Reb Yisroel Hacohen Miller, zt"l, one of the heads of
Hatzoloh in New York, was taken in a tragic traffic accident
in Yerushalayim on Thursday 23 Teves. Reb Yisroel had been
on his way to lay tefillin with his son at the Kosel.
He was 36 at the time of his petirah.
Rabbi Yisroel Miller is the son of R' Eliezer Hacohen
Miller, one of the heads of Agudas Yisroel in the United
States, and grandson of the renowned HaRav Avigdor Hacohen
Miller, one of the gedolei haTorah in America. It was
in this home that Reb Yisroel acquired his unique
middos. He studied for many years in yeshivos
kedoshos in Eretz Yisroel and the United States.
Reb Yisroel was an outstanding baal chessed who
helped everyone who turned to him. He was involved in
assisting the Yad Eliezer chessed organization in
Jerusalem. A few months ago he brought a group of American
donors to Israel in order to show them the organization's
many projects.
Rav Yisroel was very even-tempered, and no one ever saw him
get angry. He studied Torah regularly all morning and would
then engage in earning a livelihood.
A number of days ago, he came to Eretz Yisroel to take his
son - - who will be bar mitzvah next month -- to gedolei
Yisroel for their brochos. Early Thursday
morning, he set out with his son to the Kosel, where the
future bar- mitzvah chosson planned to lay
tefillin for the first time.
As Reb Yisroel drove down Yeshayah street in Geulah, a bus
ran into his car. Reb Yisroel was seriously injured, and was
niftar a short while later. The niftar's
father, HaRav Eliezer Miller, was staying in a Jerusalem
hotel. He was part of the Agudas Yisroel contingent that had
come to Eretz Yisroel to participate in a three day
yarchei kallah.
The levaya set out from the Shamgar funeral home on
the way to the Eretz HaChaim cemetery near Beit Shemesh.
Reb Yisroel Hacohen Miller is survived by his wife and five
children, all of whom are pursuing the paths of
chessed, Torah and yir'oh.
