports that “Rav [Elchonon] Wasserman, Rav [Aharon] Kotler, Rav [Mordechai] Rottenberg from Antwerp and rabbis from Czechoslovakia and Hungary were unanimous in rejecting any proposal for a Jewish State on either side of the Jordan River, even if it were established as a religious state because such a regime would be a form of heresy in our faith in the belief in the coming of the Messiah, and especially since this little Jewish state would be built on heresy and desecration of the Name of G-d.”

Rav Aharon’s reputation as a Gadol haDor spread far and wide after the Agudah convention. He wrote responses from Kletzk to letters that came from everywhere. In mid-February 1938, he penned a responsa to someone regarding a misshapen letter Shin, whether it was kosher or not . Another letter, sadly, sticks out. It was written on March 15th, 1938, and Rav Aharon responded to a complex question regarding a Get and Agunah from Rav Yehudah Leib Langfuss, a Dayan in Makow, Poland . Makow was occupied by the Nazis in September of 1939. Rabbi Leib Langfuss and his family were transported to Auschwitz four years after his correspondence with Rav Aharon, on December 7th, 1942. In 1944, Reb Leib helped lead the insurrection of the Sonderkommando against the Nazis, yimach shmam. He was murdered shortly afterwards. On April 21st, 1938, Rav Aharon wrote another letter in response to a question about a Get to Rabbi Mordechai Yitzchok HaKohen Weinzimmer, the Av Bais Din of New Mosh.

Each year, Rav Aharon would spend Bain HaZmanim in Druzgenyk. Joseph Pilsudski, the head of the new Republic of Poland, vacationed there several times himself. He also orchestrated the development of Druzgenyk as a health vacation center. Many Roshei Yeshiva and Bnei Torah would also vacation there to bathe in its famous saline healing waters. The trees, the salt baths and the atmosphere enabled them to refresh themselves for the upcoming Zman. Rav Aharon met his previous Rebbe, Rav Boruch Ber Liebowitz, there and they would discuss Torah. They all ate in a communal hall of sorts, very similar to the camp dining rooms found currently in the Catskills. Rav Aharon spent the summer of 1939 in Druzgenyk. It would be the last one he would spend there. In September of 1939, the Soviets would capture and take over this famous spa city.

Rav Aharon carried on correspondences in learning with the great Roshei Yeshiva and Rabbis of Europe as their equal, and even more. On June 15th, 1939, he responds to an inquiry from Rav Yechezkel Abramsky zt”l, the chief Rabbi of London about the topic of a messenger appointing a messenger . He responds to Rav Elchono Wasserman zt”l’s shiur on tractate Yevamos (Kovetz Haaros #3) . He writes to Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzinsky zt”l a very lengthy correspondence on the Talmudic topic of Tzaras Sotah . He also responds to an inquiry from Rav Henkin about the text of a Get and about a condition in the marriage formula .

*On Isru Chag of Pesach 1939 he wrote a responsa concerning the fire in Kletzk that occurred during the summer of 1937. The fire left poor people. The people of Kletzk had collected funds for a situation that had occurred to the poor people of Brisk. Could they change it? They asked Rav Aharon for his view. He concluded that they could not.

THE NAZIS

In August of 1939, the entire world was watching Nazi Germany, worried about the future of Poland and of another possible World War. On the 24th Ribbentrop, the Nazi foreign minister, flew to meet with Molotov, the Russian foreign minister. They were soon to announce a ten year non-aggression pact. The mood in Kletzk was somber, as everyone knew that the Germans and the Russians would be discussing the future of Poland.

One of the secret protocols of the Nazi-Soviet non-aggression pact, was that after the Nazis would invade Poland, the Soviets would immediately invade Eastern Poland. This, of course, was not known by anyone at the time. Most of Poland as well as the Bnei HaYeshiva were very concerned of an impending Nazi invasion. Some of the bochurim in the Yeshiva had already received their draft notices from the Polish army.
On Friday, September 1st, 1939, the radio announced that Nazi planes were already bombarding Warsaw, Cracow and other Polish cities. Rav Aharon gave a special Mussar shmuess to his students before Mincha. He urged everyone to do Teshuvah for past Aveiros, and to pray for Hitler Yimach Shmo’s downfall. He asked that everyone pray for the safety of Jews and of all good people wherever they are in the struggle against the Nazis. He spoke emotionally with tears streaming down his cheeks, and the Bnei HaYeshiva cried as well.

On Sunday the 3rd of September, England and France declared war on Germany. Briefly, there was a feeling of relief in the Yeshiva, but it was not to last. And yet, the Talmidim were resolute in their hasmada and continued learning.

One of the Talmidim, Reb Alter Pekier, would tell Rav Aharon the news reports that he had heard on the radio each day. Like all radio reports from countries that are on a rapidly losing side, the radio reports were falsely optimistic and lied. Rav Aharon was able to see through these false reports and explained to the young Reb Alter that since the news reports mentioned new town names that were not in earlier reports, it was clear that the Polish troops were making a hasty retreat in land.

Rosh HaShana of 1939 was a three day Yom Tov, and the Bnei Yeshiva prayed more fervently than ever before as they truly knew that their lives hung in the balance. On the second day of Rosh HaShanah the Nazi Luftwaffe bombed the town of Baronovitch, and many terrified refugees arrived in nearby Kletzk in the middle of the Yom Tov.
Early in the morning on Sunday the 17th, soldiers slowly marched into Kletzk. The people of Kletzk were soon to be in for a surprise. They were Russian soldiers. The reactions to the identities of the new occupiers were mixed.

The Jews of Kletzk were elated. Poland, since 1918 had turned decidedly fascist and exhibited strong anti-Semitism. They boycotted Jewish business and almost banned Shechitah. Surely, the Russians were to be their liberators. The gentiles were depressed that the Russians were now to take over their long fought for independence. Rav Aharon and the students of his Yeshiva were concerned because of the harsh experiences in Slutzk.

The Soviets, to their shock, found a fully functioning Yeshiva undeterred by what was happening around them. Rav Aharon anticipated a food crisis in the days following the entry of the Russians. He hired horses and wagons to obtain necessary produce so that the Yeshiva could continue. Each morning the Yeshiva bochurim would go on the rounds obtaining the food. The peasants gladly gave their potatoes, carrots, onions, and cucumbers. The Jewish merchants sold their flour, cheese, sugar and salt on condition that when a small payment could be made, it would.

Sukkos of 1939, was extraordinary in the Yeshiva, as the Bochurim did their best not to let the grave political situation effect their Simchas HaChag. Lulavim and Esrogim, were entirely unavailable, but extraordinarily, Rav isser Zalman Meltzer was able to send one set to Rav Aharon from Eretz Yisroel. The entire Yeshiva used that set.
Immediately after Yom Tov, Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzinsky sent a telegram to Rav Aharon to come right away for an important meeting in Vilna. Most of the ROshei Yeshiva in occupied Poland would be in attendance. Rav Aharon left to Vilna on Sunday morning, October 8th, 1939, two days after Yom Tov.

After consultation with Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzinski, the universally recognized Gadol HaDor, Rav Aharon decided to move the Yeshiva to Vilna immediately after Sukkos. Vilna was to be recognized as part of a free and independent Lithuania and thus gave the Jews there some temporary breathing room. Rav Aharon sent a telegram to his wife, Rebbitzen Chana Perel, on Wednesday October 11th, instructing her to bring their son, daughter and the entire Yeshiva body to Vilna. There were 200 students studying in the Yeshiva at the time. He urged them not to delay a moment and that they may even travel on the Shabbos. His expectation, however, was that they try to leave within 24 hours.

A caravan of horse drawn carriages was arranged to bring the Bnei HaYeshiva to Vilna. One of the caravans was reserved for Reb Shneur, his sister and mother, the Rebbitzen. They travelled through the night to Baronovich, as the traffic on the highway was heavy with refugees and Polish troops. They arrived in Baronovich on Friday morning.

At the train station the Bnei Yeshiva had met people that were actually returning from Vilna to Kletzk, because the situation in Vilna had become “catastrophic.” The decided to spend Shabbos in Baronovich but to first wire Rav Aharon as to what they should do. An hour before Shabbos they received the reply. Rav Aharon told them to leave Baronovich at once for Vilna, even though they would be travelling on Shabbos.

The Bnei yeshiva arrived in Vilna on Shabbos morning at 8:00 AM. Now that there no longer was an issue of Pikuach Nefesh, they remained in the Vilna train station until Motzei Shabbos. Arrangements were made to house the Yeshiva bochurim – no easy task in an already overcrowded Vilna teeming with refugees.

The Yeshiva regrouped in Vilna, in the Yogiches Beis Midrash. Lunch was served at a local soup kitchen. The families that housed the Yeshiva Bochurim provided breakfast and dinner.
The advice to come to Vilna was warranted. The Russians announced that Vilna would indeed be returned to Lithuania, a neutral country. On Sunday October 28th, the transfer occurred.