We regret to inform you of the Petira of the leader of the Chabad movement in Australia, Rabbi Yitzchok Dovid Groner Z”L after a lengthy illness. The Kevura is expected to take place in Eretz Yisroel, with a Levaya in Melbourne in his honour.
Rabbi Groner, 83, arrived in Melbourne in 1958 from the United States as the head shaliach (emissary) of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
He built up the Chabad community to its current sizeable population.
The Chabad community now includes the 1000-student Yeshivah and Beth Rivkah schools, the Yeshivah Gedolah and countless Chabad Shul’s and learning institutions around Melbourne.
Rabbi Groner’s children are continuing his work in spreading Yiddishkeit. His sons lead Chabad of Glen Eira and Ohel Devorah and his daughter and her husband run Chabad of Malvern.
His son-in-law, Rabbi Zvi Telsner, was appointed assistant rabbi of Yeshivah during Rabbi Groner’s illness.
Boruch Dayan Emmes….
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7 Responses
I was in Yeshiva College in Melbourne from 1957 till 1967. I remember Rabbi Groner very well. May I be corrected – I believe he was the first American born Lubavitcher in Australia.
The other emissaries of the Rebbe were Russian born Lubavitchers who would regale us with true life stories of the hardships of being a frum Jew in Communist Russia – if not czarist Russia.
Reb Zalaman Serebransky – the fines Yid you could meet – and the one who got me started as a little boy on snuff on Shabbos;and sons Arel and Chaim(?).
And the 6.00 am minyan in Yeshiva that I would go to with my father- where I got sick of alchohol at an early age- from drinking too much slivovitz(with herring) too early in the morning after minyan. 🙂
And Reb Gurevitch who danced on Simchas Torah like no other person I have seen – somersaults and all – Lechvod Hatorah.
Rav Perlov – who was the Posek. My Father used to take him to the Adas Yisroel(Hungarian Kehila) mikveh on Friday mornings before 6 a.m. I would tag along for the “dip”. My Mother used to buy fish for him and his Rebbetzin – which I remember bringing to their house.
Rav Klugant – one of my Rebbes in Yeshiva.
And Rav Althaus who had a Hotel(Chedva) in the Dandenong Mountains- about 25 miles out of Melbourne. Our family went there for Rosh Hashonah one year.
These were the finest , emesdicka Yidden I have met.( Please my current friends – do not take offense – I am reminiscing)
They loved you with all their heart.
Even when Reb Arel Serebranski would pat me on the shoulder in the school playgrounds (to check if I was wearing my Tzizzis!!!)it was done with love and sincerity
It was a beautiful place to grow up and live, having these Yidden as my first Yiddishe memories as a child.
Thank you Rabbi Groner for helping create a Mokom for me to go to school and a place to Daven.
Abie Ross
Boruch Dayan Emes
a small anicdote about the niftar whom i knew only by sight. he lived in the bronsville-crown heights area of brooklyn about 55-60 years ago where my family also resided.i remember that one time i was in the east side of manhattan eating in a kosher restaurant.he also was there. this restaurant existing about55-60 years ago, was only the few ,we could eat at .i remember that i ordered a coffee and the milk was in a separate container unmarked. the niftar cautioned me not to assume that the milk was cholov yisroel; sure enough it wasnt’.as he put it to me , and at that time i was very young,’a kosher store doesnt mean that they serve chlov yisroel’.i oalways remembered this point and thankful for that advise.
The Joseph Fleischer family of Melbourne, Eretz Israel and London wishes to send its sincere sympathy to the family of the late Rabbi Ytzchak Groner. We will always remember him with respect and gratitude for his great beneficial influence on our lives.
Having grown up in Melbourne though not belonging to his kehilla yet still have wonderful fond memories of Rabbi Groner and the great respect all had for him. Above all he was known in town for his amazing oratory skills and ability to talk to young and old religious and not to each one on his level.He was also a genuine ‘humble’ person never seeking fame or kovod. even though in the past 20-30 years he was cosidered the rov of his kehilla was always the mesader kidushin and etc. yet he never sat at the mizrach wall- a place for rabbonim certainly the senior rov in the kehilla.
Yehi zichro boruch!
Abie Ross
Are you perhaps a relation of mine? Are you the son of Harriet and Abe and Sarah Rosenberg your uncle and aunt?
Mark Rosenberg
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Having been born in Melbourne, Australia, and attended the Yeshiva College from 1956-1961, I had the privilege of knowing both the Late Reb Zalaman Serebransky and Reb Groner. Today, fifty two years later, although am not religious any more, and living in Tel Aviv, I still have a warm spot in my heart and pleasant memories of the period I studied at the Yeshiva College, and am greatful to my late parents, all concerned then at the school, who tried to give me the yiddish educuation guidance etc., which has had an influence in my life.
Only today, whilst surfing the website did I come to know of the passing of Reb Groner, and felt I needed to post a comment. I send my condolences to the family
Yehi zichro boruch!
Louis (Arie) Gecht
[email protected]