Thousands participated in the Tuesday evening atzeres tefilla and Hespeidim in Yeshivas Nishmas Yisrael in Paris, headed by HaGaon HaRav Yitzchak Katz, marking the shloshim for Maran HaRav Aharon Yehuda Leib Shteinman ZT”L.

Maran’s mesirus nefesh for the French Jewish community was known to all, and the late Rosh Yeshiva even visited a number of time to deliver chizuk to the local kehillos.

Rabbi Raphael Harari of Geneva spoke. He was known to be a student of Rav Shteinman. He was followed by Dr. Yosef Haradi, who was maspid the late Gadol Hador with tears as he attended to most of the Gadol Hador’s medical affairs for thirty years. He spoke of the many miracles that the medical community saw when it came to Rav Shteinman.

The next speaker was HaGaon Rav Baruch Solovechik, Rosh Yeshivas Torah Ze’ev, who came specially for the event, as was the case with HaGaon Rav Yehuda Toledano.

Organizers called it an “historic event” which moved many hearts, not just because Rav Shteinman was the Gadol Hador, but because French Jewry was aware of the affection and concern he kept in his heart for all of them, as a father always worrying about his children.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)