Rabbi Abba Chaim Levinsohn
אבא חיים ב"ר יצחק אייזיק
Chief Rabbi, Baltimore, MDDate of Death:
Sat. June 8, 1912 -
Sivan 23 5672
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Directions to Kever: B'nai Israel Cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland maintains computerized records and will provided a assistance upon request. The ohel is in extremely poor condition, caution should be exercised when approaching
Biographical Notes:
Photo Caption: Rav Abba Chaim Levinsohn, Credit: B’nai Israel, The Downtown Synagogue
Credit: Sam Schecter, Baltimore, MD
Credit: Sam Schecter, Baltimore, MD
Credit: Sam Schecter, Baltimore, MD
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http://www.virtualjudaica.com/Item/29176/Letter_by_R._Abba_Chaim_Levinson
What is involved in getting this ohel repaired?
The NYT on his passing:
http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F30F15F73B5E13738DDDA00894DE405B828DF1D3
Rabbi Levinson was a son-in-law of “R. Shlomo MaHarsha” of Shavel. R. Shlomo had a small yeshiva in Shavel where his talmidim learned for Semicha. R. Shlomo had four daughters. His oldest, Shayna Rivka, married Rabbi Levinson. Another daughter, Fruma Bryna, is my second great-grandmother making “R. Shlomo MaHarsha” my third great-grandfather (cont.)
R. Abba Levinson had a large library that was given to the yeshiva in St. Louis when he passed away. I have been searching for this library for many years as I am looking for my ggg grandfather’s seforim so I can re-print them. Shavel was destroyed by the russians and if any of R. Shlomo MaHarsha’s seforim survived they would have been in R. Abba Chaim Levinson’s library. (cont.)
Additionally, according to R. Abba Chaim’s daughter, a sefer of Hespedim was published. I am looking for this sefer as well. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Why was his Library given to a Yeshiva in the far away St. Louis ?
Did he or someone of his family ever live there ?
Bentzion, do you which yeshiva it was given to but cannot find the actual collection or do you not know which yeshiva it was to begin with?
R. Abba Chaim Levinson was very close to R. Zacharya Yosef Rosenfeld, chief rabbi of St. Louis. Rav Levinson wrote a very warm haskoma to Rav Rosenfeld’s sefer, “Tikvas Zecharya”, which was on hilchos carrying on shabbos. My theory is that they became close during the time that Rav Rosenfeld spend in Baltimore prior to moving to St. Louis. Rav Rosenfeld died 3 years after Rav Levinson and when the community in St. Louis decided to start a yeshiva in Rav Rosenfeld’s honor “Yeshiva Rabbi Zachariah Joseph” the Levinson family donated the seforim to the new yeshiva. The st. louis yeshiva closed in the 1960’s. I have been trying to track the seforim down, but have not had any success yet. Some have surmised that the chief rabbi of st. louis in the 1960’s may have taken the seforim and donated them to a yeshiva in Israel. Any information would be greatly appreciated.
If you google “Rabbi Zecharya Joseph Rosenfeld” you will find information about the yeshiva established in his name.
The Jewish Morgan Journal reports on the funeral in Baltimore:
http://www.jpress.nli.org.il/Olive/APA/NLI_heb/SharedView.Article.aspx?href=TJM%2F1912%2F06%2F10&id=Ar00708&sk=EEDCF169