Rabbi Menachem Mendel Yosef Zaks
×ž× ×—×ť ×ž×˘× ×“×™×ś יוסף ב"ר יעקב מרדכי
Rosh Yeshiva, Radun, BelarusDate of Death:
Sun. January 13, 1974 -
Teves 19 5734
Anyone with biographical information is asked to please send it in.
See CONTACT page for details. Thank you.
Directions to Kever: Har Hazesim (Mount of Olives) Cemetery - Jerusalem, Israel. It is strongly recommended for those unfamiliar with the cemetery to go with a guide. In addition, security is at times a concern. Location: Near the Leshem, top right of the section. Also, buried in that section is, Rav Hutner, Alter of Slabodka, Rav Kook, as well as many other notable rabboim
Biographical Notes:
Photo Caption: The Chofetz Chaim and his Second Rebbitzin (buried in NY), Credit: Credit: Eliyahu Zaks, Lakewood, NJ
Photo Caption: Gartel of the Chofetz Chaim (identified by its unique rust/orange color stains), the Gartel is now owned by his grandson Rabbi Yisroel Meir Zacks of Brooklyn, Credit: IFJCAH
Rabbi Mendel Zaks was best known for being the Rosh Yeshiva of the Radun Yeshiva in Belarus and being the son-in-law to Rav Yisrael Meir Kagan, the Chofetz Chaim. Soon arrival to the United States, Rav Zaks served as Rosh Yeshiva at Rabbeinu Yitzchok Elchonon (RIETS) in New York.
« Previous: Rabbi Shalom SchwartzNext: Warsaw Ghetto Kosher Butcher Shop »
According to this article (Forverts June 13, 1941, p7) Rav Zaks arrived with his family in New York two weeks earlier.
https://www.nli.org.il/en/newspapers/frw/1941/06/13/01/article/49/?e=——-en-20–1–img-txIN%7ctxTI————–1
It mentions him enrolling sons of 14 and 10 years old in MTJ. I’m assuming that’s referring to R. Gershon and R. Hillel.
In this photo https://goo.gl/photos/aipPGXoNwdqPuaaS8 you can see him not long after he arrived in America at the center of the dais at the installation of Rabbi Moshe Soled (nee Solodownik) at the Ahavas Achim shul on Riverdale avenue in Brownsville/Brooklyn. R. Soled (http://kevarim.com/rabbi-moshe-salid/ – misspelled URL) was a first cousin of my grandmother and learned in Radin for many years. The photo was sent out to Soled family members along with a Rosh Hashana greeting around September 1941 so the event had to take place sometime between June and September of that year.
He, like Rabbi Soled, had been able to come to the USA in 1941 via Kobe, Japan (I believe ultimately through the efforts of Sugihara).
We received confirmation from a Zaks grandson that the bearded rav in the center of the dais is indeed Rav Zaks.
There were many rabbanim present who had been either on the hanhalla of the Radin yeshiva or had been talmidim there.
To the right of Rabbi Zaks in the picture is Rabbi Soled. The rabbi with the trimmed beard to Rabbi Soled’s right is Rabbi Mordechai Landynski – his father was Rav Moshe Landynski, Rosh Yeshiva in Radin for many years – after arriving in the USA, R. Mordechai was involved in the Vaad HaHatzala in addition to being a rav in Brooklyn and serving as a rosh yeshiva at the Chofetz Chaim yeshiva in NY (I believe CC/Rav Zaks and not CC-Rav Leibowitz). To the right of Rabbi Landynski is Rabbi Chaim Yitzchak Poupko who learned in Radin and eventually became the menahel of Yeshivas Toras Chaim elementary school in East New York (a predeccesor of South Shore). According to my father z”l, the rabbi sitting 7th from the right is Rabbi Mitchel Eskolsky, my grandmother’s brother-in-law.