Last week, the righteous Rebbetzin Yetel (Ericka) Rothschild
of Zurich was laid to rest in Har Hamenuchos in Yerushalayim.
Rebbetzin Rothschild had devoted her life to sanctifying the
Name of Heaven in public.
Rebbetzin Rothschild was born in the Torah city of Pressburg
and raised in a home of Torah, yiras Shomayim and
chessed.
During the Holocaust she was taken to a concentration camp,
where she suffered both emotional and physical torment. In
recent years, she made many public appearances in which she
described the open miracles she experienced during the war.
In that way she strengthened numerous people and aroused many
to do teshuvah. The large public meetings and rallies
at which she related personal stories were unforgettable
events. In these activities, as in all else, she consulted
the gedolim before every step she took. HaRav Moshe
Soloveitchik, zt'l, in particular, encouraged her to
share her memories of those dark days in many forums.
In Zurich, she married HaRav Dovid Rothschild and together
they built a home of chessed, where the poor and
unfortunate found peace of mind and succor. Numerous families
subsisted for years only on the material and emotional
support which the Rothschilds offered them. With endless
dedication, the Rothschilds fulfilled the dictum of Yosi ben
Yochanan ish Yerushalayim, cited in Pirkei Ovos:D
"Let your house be open for the welfare of others, and may
the poor be members of your household."
Gedolei haTorah and roshei yeshiva were also
hosted royally in their home. They contributed generously to
yeshivos and chessed institutions in Eretz
Yisroel.
Rebbetzin Yetel Rothschild was a central address for all
Torah causes. She and her husband administered an old age
home for many years. She also directed a convalescence home
in the Swiss mountains where she helped the elderly and the
sick in their difficult hours. In addition, she organized the
sending of matzos and food packages to the Jews of Russia.
A large throng participated in the levaya held in
Zurich. Hespedim and divrei his'orerus were
delivered by HaRav Yissochor Meir as well as by her husband
and brothers-in-law.
She is survived by offspring, all of whom are following paths
charted for them by her and her husband.
