Rabbi Yeshaya Levy
ישעי ב"ר מיכאל הלוי
Rav, Congregation Ohhab Zedek (OZ), New York CityDate of Death:
Tue. October 28, 1930 -
Cheshvan 6 5691
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Directions to Kever: The Washington Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York maintains detailed burial records and will provide assistance upon request. Location: Enter from Ocean Parkway service road between Avenue J and K, left on Hyacinth Avenue, right on Lotus Avenue to marker 96, around 300 feet.
Biographical Notes:
Source: First Hungarian Congregation Ohab Zedek, Chaim Steinberger
Credit: IFJCAH
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The Rav was Rav Hillel Klien’s first cousin. I once heard that his son was the attorney who assisted Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum with his immigration papers when he first arrived on these shores.
http://archive.jta.org/article/1930/10/30/2788011/funeral-of-rabbi-isaiah-levy-of-ohab-zedek-congregation
OCTOBER 30, 1930
Funeral of Rabbi Isaiah Levy, of Ohab Zedek Congregation
Funeral services for Rabbi Isaiah Levy, head of the Chab Zedek Congregation who died Tuesday at Beth Israel Hospital following an operation, were held Wednesday from his home. Rabbi Levy, who was 50, was born in London, the son of Michael and Jenny Levy. He was a grandson of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, champion of orthodox Judaism in Germany.
During the World War, Rabbi Levy, while still in England, organized a home for Belgian refugees and a Talmudic school for the refugee children. He also served as a volunteer interpreter for interned Austrian and Hungarian Jews.
APRIL 11, 1924
Rabbi Levy Comes to Congregation Ohab Zedek New York
New York, Apr. 11 (JTA) –
Rabbi Isaiah Levy of London, grandson of the famous rabbi of the last century, Samson Raphael Hirsch of Frankfort-on-the-Main is due here tomorrow on the Acquitania.
Rabbi Levy, who has had a distinguished career as a communal worker and spiritual adviser in England, the country of his birth, has accepted a call to become the associate rabbi, with the Rev. Dr. Philip Klein, of the First Hungarian Congregation Ohab Zedek, one of the oldest and largest orthodox Jewish congregations in America.
http://archive.jta.org/article/1924/04/11/2757605/rabbi-levy-comes-to-congregation-ohab-zedek-new-yor
a letter from rabbi Levy to the JDC in favor of the “Tomche Torah Society”
http://search.archives.jdc.org/multimedia/Documents/NY_AR2132/00037/NY_AR2132_00260.pdf
“RABBI LEVY, SCION OF
HIRSCH, DIES AT 51
New York, N. Y.—Rev. Isaiah Levy of the First Hungarian Congregation died here at the age of 51. A grandson of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, famous champion of Orthodoxy in Germany, he was born in London and received his education in Germany. During the war he was a chaplain in the Austrian army. He came to the United States six years ago.”
source:
http://pjn.library.cmu.edu/books/CALL1/CRI_1930_076_026_11071930/vol0/part0/copy0/ocr/txt/0012.txt
There is a picture of Rabbi Levy on page 17 of this document:
http://search.archives.jdc.org/multimedia/Documents/NY_AR2132/00028-1/NY_AR2132_00993.pdf
Rav Levy was survived by 6 children:
Ellis, an attorney who helped the Satmar Rav and the Bais Yaakov of Williamburg immensely.
Naftoli, Samson, Joshua, Rochelle , and Dina.
Rav Yeshaye Levy was born in London, a grandson of Rav S. R. Hirsch, his brother was a noted dentist in London Isaac Levy who translated Rav Hirsch’s commentary into English. Isaac’s son wrote an interesting memoir which tells much more about the family. There’s No Place Like Jerusalem by Samson Raphael Levy. Rav Shaye Levy was a rav who stood up for what was right, and was not a crowd pleaser. He disapproved of the placing of the Amud for the chazan, so when he davened from the amud he placed a shtender where he thought it belonged. He insisted that his community should have cholov yisrael milk and encouraged one of his children to open a grocery on the West Side of Manhattan just to provide cholov yisrael products. He was afraid that the long chazonishe davening would cause people to eat before making kiddush, so he made a minyan for shacharis in his home (which continued for many years under the leadership fo his son Ellis). His encouragement of kvias ittim LeTorah is found in several published speeches.