The community of Five Towns was greatly saddened by the news of the passing of Harav Binyamin Kamenetzky, z”l, at the age of 93.
Rav Binyamin was born in 1923, the oldest son of Hagaon Harav Yaakov Kamenetsky, zt”l. He learned in Telz in Europe as a bachur before moving with his family to the United States in 1937, where he learned in Yeshivas Chofetz Chaim under the Rosh Yeshiva Hagaon Harav Dovid Leibowitz, zt”l, and later at Ner Yisroel, where the Rosh Yeshiva, Hagaon Harav Yaakov Yitzchak Ruderman, zt”l, was his father’s cousin.
He returned to New York and married the daughter of Harav Pinchus Eliyahu Spiegel zt”l, the Ostrove-Kalushiner Rebbe in the Bronx, and he became a rebbe in Yeshiva Toras Chaim in East New York which was founded by Rav Isaac Shmidman, z”l. One day, he met a child who’d traveled from Cedarhurst, and he realized that there was no yiddishkeit there. With his father’s blessing he moved to the Five Towns where he set out to build a Jewish community.
Rav Binyamin opened the Young Israel of Woodmere, and later the Yeshiva of South Shore—Yeshiva Toras Chaim and the Torah Academy for Girls, and he made the Five Towns into the flowering Jewish community that it is today.
He is survived by his choshuve siblings, Hagaon Harav Shmuel, Harav Noson and Mrs. Rivka Diskind, his children, Mrs. Sarah Knobel, Mrs. Esther Wilhelm, Mrs. Shani Lefkowitz, wife of Rav Simcha Lefkowitz, Rav Mordechai Kamenetzky, and Rav Tzvi Kamenetzky, as well as grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
The levayah will take place on Sunday, at Yeshiva of South Shore, 1170 William Street, Hewlett, NY, at 10 A.M.
Yehi zichro baruch.
I don't know much about Rabbi Kamenetzky (although his father was quite famous). Can someone fill in some details about his life, his personality, whether he was tolerant of other Jews etc?
ReplyDeleteIf you knew his father at all, you'd know that his son could not possibly be intolerant of another Jew.
DeleteThat's an irrelevant statement. Nothing against who Rabbi Binyomen was. But his brother in Philadelphia is not his father. Being a son of a great man doesn't make that person the same person.
DeleteRobert, your question promotes the very ideology you suggest to abhor. I think you should look in the mirror and figure out who you really are. With love, no matter what your level of intolerance is.
ReplyDeleteDid Hoffman write this obit?
ReplyDeleteMissing information is Mrs Diskind is almana ofd Rabbi Hirsch Diskind long time menahel of Bais Yaakov baltimore. Mrs Knobel is married to 5 Towns Rosh Kollel R' Itche Knobel. R' Yaakov Kaminetzky also had an adopted child.
Rav Binyomin was able to talk to Jews of all kinds. He came to the 5 towns when the only orthodox synagogue had few shower shabbos members. He welcomed all types. I had heard that he moved the Yeshiva Torahs Chaim from a deteriorating neighborhood in Brownsville or east NY to a new area. His yeshiva was initially a real outreach yeshiva. He had a role in bringing hundreds of people to a Torah education. His son often shares memories in his magazine columns.
ReplyDelete