|
|
NEWS
Rebbetzin Elberg, o"h
by Betzalel Kahn
Rebbetzin Chayoh Miriam Elberg, o"h, the widow of
HaRav Simchoh Elberg, former chairman of the Rabbinical
Association of America, passed away in New York at the age of
80 and was brought to rest in Jerusalem, where her
levaya was attended by gedolei Torah, roshei
yeshivos and public figures.
Rebbetzin Elberg was born in the city of Charvin, China to
HaRav Yehuda Zelig Slutzker, a prominent talmid at
Yeshivas Slobodka in Lithuania. In his home she received a
superb upbringing and earned a reputation for her
intelligence and good middos, for ahavas
haTorah and ahavas chesed.
At the end of World War II she went to Shanghai where she
married Simchoh Elberg, who had arrived with the other
refugees from the illustrious Yeshivas Mir. They then
immigrated to the US where she stood by her husband devotedly
for decades in his work in harbotzas haTorah and
helped distribute his seforim and Torah writings.
After his petiroh ten years ago she memorialized him
in renowned Torah halls, particularly Yeshivas Mir, Yeshivas
Ohr Elchonon and Yeshivas Chassidei Gur in Kiryat Herzog,
where she had botei medrash built le'illui
nishmoso. She would travel to Eretz Yisroel every year to
organize and participate in an annual pilgrimage to his
grave.
Recently she was struck by a trying illness, but she summoned
all her strength to keep her mind and thoughts clear until
her final days.
When the aron was brought to the airport she was
eulogized by her brother-in-law, HaRav Pesachyoh Meir
Weinberger, who accompanied the aron, and HaRav Nachum
Rothstein, rosh yeshivas Gur in Kiryat Herzog. The
levaya then continued to Yeshivas Mir in Jerusalem,
where hundreds of avreichim and talmidim led by
HaRav Nosson Tzvi Finkel were waiting in the square of Beis
Medrash Shalmei Simchoh, whose construction was funded by the
Rebbetzin o"h.
Moving hespeidim were delivered by HaRav Yitzchok
Ezrachi, one of the roshei yeshivos at Yeshivas Mir, HaRav
Moshe Mordechai Chodosh, rosh yeshivas Ohr Elchonon, and
HaRav Avrohom Yosef Lazerson, one of the heads of Chinuch
Atzmai. Before the levaya HaRav Shlomo Greenbaum of
the US led the recitation of several chapters of Tehillim
and delivered a eulogy. The levaya continued via
the Gur beis medrash to Har Hamenuchos in Jerusalem,
where she was laid to rest beside her husband.
|
