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A SPECIAL THANKS TO THE MEMBERS OF MORESHES CHACHMEI AMERICA, MR. ASHLEY DWORSKY, & RABBI JOSEPH SCHANOWITZ OF CHICAGO FOR THEIR COUNTLESS HOURS OF RESEARCH IN THE ONGOING SEARCH TO LOCATE RAV AARONSOHN’S KEVER.   

Bio Information:
The Rav, who was born in Salant (Salantai), Lithuania was the oldest son of Rav Moshe Yosef Aaronsohn better known as the East Broadway Maggid. Rav Benson was very instrumental in the publishing and distribution of his father’s seforim (books).

Recently a new stone was erected and the surname Gordon added in assumption. According to the Society Plot Map the Rav’s name is listed as Aaron Myers. In addition, the plot alongside his, remains empty. Original tombstone was discovered by Aron Feder / Moreshes Chachmei America.

Photo Caption: Rabbi Aaron Tzvi Friedman, Credit: Daniel Friedman, Lawrence, New York

Photo Caption: Rifka Friedman, Credit: Daniel Friedman, Lawrence , New York

Bio Information:
Rabbi Aaron Tzvi Friedman was born in Poland, Adar 15th, 5582, (March 8th 1822).

Rav, Mikveh Israel. Philadelphia, PA d. 20 Cheshvan, 1828 (5589) Anyone with biographical information is asked to please send it in. See CONTACT page for details. Directions to kever: Spruce Street Cemetery 823 Spruce Street Philadelphia, PA 19107 E: archive@mikvehisrael.org T: 215-922-5446 Note: There are regular scheduled tours of the cemetery, call the Mikveh Israel […]

Photo Caption: Rav Avroham Yosef Ash

Photo Credit: Orthodox Judaism in America, Sherman

Photo Credit: New York Times



Photo Source: History of the Jews in America, Peter Wiernik, Credit: IFJCAH
Note: In the highlighted section is the name of the 12 original members of the Bais Medrash HaGadol.

Photo Caption: Malka Bracha Garfunkel, Credit: Hoopskirts and Huppas, Milton M. Gottesman
Malka Bracha’s son Baruch Mordechai (better know as BM or Benjamin Marcus) married Rav Ash’s daughter Miriam. He later went into the hoopskirt business with his father-in-law.  Sadly, Miriam passed away soon after the marriage leaving behind a daughter.

Photo Caption: Baruch Mordechai Garfunkel, d. 1911, Credit: Jacob Lehrfeld

Bio Information:
Rav Ash was from the first Eastern European style Rabbanim to organize and lead a congregation in New York City. Eventually, his fame and authority spread across the country. No Orthodox congregation in the United States would accept a shoichet (ritual slaughterer) without his certification.
Map To The Kever Of Rav Ash From Union Field Cemetery:



Rebbetzin Ash is buried further down the hill near the main road of the Machpelah Cemetery.


Photo Credit: Asher Lowy, Lakewood, NJ

Photo Credit: From the Virtual Judaica reference collection library 

Rav Rice was the fist known ordained Rav to serve as Moreh Dasrah of a congregation in this country. Rav Rice was a talmid (student) of Rav Avroham Bing the Chief Rabbi of Wurzburg and subsequently of Rav Wolf Hamburger of Fuerth. As the first ordained Rav in the United States, Rav Rice decided the halachic Hebrew spelling for many of the cities across the country.

Photo Credit: Moreshes Chachmei America Archives

Bio Information:
Rav Sakolski served as rabbi, reader, and president of the Allen Street Bais Hamedrash. After his passing there was a disputed between two of the leading rabbonim on the Lower East Side, Rav Yosef Moshe Aaronsohn and  Rav Avroham Yosef Ash over congregational and  kashrus (kosher certification) related issues. Rav Ash eventually split from the Allen Street Bais Hamedrash and founded the Bais Hamedrash HaGadol of Norfolk Street.

Rav Kleinberg was born in the town of Bavisk, Lithuania and was the son-in-law of Rav Yisrael Lipchitz, the Chief Judge of the Vilna Bias Din. Soon after his father-in-laws passing the Rav was appointed as his replacement. He was then known as Rav Eliezer Dayan.
In 1890, Chief Rabbi Yaakov Yosef Joseph on New York City invited Rav Kleinberg to assume the pulpit at Congregation Bnai Abraham of Philadelphia. Soon after his funereal his son-in-law Rav Dov Aryeh Levinthal was installed has his successor.

Photo Caption: Rabbi Gershon Hyman, Credit: Eli Rabinowitz

Photo Credit: Moreshes Chachmei America’s Archives

Photo Caption: Tombstone text, Credit: Moreshes Chachmei America’s Archives

Photo Caption: Rev Ignatz Jacob Kunreuther, Credit: Moreshes Chachmei America

Photo Caption: Rav Naftali Halavi Kunreuthrt, Cheif Rabbi, Glenhausen, Germany (Glenhausen is a suburb of Frankfurt am Main), Credit: Moreshes Chachmei America.

Photo Caption: Abraham Kohn (see bio below) and Rev Ignatz Jacob Kunreuther, Credit: The Jews of Chicago, Cutler


Credit: Chicago Rabbis: Visionaries, and Leaders 

Credit: Needed
Bio Information: 
Rev Moshe HaCohen

Rav Streisand a talmid (student) and great-grandson of Rav Akiva Eger was born in a suburb of Poznan (Posen), Poland in 1819. Prior to his arrival in the United State in 1869, the Rav served as maggid mesharim (a preacher of uprightness) of Fardon, a small town outside of Posen. He also published several of his Rebbe’s Halachic (Jewish law) rulings. The Rav’s first position in the United States was at Congregation Shaarei Tzedek in New York City. In 1872, prior to leaving for the West Coast, he published a safer (book)titled Le-lamed le-Toim Binah slamming the Reform movements and the customs they were introducing such as the use of an organ during prayers.
It is believed that the Rav was ordained by Rav Akiva Eger

Photo Caption: Rav Nosson Nuta Netkin, Credit: Rabbi Scranton Miller

Photo Caption: Rav Nosson Nuta Netkin’s father-in-law, Rav Yosef Zundel Salant d. 1866, Credit: ICPHH

Photo Cation: Kever of Rav Yosef Zundel Salant, Credit: Not Needed

Photo Caption: Rav Nosson Nuta Netkin’s brother-in-law, Rav Yehuda Aryeh Leib Salant, Credit: Rena Saland Wechter

Photo Caption: Rav Shmuel Salant d. 1909, Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, . This photograph made for Pearsons Magazine just a few days before the Rav’s passing, is believed to be the only portrait for which the Rav ever sat. Credit: Institute For Judaic Culture and History (IFJCAH)

Photo Caption: 2006 Israel Post commemorative stamp honoring Rav Shmuel Salant, Credit: IFJCAH

Credit: IFJCAH

Bio Information:
The Rav was the grandson of Rav Aryeh Leib Gunzberg (d.1785) better known as the Shagas Aryeh. In addition, he was the son in law of Rav Yosef Zundel Salant (d.1866) and was sent by his brother in law Rav Shmuel Salant (d.1909) to North America to collect money for the impoverished Jews of the Old Yishuv.

Chief Rabbi of Pawtucket, Rhode Island d. 16 Teves, 1898 Rav Rabinowitz safer (book) Yad Yehuda was published in 1897. Anyone with information is asked to please send it in. See CONTACT page for details. Directions to kever: Lincoln Park Cemetery 1469 Post Road Warwick, RI 02888 (401) 737-5333 (Ohel, along Feinberg Avenue) Photo credit […]

Credit: The Occident, August 1, 1861, page: 48

Photo Caption: Original text of Chaya Sarah Rosenthal’s marker, Credit: Moreshes Chachmei America

Bio Information: 
Rabbi Peasach Rosenthal is credited with having founded and taught at the very first Talmud Torah in New York City and perhaps all of North America. In addition, prior to his arrival in New York City he rabbinated in upstate Utica, NY.

Map To The Kever Of Rav Rosenthal From Union Field Cemetery:

Photo Caption:Rabbi Schachne Isaacs Credit: Moreshes Chachmei America’s Archives

Photo Caption: Rabbi Schachne Isaacs, Credit: Moreshes Chachmei America’s Archives
Bio Information: 
Rav Isaacs founded Congregation Bet Tefillah in 1866, a synagogue which was commonly known as Reb Shachne’s Shul.

Photo Caption: From an 1892 Denver Directory, Credit: Moreshes Chachmei America

Rav in New York City d. 9 Av, 1895 (5655) Anyone with biographical information is asked to please send it in. See CONTACT page for details. Directions to kever: Bayside Cemetery 80-35 Pitkin Avenue Ozone Park, NY 11417 212-874-7005 (Gate: 31, towards the back of the cemetery.) The cemetery is in disarray, use caution when […]

Moreh Dasrah Adas Ohavay Shalom, Chicago, IL d. 1894 The Rav passed away in Chicago. Anyone with information is asked to please send it in. See CONTACT page for details. Directions to kever: Needed

Photo Caption: Congregation B’nai Jeshurun, c. 1827, Credit: Needed 

Photo Caption: Rav Hirsch Tzvi Margolis Levine c. 1852, Credit: Carol Kaminsky

Photo Caption: A page from Rav Hirsch Tzvi Margolis Levine’s personal notebook, Credit: Carol Kaminsky

Photo Caption: Harav Gershon Shaul Yom-Tov Lipmann ha-Levi Heller (Tosefos Yom Tov), Credit: N/N

Bio Information:
Rav Margolis a descendant of Rav Yom Tov Lipman Heller (d. 1654) changed his name to the more American sounding Levine upon his arrival to Charleston, South Carolina. After the Civil War, he relocated to Baltimore, Maryland.

Bio Information: 
Rabbi Silverblatt taught at the Talmud Torah founded by Rabbi Peasach Rosenthal. It is believed to be the very first Talmud Torah established on these shores.

Minister, son of Yehuda Lyons, born in Surinam, Dutch Guiana, Aug. 25, 1814. He was educated in Surinam, and was minister of the Spanish & Portuguese congregation there, Neveh Shalom, for five years. He left Surinam in 1837 and went to Richmond, VA, where for two years he was minister of the Congregation Beth Schalom. In 1839 he was elected minister of the Spanish and Portuguese congregation Shearith Israel, New York City and served the congregation thirty-eight years, successfully combating every movement to change the form of worship in his congregation.

Minister, Mikveh Israel. Philadelphia, PA d. 20 Elul, 1811 (5571) Prior to the 1900’s, the Chazan or Minister of a congregation was the central rabbinic figure. Wedding sermonizes, divorces, circumcision, est. were all the function of the Chazan. Anyone with biographical information is asked to please send it in. See CONTACT page for details. Directions […]

A special thanks to Asher Lowy, Aaron Feder and the rest of the Moreshes Chachmei America team for the hours of research and fieldwork (close to 7 years) in a united effort to locate the kever of Rav Yehoshua Falk.

Photo Caption: The Occident, February, 1865

Photo Caption: The Star, June, 1875 – Cincinnati, Ohio

Bio Information:
Rav Falk came to the United States in 1858 and for a short time served as Rav of Newburgh and Poughkeepsie, New York. He also delivered lectures regularly at Congregation Shaaray Torah in New York City. The Rav’s safer, Avnei Yehoshua, was the first book on Pirkei Avos printed in North America.
In 1864, while visiting his daughter, he passed away in Keokuk, Iowa, where he was buried. Per his request he was reburied in the Congregation Shaaray Torah Section of the Salem Field Cemetery on the boarder of Brooklyn and Queens.

A special thanks to Antonio Jones, General Manager at Union Field Cemetery for his ongoing effort to keep the area around Rav Yehoshua Kalmanson kever safe and accessible.