Rabbi Dov Aryeh Leventhal
ืืื ืืจืื ื"ืจ ืืืจืื ืืืื
Chief Rabbi, Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaDate of Death:
Tue. September 23, 1952 -
4 Tishrei 5713
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Directions to Kever: Congregation Mikveh Israel 55th Street Cemetery is located in Philadelphia, The cemetery is open to the public only once a year on the Sunday before Yom Kippur. For other times or a private tour contact the Mikveh Israel office at (215) 922-5446 or via email: info@mikvehisrael.org. Location: See picture below
Name Listed on Cemetery Database: Rabbi Bernard L Leventhal
Biographical Notes:
Photo Caption: Rabbi Bernard Leventhal, Credit: Needed
Credit: Yeshiva University
Photo Date: 1928, Source: Needed
Photo Caption: Rav Leventhal along with President Calvin Coolidge (s. 1923-1929), along with Rav Moshe Zevulan Margolis, Credit: Joel Rosenfeld
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Rabbi Leventahl assumed the Rabbonis there already in 1891! he was extremely active in preserving the Yidishkeit, established 3 Talmud Torahs where 1,500 kids were learning at that time, founded a Yeshiva Mishkan Yisroel where 70 boys were learning and other institutions aiding the orphans and the sick. According to the following link there was no Orthodox organization -strengthening Yidishkeit- in the USA in which the rabbi didn’t take a top position in keeping it up.
http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=36602&st=&pgnum=355
His son, Rabbi Israel H. Leventhal, was famous head of the Brooklyn Jewish Center. His father was an Aguda type of rabbi but the younger son graduated from JTS.
Some more information about Rabbi Levintahl, it also mentions that he was supposed to succeed the Rav Hakolel’s position.
http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D01E6DD1030E733A25756C0A96E9C946397D6CF
Here http://www.wymaninstitute.org/special/rabbimarch/pg08photos.php on the top photo to the right there’s a picture of Rabbi Leventahl at the 400 Rabbi March in Washington to plea with FDR for the rescue of the Jews in Europe.
Rabbi Levinthal came to Philladelphia to assume the posiyion of his Father-in-law Rabbi Eliezer Kleinberg http://kevarim.vohost.us/rabbi-eliezer-kleinberg/.
On his 70th birthday the Kehilla printed a journal Kevud Chachumim, it includes some biographical information ontheRav, see here;
http://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=36758&st=&pgnum=72
Full bio of Isreal Herbert Levinthal:
http://books.google.com/books?id=cffYUkXFVvAC&lpg=PA174&dq=Rabbi%20kleinberg%20philadelphia&pg=PA174#v=onepage&q&f=false
Ay Ay Ameritchka.
I find in the Illustrated Magazine Vol 5, the Rabbi Lebinthal was also the official Rabbi of Woodbine NJ
http://books.google.com/books?id=CHwpAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA544&img=1&zoom=3&hl=en&sig=ACfU3U0WMob7Uu7AmAFFPDORYo2Gz_b6mQ&ci=460%2C761%2C455%2C117&edge=0
Rabbi Dov Arye b. Abraham ha-Kohen Levinthal (Bernard Louis, 1865โ1952), was born in Lithuania, went to the United States in 1891 after having studied at the yeshivot of Kovno, Vilna, and Bialystok. Settling in Philadelphia, he succeeded his father-in-law, Eleazar Kleinberg, as rabbi of Congregation B’nai Abraham, where he served until his death, and as head of the United Orthodox Hebrew Congregations of Philadelphia. Levinthal was an able organizer and was responsible for the establishment of a number of institutions tending to the religious and social needs of the immigrant Jewish community, such as the Central Talmud Torah, out of which later grew the Yeshivah Mishkan Israel, and a municipal va’ad ha-kashruth to supervise ritual slaughtering. One of the founders of the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada in 1902, of which he was the first president, his energy and wide range of interests enabled him to represent the Orthodox point of view in the greater Jewish community. He was a founder of the American Jewish Committee and a member of the delegation sent by the American Jewish Congress to the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. An active Zionist as well, he helped to establish the Mizrachi Organization of America and was an honorary vice-president of the Federation of American Zionists.
Who is this Rav?
ืจื ืื ืฆืืื ืืืคืคืืื ืจื ืืงืื ืื ื ืืฉื ืื ืฉื ืกืคืจื ืคืืืืืขืืคืืข ืคื.
JANUARY 30, 1924
Rabbi Benzion Hoffman Dies in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Jan. 30 (JTA) โ
Rabbi Ben Zion Hoffman passed away suddenly Tuesday afternoon at the age of 50. His death followed a heart attack shortly after he had been brought to Mt. Sinai hospital.
Rabbi Hoffman was the second ranking orthodox rabbi of the Philadelphia community. With Rabbi Leventhal practically blind and Rabbi Hoffman dead, the city remains without an orthodox leader.
Rabbi Hoffman came to America in 1904 from Bessarabia. He was rabbi of the Congregation Bnei Moshe, and was founder of the Bessarabian Talmud Torah. He is survived by his widow and six dependent children. His oldest son is Jacob B. Hoffman, prominent Philadelphia communal and Zionist worker, and member of the National Executive Committee of the Zionist Organization of America.
http://archive.jta.org/article/1924/01/30/2756582/rabbi-benzion-hoffman-dies-in-philadelphia
http://books.google.com/books?id=HadKAAAAYAAJ&lpg=PA547&ots=7H2AziT7Mh&dq=bnei%20moshe%20philadelphia&pg=PA547#v=onepage&q&f=false
Letter written in 1908 to Reb Schmuel Salant of Jeruslem:
http://benamiendres.co.il/storage/pic209/209700.jpg
Sorry, this one:
http://benamiendres.co.il/storage/pic209/209697.jpg
Rabbi Levinthal’s only daughter Leah married in 1912 to Moshe Ehrlich, are there descendants of this daughter?
http://www.ivelt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=690155#p690155
Yes-this daughter had children-one of whom, Selma, married Rabbi Samuel Belkin.
YD, you mean Chaim son of Moshe Ehrlich.
SK,
That is news, so Rabbi Belkin was married to a grand-daughter of Rabbi Leventhal named Selma Ehrlich, that was obviously after Belkin was already in the US.
Here the Belkin’s are mentioned in the will of Rabbi Levintah:
http://www.leagle.com/xmlResult.aspx?xmldoc=195418188PaDampC93_1164.xml&docbase=CSLWAR1-1950-1985
Rabbi Levinthal was a Ba’al Sha”s and Charif and took the train in to New York every week to deliver a Pilpul Shiur at Yeshivas Rabbeinu Yitzchok Elchonon. He was one of the Chut HaMeshulash (the three most renowned rabbis in the U.S. at the time) which included Rabbi Ya’akov Yosef and Rabbi Sholom Elchonon Jaffe.
Rabbi Leventhal was not just an Agudath type–he was a founder of Agudath. The organization stood not only against English sermons, but against JTS–thus it was ironic his son Israel went there. Israel’s daughter Helen Lyons actually completed the Rabbinical program at Steven Wise’s Jewish Institute of religion (since merged with Hebrew Union College). When Wise wouldn’t ordain her, Israel protested. Wise told him he wasn’t ready for woman Rabbis, but of course if his father (Bernard) agreed to it, he would give her semicha.