A massive throng, headed by maronan
verabonan, the gedolei haTorah, and led
by Maran Hagaon HaRav Yosef Sholom Eliashiv, Harav
Aharon Leib Steinman, as well as by the members of
the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah, roshei yeshiva,
roshei kollel, ramim, dayanim and thousands of
bnei Torah participated in the levayo of
Harav Zev (Wolf) Rosengarten zt"l, the
president of Lucerne yeshiva and the Toras Chaim
yeshiva of Moscow.
At the levaya, which left the funeral home
of Zurich established by his donation, he was
accompanied by thousands of people from all over
Switzerland and Europe. Due to his request that he
not be eulogized, only brief words of parting were
delivered.
Harav Shaul Breish, the rav of the Kehilas Agudas
Achim in Zurich, described the great loss to the
community in particular and to the city in general,
saying that it is very difficult to find a Jew like
Reb Zev today.
The Rosh Yeshiva of Lucerne, HaRav Y.D.
Koppelman, cited the outstanding merits of the
niftar who founded the yeshiva which
illuminates the entire Torah world of Europe. He
also noted his great yiras Shomayim.
His son, Rav Chaim Yitzchok Ozer described him as
one who fulfilled the command, es haElokim yirei
v'ess mitzvosav shemor.
He said that during recent months his primary
concern was the continuation of the yeshiva in
Moscow, which had also concerned HaRav Moshe
Soloveichik zt"l.
He noted the obligation of the community to
continue the endeavor to which they devoted so much
of their energies, the Toras Chaim yeshiva in
Moscow.
Afterward, the levaya proceeded to Zurich
airport, from where the aron was flown to
Ben Gurion airport, where hundreds, headed by
gedolei haTorah and roshei yeshiva
waited.
Among those who had come especially to the airport
were: HaRav Aharon Leib Steinman, HaRav Amram
Zachs, rosh yeshiva of Slobodka; HaRav Chaim
Sarna, rosh yeshiva of Chevron Geula; Harav
Chaim Shaul Karelitz, the gaavad of Shearis
Yisroel and HaRav Yitzchok Zilberstein, the rav of
Ramat Elchonon.
In brief words of parting, Harav Aharon Leib
Steinman noted that the niftar asked not to
be eulogized. Calling the niftar a talmid
chochom and a baal chessed, he said that
the great zechus of saving bnei Torah
during the Holocaust and consequently the
zechus of the revival of Torah are credited
to him, and that this, along with his other
merits, would protect him from the difficult
judgments, and would protect his family and
offspring.
From there, the aron was brought to the
Chevron Geula yeshiva.
Words of parting were delivered by his two sons-in-
law, Harav Nosson Lessinger the rosh yeshiva
of Maayan HaTalmud and his son-in-law, Harav
Yitzchok Meir Yaavetz, one of the prominent members
of Kollel Ponovezh.
After his burial, his nephew Harav Shmuel
Rosengarten the rosh yeshiva of the Belzer
yeshiva parted from him with stirring words, as did
HaRav Chaim Sarna, the rosh yeshiva of
Chevron Geula.
HaRav Zev, the loyal confidante of the gedolei
Yisroel of our times, was of the greatest Torah
trustees of our generation, and the president of
the Lucerne yeshiva and the Toras Chaim yeshiva of
Moscow.
He was buried in the Har Tamir cemetery in
Jerusalem, near his close friend, HaRav Moshe
Soloveichik his biography.
HaRav Zev was born in 5674 (1914) in Zurich. His
father, Reb Chaim Yitzchok Ozer, one of the
founders of the Agudas Achim community in that
city, raised him with great dedication on the banks
of Torah and yiras Shomayim. As a young man,
Reb Zev studied in the Montreux yeshiva in
Switzerland, where he became acquainted with the
Achiezer, who upon his return from the Kneissia
Hagedola in Vienna stopped off in Montreux. When
Harav Chaim Ozer was in Lucerne during the Yomim
Noraim, Reb Zev, who accompanied him on walks,
merited to hear HaRav Chaim Ozer's accounts about
gedolei Yisroel and their fear of Yom
Hadin. HaRav Chaim Ozer gave him a copy of the
Achiezer, after Reb Zev was tested on the entire
Bava Basra and even wrote a personal dedication
in the sefer.
In 5690 (1930), HaRav Zev went to Lithuania's
yeshivos kedoshos in order to study under
the great roshei yeshiva there, and to grow
in Torah and yirah. At first he studied in
Ponovezh, under HaRav Osher Kalman Baron,
hy"d and the gaavad, HaRav Kahaneman.
Afterward, he went to the Telz yeshiva, where he
became very close to his rav muvhak, HaRav
E. Y. Bloch, the gaavad and rosh
mesivta of Telz, who was very fond of him. In
Telz, Harav Zev was considered one of the
yeshiva's most outstanding students, and while
there formed a close bond with Harav Mordechai
Pogromanski. Many years later, he merited to take
care of HaRav Pogromanski while the latter was in
Switzerland due to his illness.
In Elul 5695 he went to Mir for a brief period,
where he became very close with the
mashgiach, Reb Yerucham, who honored
him with an aliya to the Torah on Yom
Kippur, an honor given mainly to a few outstanding,
veteran students of the yeshiva. From Mir he went
to Kaminetz, in order to study under HaRav Boruch
Dov. While there he studied with HaRav Reuven
Grozovksi, the son-in-law of Rav Boruch Dov. During
that period he also studied Shulchan Oruch,
Yoreh Deah with HaRav Shlomo Chumskar
hy"d one of the most outstanding students
of the Mirrer yeshiva with remarkable
hasmodo. Later on, he received
semicha from the dayan of Brisk,
HaRav Simcha Zelig Reiger, who described him with
superlative terms. When in Brisk, he was also close
with the Griz.
In 5698, he returned to Switzerland where he
married. His wife, from the Erlanger family,
assisted him with unusual dedication, enabling him
to pursue his Torah studies without any
disturbances.
At the outbreak of the world war, Reb Zev was very
involved in rescue activities, and made many
efforts to obtain passports for bnei Torah,
primarily for hundreds of students from the Mirrer
yeshiva. Together with his brother-in-law,
yibodel lechayim arukim, he went from place
to place doing all he could to financially and
physically save as many bnei Torah from
Vilna as possible. He also took in many Jewish
refugees who had fled to Switzerland, and quite
often, the members of his household would sleep on
the floor, giving their own beds to the
refugees.
During that period, he formed a strong bond of
friendship with HaRav Moshe Halevi Soloveichik,
zt"l , assisting him in all of his monumental
efforts on behalf of klal Yisroel. He also
became very close with HaRav Aharon Leib Steinman,
who was in Switzerland at that time.
After the war, the Admor of Satmar who was saved
from the Inferno, arrived in Switzerland, and urged
Reb Zev to open a yeshiva there, as did Harav
Yechezkel Sarna. HaRav Zev, in his fervor,
devoted himself to that effort, and along with
HaRav Moshe Soloveichik founded the yeshiva in
Lucerne. During its early years, Reb Zev was its
rosh yeshiva. Later on, he transferred that
position to Harav Y. Koppleman yibodel lechayim
tovim v'arukim. As head of the yeshiva's
hanholo, Rav Zev continued to shoulder its
burden.
After the fall of the Iron Curtain, Harav Moshe
Soloveichik founded the Toras Chaim yeshiva in
Moscow, while Reb Zev vigorously assumed the
responsibility of administering it. On his visits
to the yeshiva, Reb Zev would be moved to tears
upon seeing the vision of HaRav Moshe Soloveichik
materializing, and the legions of students who
pored over their Torah vavoda.
HaRav Zev served as one of the main leaders of the
Jewish community of Zurich, and as its rosh
hakahal, and made extensive efforts to increase
its kedusha, founding a talmud
Torah, a Beis Yaakov and other Torah
and chessed institutions in the city, and
was the life force behind all of the Torah
institutions in Switzerland.
His home in Zurich was a beacon, and all of the
needy and unfortunate found there succor, and
approached him for advice and assistance. First
and foremost for every dovar shebekedusha in
Switzerland, he would make special efforts to
revive the spirits of the depressed. He was
especially known in the Torah world for his
tzedoko, and for the generous support he
gave to Torah institutions and Torah learners.
His home was a veritable beis vaad
lechachomim, and whenever gedolei
haTorah came to Switzerland, he hosted them.
Among his illustrious guests were Harav Yechezkel
Sarna and the Admor R' Itzikel of Pashvarask. He
would often mention how privileged he had been to
host the Griz of Brisk three times, when the Griz
was in Switzerland for health reasons. Reb Zev made
his home available to the Griz, and sent his own
children to stay with a neighbor. While the Griz
was in his home, Reb Zev attended to him as a
servant attends to his master. As a result, the
Griz drew him closer and told him many stories
about the practices of his father's home, accounts
not many merited to hear. Maran the Griz also spoke
with him in learning, and would tell his close
confidants how amazed he was about Reb Zev's
greatness in Torah, saying: In Switzerland I met a
Jew who is called a baal habayis, but many
of our bnei Torah would do well to
learn the meaning of the concept hasmodo
from him.
