Biography Yosef Yozel Horwitz

1 biography

1.1 family
1.2 meeting rabbi yisrael salanter
1.3 seclusion in kovno
1.4 forced leave
1.5 establishing yeshivas
1.6 in kiev
1.7 death , burial

biography
family

horwitz born in 1847, in plongian, lithuania. father rabbi shlomo zalman ziv (later horowitz), dayan , rabbi in plongian , later rabbi of kurtuvian. yosef yozel had 3 brothers , 4 sisters. horwitz acquired basic education under supervision of father. joined kelm yeshiva when still young. @ age of sixteen, delivering shiur (lesson) in synagogue of kurtuvian.

at eighteen, horwitz married eldest daughter of rabbi yaakov stein, textile store owner shvekesna. stein died shortly before wedding, after wedding, horwitz assumed management of father-in-law’s business, support of stein’s widow , 8 children.

meeting rabbi yisrael salanter

because of business commitments, frequent visitor memel, @ age of 27, met rabbi yisrael salanter, rabbi of memel @ time. after attending number of salanter s classes , meeting him, horowitz decided close business, leave shvekesna, , study torah full-time in kovno. met opposition father, rabbi shlomo zalman horowitz, , rabbi yisroel salanter, both of whom concerned reaction of wife decision. assured them, however, “she has understood me, , understand me time, too.”

seclusion in kovno

on advice of rabbi yisroel salanter, horowitz joined kovno’s kollel perushim studied under rabbis yitzchak blazer, naftali amsterdam , avraham shenker, musar students of rabbi yisroel salanter.

horowitz brought wife , children kovno, wife gave birth 2 more children , died in childbirth. after wife s death, horowitz divided children among relatives , secluded himself in home of kovno tinsmith name of rabbi shlomo. remained in room year , half without emerging. guarantee solitude, blocked entrance quarters brick wall, contained 2 small windows through maintained contact landlord when necessary. served dairy meals through 1 window , meat through other window.

forced leave

in 1881/1882, maskilim published series of articles in ridiculed horwitz’s seclusion. later, threw bundle of forged banknotes yard , informed police hideout base manufacture of counterfeit money. day, horwitz’s mother came visit him , burned bundle. afterward, police stormed horwitz’s room , broke down wall. although found nothing suspicious, forbade him live in seclusion.

shortly after emerged seclusion, mentors urged him remarry. 1 evening, horwitz passed rabbi shlomo’s house , heard crying. following day, asked rabbi shlomo had happened. rabbi shlomo told him man whom daughter, chaya rivka, supposed marry, had broken engagement. horwitz told rabbi shlomo marry chaya rivka, on condition allowed isolate himself week, returning family shabbat , yom tov. agreed condition, , match finalized. rabbi gershon chirinsky, lumber merchant owned estates around zetl, (with assistance of rabbi e. lachman berlin), built forest retreat, horwitz secluded himself 12 years, visiting family on shabbat.

when father died in 1890, , kurtuvian offered him position have inherited father head of community, did not accept because had sister left orphan , rejected rabbinical seat in favour of future brother-in-law.

establishing yeshivas

in 1893/1894, horwitz began visit rabbi simcha zissel ziv in kelm. rabbi simcha zissel persuaded horwitz make effort counteract influences of haskala movement.

once more, horwitz left seclusion , founded network of kollels in 20 polish , russian towns, among them shavli, dvinsk, minsk, warsaw, berditchev, novardok, odessa, lida , zetl. once kollel established, urge students establish adjoining yeshivas. institutions financed rabbi lachman , headed rabbi yitzchak blazer. yeshiva in berdichev had 2 hundred students. when horwitz heard pupils arguing @ difficult study or discussion, did not leave until matter settled (rabbi dov katz wrote subject in book “tnuat musar” (“the musar movement”) p. 199).

horwitz founded yeshiva gedolah in novardok, alumni of many yeshivas had established came study. more 300 students enrolled in yeshiva.

when world war broke out, horwitz decided move yeshiva border. did not permit yeshiva remain in novardok. in 1914/1915, horwitz set out ukraine in search of new quarters yeshiva. before leaving, told students if germans neared novardok, should flee in direction of ukraine. horwitz found quarters yeshiva in homel. in meantime, germans conquered area near novardok, , yeshiva students fled homel. in homel, lived in home of rabbi yaakov katz. soon, became crowded had move nearby beis medrash, , various shuls in city. end of summer of 1915, 80 students had reached homel, , yeshiva reestablished.

in kiev

in 1917/1918, wartime circumstances forced horwitz transfer yeshiva homel kiev, founded 4 more yeshiva gedolahs.

during succos 1919, russians made pogroms in kiev, killing hundreds of jews. many jews in area sought shelter in horwitz’s home, believing spared in merit. on simchas torah, situation worsened, horwitz instructed students conduct hakafos usual. rioters fired @ windows of house. dropped floor – except horwitz, remained standing @ head of table, kiddush-cup in hand.

death , burial

after succos, typhoid epidemic broke out in kiev, taking lives of thousands of residents. horwitz’s home filled invalids whom attended. in kislev, contracted disease, , never recovered it. still, continued attend needs of invalids. died on december 9, 1919.

jews of kiev , suburbs streamed funeral. last eulogize him student, rabbi dovid budnik. forty-three years later, students transferred coffin israel, , in summer of 1963 reinterred in har hamenuchot cemetery in jerusalem.