Rav Shmuel Yitzchok Herman zt"l passed away at the age
of 74 on the day of his birth.
Rav Herman was born on 4 Av 5690 (1930) to HaRav Nachum Dovid
and Chayoh Duba the daughter of R' Avrohom Horowitz, after
his parents had left the US to live near Yeshivas Mir
together with their brothers-in-law, Rav Moshe Shain and,
ylct"a, HaRav Chaim Pinchos Scheinberg. The deceased
was the grandson of HaRav Yaakov Yosef Herman, the well-known
figure immortalized by Rebbetzin Shain in All for the
Boss.
When he was three years old his parents left Yeshivas Mir and
returned to the US, where his father served as the rov of
various kehillos. At the age of 17 he joined Yeshivas
Mir when it arrived in the US from Shanghai, and spent three
years there under the wing of HaRav Yechezkel Levenstein.
In 5710 (1950) he transferred to Yeshivas Lakewood, headed by
Maran HaRav Aharon Kotler, where he spent more than ten
years. Among the prominent talmidim at the yeshiva, he
received guidance from the Rosh Yeshiva in methods of
chinuch and was among the founders of Chaburas
Kodshim.
After marrying Chayoh Pearl Leiter, the couple joined the
pioneer community living in the town of Lakewood. After the
petiroh of his rebbe HaRav Kotler, they moved
to New York where he served as a maggid shiur at
various yeshivas and girls' schools.
When the family moved to Eretz Yisroel in 5733 (1973),
following the advice of the Kehillas Yaakov he started and
directed a seminary for girls from abroad. After ten years he
went to run a kollel in Migdal Ha'emek under the
leadership of HaRav Nachman Bulman, where he brought many
Jews closer to Hashem's Torah.
Late in life he moved to Jerusalem's Ramot neighborhood,
where he spent most of his time learning in shiurim,
concealing his gadlus in Torah and horo'oh.
Even after his health began to decline he summoned his
remaining strength to move to Canada and start a talmud
Torah.
Among the eulogizers at the levayah were HaRav Yaakov
Eliezer Schwartzman, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Lakewood in
Eretz Yisroel, HaRav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, rosh yeshiva of
Yeshivas Slobodka, his friend HaRav Leib Heiman, the rov of
Beis Knesses HaGra in Jerusalem's Beit Vegan neighborhood,
HaRav Menachem Mendel Fuchs and HaRav Menachem Mendelson.
Rav Shmuel Yitzchok Herman, z'l, is survived by his
wife, his sons and his daughter, grandchildren and great-
grandchildren, all of them upholding the glorious family
tradition by following the path set by the forefathers.
