Rabbi Gavriel Zev Margolis
××ר××× ××× ×"ר ××××× ×׌×ק
President and Founder, Knesseth HaRabonimDate of Death:
Mon. September 9, 1935 -
Elul 10 5695
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Directions to Kever: Old Montefiore Cemetery in Queens maintains computerized records and will provide a detailed location map upon request. Section: United Hebrew Community, along Carmel Avenue, between North 9 and North 10th Street (see map below)
Name Listed on Cemetery Database: MARGOLIS, GABRIEL WOLF
Biographical Notes:
Photo Caption:Rav Gavriel Zev Velvele Margolis, Photo Credit: Mitchell Morris Â
Photo Caption: Rav Gavriel Zev Velvele Margolis and  Rav Avroham Aaron Yudelovitch , Credit: Needed
Photo Caption: Rav Avroham Aaron Yudelovitch and Rav Gavriel Zev Velvele Margolis , Credit: Library Of Congress
Photo Caption: Rav Gavriel Zev Velvele Margolis , Credit: Jewish Forward, February, 1930
Photo Caption: Rav Gavriel Zev Velvele Margolis , Credit: Jewish Forward
Photo Caption: Advertisement announcing the annual membership meeting of the Knesseth HaRabonim, Credit: The Jewish Morning Journal, January 23, 1913
Photo Caption: The passing of Rav Gavriel Zev Velvele Margolis, Credit: Brooklyn Eagle, September 9, 1935
Photo Caption: Father-in-law of Rav Gavriel Zev Velvele Margolis and the rebbe of the Chofetz Chaim, Rav Nachum Kaplan,  or as he was commonly known Rebbe Nachumke of Horodnad. It is It is reported that the Chofetz Chaim had a picture of Rebbe Nachumke hanging in his house.
Photo Caption: Title page, Agudath Eizov, Credit: IFJCAH
Bio Information:
Rav Velvel as he was commonly know was married the daughter of Rav Nachum Kaplan d. 1880 (or 1879), the famed Rebbe of the Chofetz Chaim. After moving to the United States in 1907, the Rav was appointed as the Chief Rabbi of Boston, MA where he established the Knesseth HaRabonim HaOrthdoksim d’America v’Canada, prior to moving to New York City in 1911.
Photo Caption: Kever of Rebbetzin Shaina Lea Margolis, at the Acacia Cemetery along Pitkin Avenue in Queens, Credit: David Wieder
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Does the Rav have any descendants?
His son Rabbi Menashe Margolis.
In answer to 1 – The Rav had son in law Rav Uziel Tuvya Goldberd who passwd away on 1924 in NEW YORK and was buried in Yerushlaim. He had 3 sons who lives in USA and 2 daughters in Yerushalim. One was CHAYA GOLDBERG-HAYMBERG and the other RIVKA-GOLDBERG -SHEININ (my grandmother).
Leah,
What a great ancestor you had, he was one of the most iunfluential Rabbis of his time in the US.
Did he have any other children besides that one daughter?
Was his SIL a Rabbi?
leah
cant believe ur a decendent of reb nuchumka horodner!
do u have any info on him?
Moysheleh, why not? there are more! I don’t know about him, only what’s in the SEFARIM.
In his PERUSH on the CHUMASHIM -TORAT GAVRIEL, he wrote a lot about his Perush on the SIDUR TFILA. The family in Israel printed agin the Chumashim and trying to find the Perush on the Sidur Tefila. If some one knows any thing about this Perush, we appreciate if he will let us know.
Another SIL (second marriage) of Reb Velvele was Reb Yosef Zundel Salant, who was from Israel and lived here in the US where he dealt with Etrogi EY.
I am not sure if the children listed in the link below, are actually from that marriage, can anyone verify?
http://toladot.blogspot.com/2009/04/blog-post_22.html
Rav Velvele founded hte Knesset HaRabbonim around 1918, well after he moved to NYC in 19112. I worte about it extensivley in my M.A. thesis, ” The American Rabbinic Career of RAbbi Gavriel Zev MArgolis, BRGS of Y.U., 1992. The thesis is unpublished, but there is a copy in YU’s Gottessman library, and also in Hebrew Univ.’s National Library. Mr,. David Jacobson, directoe of Unied Hebrew Community, told me that when the Adas Yisroel shul was renovated in the early 1950s, a lot of water-logged papers were thrown out by someone who did not realize their potential value. He said that they may have included the missing works of Rav Velvele, such as his peirush on the siddur and vol. 3 of Charuzei Margolis, which, as he wrote in one of his other works, contained his assessment of American Jewry. chaval al de-avdin.
Mr. Hoffman, thank you for your answer, but we still hope that somewere, there is a copy of this PERUSH.
By the way, is there any posibility to get your M.A thesis (full version), we really interested.
Leah
If you are in Jerusalem please respond to my email. yehiam.sharon@gmail.com
I am in Israel
Don’t mind to join, but a chauffeur is needed in order that my presence should be noticed.
http://s949.photobucket.com/albums/ad339/aman51/?action=view¤t=Margolis.jpg
So, in answer to 1. My great-great grandfather was Rabbi Gavriel Zev (Velvele) Margolis. Rav Velvele was a frequent topic at our home where my Bubbe (his granddaughter) would tell stories of the great man. Rav Velvele had a son, Menashe. My Bubbe says that this man, her father, was also a student of Talmud. My Bubbe had three children, one still living in New York. There are 7 granchildren and more after that. I have pictures of Rav Velvele and some other things, all of which are very special.
Joshua, I would be extremely interested in reading your thesis. I am a YU alum myself.
Menashe,
There are two very nice photos of Reb Velvel together with his friend Rabbi AA Yudelowitz, posing in front of a building on 11/10/25, both photos are available on the Library of Congress website.
Do you have more information on these pictures?
here is one:
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/npcc.15087/
Dear All,
Rav Gavriel Ze’ev Margolis (Reb Velvele) was my third-great grandfather. I am putting together his family tree on http://www.geni.com. You can look him up on Geni as “Rav Gavriel Zeev (Velvel) Margolis”. I would appreciate if any of you who know about the family history could help me complete the tree.
Thanks,
Eitan
To Menashe Morris,
My father (grandson of yta leah, Reb Velvale daughter) is very interesting in Reb Menashe family and wanted to know if he left any Sfarim or other Perushim.
We appreciate if you could help him with more information to mail:
shmuelkatz2010@gmail.com
He is in Israel ans doesn’t speak English.
To Eitan Fish
I tried to enter this web and find details in order to help, but I couldn’t.
More pictures of his impressive marker.
http://s949.photobucket.com/albums/ad339/aman51/Margolis/
Very Impressive thanks Asher.
There is also the marker of Reb Velvevle’s Daughter Necha Levin, wife of Yohoshua Levin (who is buried in Israel)
I was told the Rav was married 3-4 times, is this correct? There are a few other family members buried near him, I believe. Interesting that the plot in front and behind him are vacant.
To Leah: Write to me at Eitan_Fish@swissre.com and I will help you find Rav Velvele on http://www.geni.com. My great-great-grandmother was Ita Leah Goldberg also.
To Asher: Rav Velvele was married 4 times and had 9 children.
To YD Miller: You can also see the kever of Raye Shakow, daughter of Necha and Yehoshua Levine.
To Menashe Morris: I would like to make the Margolis family tree on Geni more complete. Can you help me with your side of the family?
Rav velvel was married 3 times. His forst wife was the daughter of Rav Nachum Kaplan, the famed mentor of the Chofetz Chaim. Rav Nachum had around 19 children, but the only one who survived to adulthood was his daughter who married rav Velevel, and she also died young. This was a not uncommon phenomenom in those days, unfortunately. My thesis can be found at YUs Mendel Gottessman Library. For a fee they will make a copy and send it to you, or you can read it there.
Regarding my email address, I was told that the underscore doesn’t show up sometimes on websites. It is “Eitan”, underscore, “Fish”, at, “swissre.com”.
Another daughter of Rav Nachum Kaplan survived to adulthood and married Rav Avraham Goldberg, Rav of Krinik, and had a son Reb (Uziel) Tuvia Goldberg. He married Rav Velvele’s daughter (Ita) Leah Margolis and lived in Yerushalayim.
Eitan,
You are referring to this Rabbi Avraham Abba Goldberg:
http://kevarim.vohost.us/rabbi-avroham-abba-goldberg/
Here’s an obituary for R. Velvel from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle of Sep. 9, 1935:
(see the rightmost column)
http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper 5/Brooklyn NY Daily Eagle/Brooklyn NY Daily Eagle 1935 Grayscale/Brooklyn NY Daily Eagle 1935 Grayscale – 9170.pdf
YD –
No, I am referring to Avraham Abba Goldberg’s grandfather, Rav Avraham Goldberg.
Moshe,
I cannot get the link to work.
Eitan,
try
http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%205/Brooklyn%20NY%20Daily%20Eagle/Brooklyn%20NY%20Daily%20Eagle%201935%20Grayscale/Brooklyn%20NY%20Daily%20Eagle%201935%20Grayscale%20-%209170.pdf
and wait a bit
Otherwise, I have e-mailed an image file to Baruch.
It is interesting that in the obituary, they refer to him as a “Zionist pioneer”. As far as I understand he did not look favorably upon Zionism in the last 30 or so years of his life.
http://archive.jta.org/article/1935/09/10/2827591/hold-rites-for-rabbi-margolis-dean-of-orthodox-rabbinate
Funeral services were held today at Temple Adath Israel, 201 East Broadway, for its rabbi, Gabriel Wolf Margolis, dean of the American orthodox rabbinate, who died yesterday at the age of 87 after a two years’ illness.
Orthodox leaders eulogized Rabbi Margolis as a scholar and religious leader. Burial was in the United Hebrew Community Grounds in the Montefiore Cemetery, Queens.
Rabbi Margolis is survived by his widow, Mrs. Sheima E. Margolis and eight children: Rabbi Menashe Margolis of Brooklyn, Leizer, Nehemia, Dr. Jacob Margolis, Mrs. Rachel Saland, Anna, Mrs. Neche Levine and Jean.
During the 24 years Rabbi Margolis was spiritual leader of Temple Adath Israel the membership grew to more than 10,000. Previously he had been chief rabbi of the Boston Jewish Community and rabbi of the Baldwin Place Synagogue there.
He was also president of the Assembly of Hebrew Orthodox Rabbis.
Born in Vilna, Russia, he was ordained rabbi at the relatively early age of 20. He participated in the 1899 Zionist Congress at Basle and four years later at the Krakow Congress was the Sabbath preacher.
He came to the United States just after the turn of the century and took up his residence in Boston. In 1910 Rabbi Margolis came to New York.
Reb Velvel lists his children and grandchildren:
http://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=3235&st=&pgnum=467
1) Reb Menashe
2) Eluzer Gershon
3) Nechamia
4) Ita Leah Goldberg
5) Rachel Salant
6) Nechama
7) Chaya Shayna
8) Yechiel Yizchok
9) Necha Levine
This past week, Rav Yisroel Dovid Schlesinger shlit”a from Monsey said over a shtickel Torah from Rav Gavriel zatza”l on Parshas Vayeitzei and even read the Haskamos from the Chofetz Chaim zatza”l and Rav Chaim Brisker zatza”l. Beautiful shtickel!
I’m not sure who’s who in this blog, but my father, Emanuel, was the son one of five, from the marriage of Rachel (daughter of Gabriel Margolis) and Joseph Sundel Saland. So, Reb Margolis was my great grandfather. I’d love to be in touch with any of you. Are any of you on Facebook?
http://tinyurl.com/RabbiMargolies
Velvel was my great-great grandfather. His son, Menashe, had a daughter, Rachel who was mother to my father Harold Bernstein. Her husband was my grandfather, Louis Bernstein. I have many of Velvel’s books.
Was this Rabbi Gavriel Zev Margolis a descendent of Rabbi Mayer Margolis, author of “MEIR NESIVIM”, one of the famous disciples of the Besh”t?
I am named after my grandfather Abraham Reuven Hyde. Important , however not important my grandfather founded the AR Hyde Shoe Company Cambridge Mass. Boston in 1890. He was a cobler. He opened a shoe store. He made slippers from old oriental carpets he collected.
I am in the process of researching his history.
He was called Abraham Reuben Goldstein after he arrived for fifteen years at least.
He founded Beth Israel shul 239 Columbia St Cambridge in 1900.
I think he came to Rabbi Margolis, since he had ingenuity, made business, moved to Dorchester, founded Beth El, instigative in hiring ‘The Rav’ to be instilled at his Shul (my grandfather was the president, too.) Unfortunatly he passed July 31, 1935 (1st of Av) @63. I was born 10 years later.
Are there pictures or documents of the shuls he
officiated over and himself at yom tovim?
I hope I made this brief, as archieves are wonderful stories to retell, reminice.
Sincerely,
Reuben Hyde
Here is his grave in the Beth El Cemetery
West Roxbury
Suffolk County
Massachusetts, USA
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=54111527
It does not appear on the writings that he was a Rabbi of any mean.
to mr yd miller,
Thank you.
Noted.
Is there some historical profession that you have?
The grandfather brought to Boston his father, mother, sister, brother-in-law and they are buried in Boston. It seems that Yehuda Leib (?) doesnt exist.
Are u familiar with the Beth El Families?
My father told me that Zeidi Velvel had traced our family lineage to Rashi and King David. Does anyone know of a copy of this?
Thank you.
“Joshua Hoffman // Nov 4, 2010 at 5:54 pm
Rav velvel was married 3 times. His forst wife was the daughter of Rav Nachum Kaplan, the famed mentor of the Chofetz Chaim. Rav Nachum had around 19 children, but the only one who survived to adulthood was his daughter who married rav Velevel, and she also died young. This was a not uncommon phenomenom in those days, unfortunately. My thesis can be found at YUs Mendel Gottessman Library. For a fee they will make a copy and send it to you, or you can read it there.”
Yehoshua, at age 75 Reb Velvel married a 4th time, see NYT Article headlined ” RABBI MARGOLIES MARRIED.; Bride Is Mrs. Ida M. Braz — Takes His Fourth Wife at 75″
http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9A00E2D81039E233A25756C2A9659C946695D6CF&scp=15&sq=%22Rabbi+Margolis%22&st=p
Reb Miller,
Rabbi Margolies / Ida Braz / 4th marriage refers not to R. Velvel Margolies but refers to R. Moshe Zevulun Margolies (Ramaz) as can bee seen in the first item from the NYT Deaths section on page 6 of this document:
http://www.ckj.org/docs/Rabbi%20Margolies%20Memorial.pdf
Do I have good news for this group! I am sitting with R Yosef Sheinin, 17 Shimon Hatzadik, Bnei Brak, who has reprinted Torat Gavriel, hagada, and more- as he is the son of Rivka Maita Sheinin, and she i s the daughter of Ita Leah Goldberg, who is the daughter of Rav Velvele. he wants to be in touch with all of you! He does not have email. I visit hi mweekly so write to me!
The NYT article upon the arrival of Rabbi Margolies in 1907 (scroll down to the bottom):
http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F6081EF63E5A15738DDDAF0894DA405B878CF1D3
Two interesting points; 1. He is noted as the Chief rabbi of Grodno 2. He had a brother Hirsch Margolies living here at 30 Montgomery St. in NYC, anything know about this brother?
Andrew Reuben Hyde I have a photo of Grandpa Hyde as a board member at a temple. I can copy for you. I grew up hearing many stories of A.R.Hyde supporting rabbis in the Boston area and Grandma Hyde feeding them when they came to town, because her home was so strictly kosher. I believe Rabbi Soloveitchek was among them.
Marjorie,
it is marvelous that I am on the search.
please lets speak of this.
Andrew
POB 403545
MB, Fl 33140
A blessed shanah tovah to you and yours.
love.
Jeffrey Gurock devotes a few pages to him in his book “Orthodox Jews in America.” He especially spends time on his differences with Moses Margolies (the Ramaz).