Harav Ben Tzion Coopertstock, zt’l, known as the “Abba of Meron” for his constant and continuous chessed throughout the year, day and night, to the kever of the Rashbi and other sites and providing hundreds of thousands of mispallelim at Meron with food and drink was Israel’s 46th victim of the coronavirus.

Harav Ben Tzion, 63, a resident of Jerusalem and the head of the organization “Hilula D’Rashbi, was brought to Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital in Jerusalem when he collapsed and he subsequently tested positive for the coronavirus. His condition quickly deteriorated and he passed away overnight Motzei Shabbos.

Harav Tzion was moser nefesh for the kever of Rav Shimon Bar Yochai and fulfilled all the needs of hundreds of thousands of mispallelim at Meron for decades. He also ensured that the site was kept in good condition and quickly took care of anything that needed to be fixed.

Before Lag B’Omer he would spend hours upon hours ensuring that the site was ready for the huge crowds – from painting the letters on the gate of the tzion, renovating the paths to the kever, renovating the mikvah and most importantly, providing huge quantities of food and drink for the thousands of visitors every year.

הרב בן ציון קופרשטוק זצ"ל – איש החסד הנמרץ מירושלים שעסק בצרכי ציבור באמונה. מוכר לכולם מפעילותו הברוכה למען מאות אלפי העולים למירון בל"ג בעומר. אירגן את ההילולא והכשיר את ציון הרשב"י לקליטת ההמונים ולרווחתם.
כמה עצוב וסמלי שנפטר בו בזמן שציון הרשב"י סגור על מסגר ובריח.
אבא תרחם. pic.twitter.com/3Sj92z2JCJ

— אריה ארליך A. Erlich (@AryeErlich) April 5, 2020

Even when he accumulated a high amount of debt, he continued his activities, doing everything anonymously and never seeking kavod. One of his friends told B’Chadrei Chareidim: “Even when they told him: Reb Ben Tzion, you’re sinking into debt for this, he wouldn’t listen. ‘I shouldn’t work for Harav Shimon [Bar Yochai] due to money?’ he would say.”

הנה הרב קופרשטוק ז"ל בפוזה אופיינית: סוחב ארגזי חלות לציבור, שאנשים יאכלו, ישבעו וישמחו.
תהומות של עצב אין קץ. pic.twitter.com/82l25EQh05

— אריה ארליך A. Erlich (@AryeErlich) April 5, 2020

One of his famed deeds was building the “Kohanim balcony” a few years ago, which allowed Kohanim to daven by the kever and quieted many disputes over allowing Kohanim at the site.

His countless acts of chessed didn’t stop at Meron. He also tended to the needs of mispallelim of the Ohr HaChayim Hakadosh at Har HaZeisim, even building a new matzeivah there within the past year. He also organized the hilulas for Shmuel Hanavi [whose kever is located near Ramot in Jerusalem].

“Reb Ben Tzion was a strong and healthy man,” one of his friends told Kikar H’Shabbos. “He was so pained by the fact that the kever of Rashbi was shuttered and locked due to the current situation. How symbolic it is that he was niftar at a time like this. If a healthy man like him succumbed to the virus, this teaches us how dangerous it is and how careful we need to be.”

The levaya took place on Sunday at 12:30 p.m.at the Shamgar funeral home. Harav Ben-Tzion was buried on Har Hamenuchos.

תהא נשמתו צרורה בצרור החיים

A FUND WAS ESTABLISHED TO ASSIST THE FAMILY

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)