An illustrious personage has departed from our midst, a man
of great spiritual stature who merited to know the
geonim and tzaddikim of the past generation, to
imbibe their teachings and be inspired by their light. His
life was one long saga of blessed activity on behalf of
Torah, stemming from his generosity and nobility of
spirit.
Reb Arye Tzvi was born in 5663 (1903) in Tzehelim, one of the
communities of the famous Sheva Kehillos of Hungary.
Even as a child he was well known for his good heart.
As a youth he studied in Pappa under the author of Vayaged
Yaakov and in Ungvar, under HaRav Yosef Elimelech Kahana,
then president of Kollel Shomrei Hachomos. In those
illustrious yeshivos and glorious communities he absorbed
Torah and yir'oh along with the special temimus
that characterized those sacred communities.
He lived through the horrors of the Holocaust, and was saved
on the 19th of Teves, the yahrtzeit of the Ksav Sofer,
one of the founders of the Kollel. He emerged from the Dachau
concentration camp staunch in his faith and piety. He then
went to the United States, where he engaged in extensive
chessed activity.
In America he founded the Kedem Wine Company. However he
yearned to make a contribution to the community and so he
discontinued his involvement in this enterprise and immersed
himself in avodas hakodesh on behalf of the
illustrious Vien community in Williamsburg.
Quite soon he was appointed head of Adas Yereim Vien. HaRav
Yehonoson Steiff and later HaRav Azriel Yehuda Lebowitz,
zt"l and HaRav Osher Anshel Katz were its spiritual
leaders.
Reb Arye Tzvi was the life spirit in this community and one
of the founders of its large network of educational and
chessed institutions, Eshel Avrohom.
His most outstanding achievement was his appointment as
chairman of Kollel Shomrei Hachomos in the United States. He
immersed himself in every aspect of this extensive empire of
chessed with all his heart, taking the plight of the
poverty stricken Jews of Eretz Yisroel to heart for
more than fifty years.
He played an active role in all of the Kollel's monumental
projects, such as the establishment of the talmud Torah
in its new building, to which he personally donated a
room. He founded Kollel Tiferes Tzvi, which bears his name,
and as well as an Award Fund for outstanding
avreichim. He founded the Kollel Shomrei Hachomos
neighborhoods in Givat Shaul, Sanhedria Hamurchevet and Ramot
and was also active in founding the Kollel Shomrei Hachomos
old age homes.
He visited Jerusalem often, and felt a deep kinship to
eretz Hakodesh. Despite his weakness, he participated
in every Kollel Torah event. Even during his final illness he
took an active interest in the Kollel.
He was 98 at the time of the petirah: tza"ch (tzadi-
ches). "Tzach" means "pure" and "without blemish."
A talmid chochom who was complete in his character
traits, who combined temimus with intelligence and
integrity, Reb Arye Tzvi cherished the Kollel's scholars and
regarded them as his beloved sons. They, in turn, regarded
him as their compassionate father, the pride of the
Kollel.
He is survived by his righteous wife who assisted him in his
sacred labor throughout his entire life, as well as by sons
and sons-in-law who are both talmidei chachomim and
prominent askonim: HaRav Yaakov Fleishman of Sardahal,
one of the prominent askonim of the Kollel in New
York; HaRav Levi Goldberger of Pressberg, active on behalf of
the Kollel in New York; HaRav Avrohom Abba HaKohen Fink of
Brooklyn; HaRav Yaakov Eckstein of Brooklyn, a loyal
askon for the Kollel; HaRav Yechezkel HaKohen Munk of
Cleveland, grandson of HaRav Azriel Munk, the av beis
din of Berlin, as well as by grandchildren and great-
grandchildren, all of whom are yirei Hashem.
May he be a good interceder on behalf of the Kollel and his
entire family and of Klal Yisroel.
