Thousands of family members, friends and residents of
Jerusalem's Ramot neighborhood participated last Monday night
(chol hamoed) in the heartrending levaya of R'
Shlomo Yitzchok Shapira Hy'd, an avreich from
the Ramot Polin neighborhood, who was killed Monday evening
in Chevron when a Palestinian terrorist opened fire on a
crowd of Jews visiting the city's Avrohom Ovinu neighborhood.
Three of his children were wounded in the attack, one
seriously and two lightly.
R' Shlomo Yitzchok Shapira was born fifty years ago to Rav
Menachem Shapira, one of the heads of Yeshivas Bobov in Bat
Yam. From early youth he displayed great ability, impressing
his teachers and rabbonim with his extensive Torah knowledge
and elevated midos. He studied at Yeshivas Ponevezh in
Bnei Brak where he earned a reputation as one of the notable
talmidei chachomim and was highly regarded by the
heads of the yeshiva.
He married the daughter of R' Chaim Elazar Kasselstein,
director of the Chassidic Chevra Kadisha in Jerusalem for
many years. As a young avreich he toiled in his
learning, amassing broad knowledge in Shas and poskim.
He was also one of the highly regarded participants and
gabo'im at Beis Knesses ZAI in Ramat Polin, where he
was a regular and prominent participant in the shiurei
Torah there and took an active role in tending to the
needs of the beis knesses.
R' Shapira was a well-liked talmid chochom and
yirei Shomayim, with a noble heart and exceptional
midos. He prayed with great concentration and raised
his voice in deveikus when saying omen during
chazoras hashatz and yehei Shmei rabo during
Kaddish. He educated his household in Torah and
yiroh and had the merit to marry off two sons and a
daughter; another daughter was scheduled to marry the week
after Succos.
R' Shapira earned his living during the last several years
working in the computer department of the Ministry of
Construction and Housing, and was known among his co-workers
as a goodhearted man with superb middos who was always
ready to lend a hand.
Last Monday he traveled to Chevron with his children to pour
out his supplications at the kivrei ovos in Maaras
Hamachpelo. The levaya began at midnight at the
Shamgar Funeral Center in Jerusalem. Rav Boruch Shushan
recited Tehillim as the crowd repeated each verse with
great emotion.
Hespeidim were not given due to kedushas Chol
Hamoed, but divrei his'orerus were said by HaRav
Zevulun Shub, one of the heads of Yeshivas Meor HaTalmud in
Rechovot; HaRav Tzvi Weissfish, Rosh Yeshivas HaRan; and the
deceased's neighbors, who emphasized the need for
his'oreirus following Yom Kippur and leading up to
Hoshano Rabo. Speaking for the entire family, his brother, R'
Chaim Shapira, and his son, R' Dovid Shapira, asked for
forgiveness and requested that each and every one pledge to
add one maaseh tov or hanhagoh tovoh.
During the divrei his'orerus hearts were further torn
when the widow and orphans arrived from the hospital,
overcome with sobbing and mournful tears. The two children
who sustained light injuries were brought in an ambulance,
one lying in a sickbed, and recited Kaddish, throats
choked with tears as the numerous listeners answered yehei
Shmei rabo with great sobs.
Then the funeral procession set out with the thousands of
people on hand accompanying a murdered talmid chochom,
tzadik veyoshor, exacting in his observance of mitzvos,
noble of spirit, yirei Shomayim and pleasant in his
ways. R' Shapira was buried at Har Tamir in Givat Shaul.
R' Shapira is survived by his wife, who stood at his side
faithfully, devotedly helping him to build a home of Torah
and yiras Shomayim, his parents, his sons Mordechai
and Dovid, his son-in-law R' A. Krashinsky and four other
unmarried children--a daughter about to wed and the three
injured children-- all of whom are following in their
father's footsteps on the path of Torah and yiroh.
*
Based on the recommendations of rabbonim, a special fund was
set up to assist the devastated family. Donations can be
deposited at Mercantile Discount Bank, Branch 635, Account
Number 295620 or sent to POB 50585, Jerusalem. Contributions
can also be made by credit card via Vaad HaRabbonim LeInyonei
Tzedoko at 1-800-22- 36-36, Number 1505.
