Rabbi Mordechai Liebowitz
מרדכי ב"ר נתנאל
Rav, Hamden, ConnecticutDate of Death:
Sat. August 27, 1932 -
Av 25 5692
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Directions to Kever: Congregation B'nai Israel Beth-El Keser Israel Rose St. Shul Cemetery is located in Hamden, Connecticut. Hamden is a suburb of New Haven. Location: Plot: JJ24,
Name Listed on Cemetery Database: Name listed on marker: Max Leibowitz
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Was the Rav there before or after the city of New Haven was cursed? (this question should not undermine the greatness of Rabbi Mordechai Liebowitz ZT”L)
What do you mean Cursed?
The Jewish community of New Haven, many years ago lacked proper respect for one of its Rabbi’s and to this day the community is dysfunctional
I don’t know of any Jewish community which is not dysfunctional, so I’m not sure about this story.
It’s known that there is a cruse – My brother-in-law was a rabbi there, he once mentioned had he known that there was a curse before he took the position he might not have taken it (unfortunately he was very unmatzleach there) – this pass year they tried getting a minyan together to daven by the rabbis kever to ask forgiveness and they couldt get ten people to come.
From what I understand there is nothing over there that has mazel
The Rav was Rav Yehuda Heschel Levenberg, who was mistreated (understatement) by his congregants in New Haven. A talmid of the yeshiva once told me that one Purim the community sent the Rav a dead rat wrapped is a mishloach manos basket.
If it was Rav Levenberg who cursed the town or in hindsight it appears that town is cursed, is unknown. What I do know is that since Rav Levenberg’s passing New Haven has not had a Rav who lasted more than a few months nor had they had success in other communal endeavors.
A few months ago members of the community consulted with Rav Yosef Sholom Elyashiv on how to break the curse. He suggested that ten men gather at Rav Levenberg’s kever and beg his forgiveness for the communal sins of many decades ago. They have yet to be successful in gathering 10 adults ………………………..you deicide!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
you can barely get 10 yidden for a daily minyan. the 5 minyanim are always struggling [except for the lubab yeshiva]
r’levenberg was never appointed the chief rabbi of NH by anyone other than himself.
Rabbi Levenberg moved later to Cleveland. Here is the Hapardes reporting the nice Kabolas Ponmim he received there from very prominent rebbis.
http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=12057&st=&pgnum=7&hilite=
http://kevarim.vohost.us/rav-yehuda-heschel-levenberg/
Does anybody know if the story of the curse of NewHaven is documented and authentic?
Apparently there was a minyan who went in 2009 to ask for mechila…..
Notwithstanding any improper treatment of HRH”G Levenberg re: what’s mentioned above:
re: the line above “I don’t know of any Jewish community which is not dysfunctional” we can add that you might find lots of Jewish communities that have thrived in some shape or form even after mistreating rabbanim – take NYC and RJJ as a case in point.
New Haven might have suffered from the same challenges as many other Jewish communites in New England since WW2 which once had thriving communities. Especially those communities that are distant from Boston and from the NY/NJ/CT tri-state area. I haven’t been keeping track recently but I am originally from CT and recall that New Haven had a thriving Jewish community at least into the 1980s.
The line above:
“since Rav Levenberg’s passing New Haven has not had a Rav who lasted more than a few months nor had they had success in other communal endeavors.”
Locals there would be able to determine whether this is true in recent decades but this was definitely not true for several decades after Rav Levenberg left New Haven and for almost a half a century after his petira.
Two cases in point can be seen on kevarim.com.
Rabbi Eliezer Gorelick
At https://kevarim.com/rabbi-yechiel-hilel-gorelick/ it mentions his son Rabbi Eliezer Gorelick who served as a rav in New Haven for about fifty years until his petira in 1979. Also see this for more info:
https://www.geni.com/people/Rabbi-Eliezer-Gorelick-A-B-D-New-Haven/6000000003318432748
He is buried in הר הזיתים
על מצבתו נכתב: “פ”נ הרב הגאון מוה”ר אליעזר זצ”ל בהר”ב הצדיק מוה”ר יחיאל הלל זצ”ל גורעליק שהיה רב ואב”ד בנאו-הייוון-ארה”ב קרוב ליובל שנים איש החסד שפעל רבות בתמיכת ת”ח בעיה”ק ירושלים נלב”ע בשיבה טובה י”א אייר תשל”ט תנצב”ה ”
Rabbi Aaron Shuchatowitz
https://kevarim.com/rabbi-aaron-shuchatowitz/
He passed away in 1974. His matzeiva says that he served as a rav in New Haven for about 40 years.
Also there was a branch of the Chofetz Chaim yeshiva that was in operation in New Haven for a while.
Moshe, If it’s ok I’m going to correct you. It wasn’t a branch of the Chofetz Chaim Yeshiva. It was a brand new yeshiva that was created by Rabbi Yehuda Heschel Levenberg. In the early 1920s the yeshiva moved to Ohio and became the Telse Yeshiva. Thanks, Kol Tuv
Uri, Actually, Moshe is correct. A branch of the Chofetz Chaim Yeshiva existed in the 1970s/80s (I don’t know the exact years). I know people who learned there. That is besides for Rav Levenberg’s Yeshiva that was in New Haven decades earlier.
Then where was Rav Levenberg in Ohio? I thought it became telshe!!!
My uncle went to the Yeshiva Chafetz Chaim under Rabbi Eidelman. Waterbury has a nice size community, I can see about getting a Minyan.