Zurich police have detained a possible suspect in the murder
of 71-year-old HaRav Avrohom Yehoshua Greenbaum Hy"d,
on Thursday night, 17 Sivan. HaRav Greenbaum was the head of
the Beis Mordechai kollel in Bnei Brak and one of the
most prominent talmidim of the Ponevezh and Novardok
yeshivos. He was shot to death on his way to a synagogue in
a Jewish neighborhood in Zurich.
HaRav Greenbaum, head of Bnei Brak's Kollel Mordechai, was
in Switzerland on a routine visit to collect money for his
kollel. He was staying with relatives in Zurich's
Jewish quarter, not far from the scene of the murder. The
Greenbaum murder was the third attack against religious Jews
in Zurich in recent years. In the two previous instances, it
was also claimed that the assailant was mentally
deranged.
HaRav Avrohom Greenbaum had arrived in Zurich during the
week. On Thursday night, he set out for a synagogue in the
Fourth Jewish Quarter in Zurich. When he was 500 meters away
from the synagogue, he was shot by an anonymous gunman.
HaRav Greenbaum collapsed and died. The murderer fled.
The bitter news of his murder reached Eretz Hakodesh on
erev Shabbos, shocking his family, his students and
his many acquaintances who were looking forward to his
return from abroad for his daughter's wedding, which is
scheduled for next week. Upon receiving the news, his son,
HaRav Yaakov, set out for Zurich to arrange the funeral,
which took place on Sunday (19 Sivan) in Switzerland and
then in Eretz Yisroel on Sunday evening.
HaRav Greenbaum, son of HaRav Yaakov, was born in Tishrei
5690 (1930) in the Polish city of Tomoshov, on the Russian-
Polish border. When he was nine, World War Two broke out,
and he was drafted to various types of forced labor.
His brothers fled to Lemberg where they were apprehended by
the Russian authorities. At his mother's behest, he went to
Lemberg to bring medicines to his brothers. Even though this
endeavor was quite perilous, he trusted that the mitzvah of
honoring one's parent would safeguard him. He, too, was
caught and transferred to Siberia along with half a million
other Jews, where he remained until after the war. His
parents were killed during the war, while he and two of his
brothers survived.
At the end of the war, he reached Germany, where many
refugees found shelter in absorption centers founded by
chesed organizations. While others sought physical
shelter, he sought a spiritual sanctuary. In time, he
encountered HaRav Gershon Leibman, zt"l, who searched
for youth to join his yeshiva. Slowly, a number of young
boys were found, forming the nucleus of the Novardok yeshiva
which was later transferred to France. Many of that original
group are now prominent talmidei chachomim.
In the Novardok yeshivas in both Germany and France, he was
outstanding in his hasmodoh. Due to his deep longing
to study Torah and his tremendous diligence, he amassed a
vast amount of Torah knowledge. During that period, he
worked on his middos and refined his body, devoting
himself solely to Torah, out of supreme yiras
Shomayim. Friends from that period relate how he would
study continuously, never looking up from his
seforim. They also tell about his abstinence, and how
he refined his soul, while amassing extensive Torah
knowledge.
At the age of twenty, he settled in Eretz Yisroel and began
to study in the Ponevezh yeshiva. In Ponovezh, he became
very close with the mashgiach, HaRav Yechezkel
Levenstein, who treated him like a son. The young Avrohom
Yehoshua was inspired by HaRav Levenstein's personality, and
drew from his wellsprings. Alongside his regular Torah
studies, he also studied mussar in the Beis Hamussar
of Ponovezh. This study accorded with the Novardok
legacy.
He married one of the daughters of the Zaritzki family.
After his marriage, he continued to study in the Kollel
Avreichim of the Ponevezh yeshiva, where he made great
spiritual strides. He was a model of an oved Hashem
whose entire being was dedicated to the sole purpose of
serving Hashem with his entire heart and soul, raising
Shomayim's glory, and increasing Torah and
mussar.
Twenty-seven years ago he founded the Beis Mordechai Kollel
in the Beis Hachassidim of Gur on Chofetz Chaim Street,
corner of Rabbi Abba Street, at the foot of the Ponevezh
yeshiva hill. The kollel is attended by Bnei Brak's
finest avreichim whom he guided not only in Torah,
but also in middos and mussar. His nobility of
spirit had a profound effect on all who knew him. His
external appearance reflected his inner essence, that of one
who served Hashem with every fiber of his soul.
His life was one long saga of tremendous diligence,
exertion, toil in Torah and avodas Hashem. Humility
was his guiding light. Rav Greenbaum, with his noble and
warm personality, embodied all of the exalted traits of the
Novardok school. His unique personality was a blend of Torah
greatness and every possible fine character trait, including
chen, humility, ahavas Yisroel, love of one's
fellow, sharing one's fellow's burden, judging others
favorably, affable speech and meticulous observance of the
laws of shemiras haloshon.
His tefilloh was also special. He davened in
the Ponevezh yeshiva like a ben yeshiva. He prayed
with tremendous feeling and intent, like a servant before
his Master, uttering each word slowly and carefully, as if
counting precious gems.
He is survived by his wife and eleven children, only six of
whom are married. His daughter's wedding is scheduled for
next week. His petirah is bemoaned by his sons, HaRav
Yaakov, HaRav Mordechai, the bochur Yitzchok, his
daughters, two brothers, his sons-in-law, HaRav Aharon
Markowitz, HaRav Lipa Grodzinski, HaRav Naftali Trietzki,
HaRav Dovid Shlomowitz and the chosson, HaRav Yosef
Karlenstein. His many students also deeply mourn the
loss.
With his petirah, the world has lost an exemplary
blend of a gaon, tzaddik, onov, chochom and
boki.
A 28-year-old Swiss citizen of Turkish origin whose
appearance matches descriptions furnished by eyewitnesses
has been detained. Local newspapers and Swiss authorities
have speculated that the murder of a Jewish rabbi in typical
Orthodox dress might have been fueled by antisemitism.
The murder suspect was apprehended in Bern several hours
after the killing. According to the spokesman for the Zurich
canton police, the suspect was spotted Friday morning in the
vicinity of the Israeli Embassy in Bern. He "attracted
attention due to his strange behavior," the spokesman said.
The spokesman stressed, however, that connections between
the suspect and the murder remain to be proved.
Swiss authorities ordered that the suspect remain in police
custody, and approved a search of his house. A number of
sources indicated Sunday that the investigation was hampered
by the fact that the suspect is apparently mentally
unstable. Swiss police sources said Sunday that
investigators continue to suspect that the murder was
motivated by antisemitism. Supporting this theory, they
point to the fact that the assailant did not bother to take
the substantial sum of money and valuables, including plane
tickets, that the rav had in his possession.
Thousands at Levaya
Sunday night (20 Sivan), a large procession in Bnei Brak
headed by the gedolei haTorah and followed by
thousands of avreichim and bnei yeshiva,
accompanied HaRav Avrohom Yehoshua Greenbaum zt"l on
his last earthly journey.
Stirring words were delivered by the heads of the Ponovezh
yeshiva, the Slobodke yeshiva, and the Beis Yosef yeshiva of
France. The first hesped was delivered by HaRav
Gershon Edelstein, who opened with the cry: "Why has Hashem
done this to us? Such a calamity, in so terrifying a manner
obligates each and every one of us to scrutinize his
deeds.
"We who knew the illustrious niftar must fear even
more. We have lost a great man who was immersed in Torah and
avodas Hashem without pause, from his childhood until
the day of his petirah. Much zikui horabim may
be credited to him. We have lost a great man.
"In recent years, a number of mashpi'im ruchaniyim
have been taken from us in strange manners. They have gone
to their eternal rests, leaving us bereft. This obligates us
to arouse ourselves, because the demise of a tzaddik
is worse than the burning of Beis Hashem. Why does
this occur?
"It occurs as a result of our observance of the mitzvos by
rote. We must strengthen ourselves in our interpersonal
relationships. The Beis Hamikdash was destroyed due to
sin'as chinom, and the fact that it still hasn't been
built indicates that this sin still hasn't been
rectified."
HaRav Boruch Dov Povarski, opened his hesped with the
verse, "Death has risen up in our windows." "Recently," he
said, "we have seen that a very harsh middas hadin
prevails in the palaces of the kings. The most illustrious
of the Nation are cut down in the streets. In Kinos
we find the following lamentation: `Alei golus meshorsei
Keil . . . ve'al domom asher shupach kemo meimei
ye'orehoh'. Who are the meshorsei Keil? They are
the Levites, the tribe which specialized in avodas
Hashem. As the Rambam says, not only are they
meshorsei Keil, but so are all those who feel a
spiritual urge to immerse themselves in avodas
Hashem.
"Today we are accompanying one who was a meshoreis
Keil an eved Hashem from the time of his youth --
one who had nothing in his world accept Torah and mitzvos,
an eved Hashem, who in his prayers raised up the
entire community. Now the verse: "al damom asher
shupach" applies to him.
"With his petirah, the entire Torah world has
suffered a great blow. Am Yisroel is compared to a
lamb -- "seh pezura Yisroel." When one of a lamb's
limbs is injured, all of its other limbs feel the pain. When
one Jew suffers pain, the rest of the Nation feels it. Each
and every one of us must say, as did Yonah Hanovi: "The
tempest occurred because of me." May the illustrious
niftar be a good interceder on behalf of Klal
Yisroel".
HaRav Boruch Rosenberg brought the words of the
hesped over Rabi Zira: "Eretz Shin'ar horoh
veyoldoh; Eretz Tzvi gidloh sha'ashu'ehoh." The country
of Poland where he was born is Eretz Shin'ar. Eretz Tzvi
raised its cherished ones. After wanderings in Siberia, he
reached Novardok, and from there went on to Eretz Tzvi --
Eretz Hakodesh. He arrived in the Ponovezh yeshiva, where he
was raised at the feet of the Mashgiach. Woe to us, the
residents of Bnei Brak who have lost so fine a person. I am
very worried due to the petirah of HaRav Avrohom
Yehoshua, one because it was on the merit of his prayers
that the entire city was forgiven. Chazal say that Beitar
wasn't destroyed as long as Elazar Hamoda'i lived and prayed
there. When he died, the city was destroyed.
Rabbosai, with his prayers, Rabi Avrohom Yehoshua was
one of the guardians of the city, the nation and the land,
and now that he is gone, who knows what will be. We must
wake up and do teshuva because we have lost our
precious vessel."
HaRav Chaim Halperin, the rosh yeshiva of the Beis Yosef
yeshiva in France spoke about the greatness of HaRav Avrohom
Yehoshua, who knew how to hide his greatness of spirit and
greatness in Torah. "Who can penetrate the inner recess of
so illustrious a person? When he was still young, he was
moser nefesh to save the life of a Jewish child. He
aspired to rise and to grow spiritually. Whenever we met, he
would focus on only one subject: `Where are we in
ruchniyus? Where are we in avodas Hashem?' May
Hashem accept his prayers, annul the evil decree and send
Moshiach Hashem speedily."
At the end of the hespedim, the levaya
proceeded from the Ponovezh yeshiva, through the streets of
the city which filled with thousands of people who
accompanied him to the Nitzivei Yeshivas Ponovezh cemetery
where he was buried
At the cemetery hespedim were delivered by HaRav
Yechezkel Rotner one of the roshei yeshiva of the Beis Yosef
yeshiva of France, and by the niftar's son, HaRav
Yaakov, one of the prominent avreichim of Beit
Shemesh.
A fund has been formed to help the family. Donations may be
sent to: Mr. J. Levison, 10 Craven Walk, London N16 6BT, 208-
800-7004. In U.S.A. c/o Halberstadt, 302 Lawrence Ave,
Lakewood, NJ 08701, 732-942-7232. Triezki, Chofetz Chaim 5,
Modiin Illit 71919, 08 974-0301.
