Thousands were on hand late Sunday night to accompany HaRav
Avrohom Dovid Horowitz, zt"l, one of the leading
morei horo'oh and marbitzei Torah in Europe and
Eretz Yisroel, who passed away hours earlier at the age of
93. HaRav Horowitz served as rov of Kehillas Adas Yisroel and
gavad of Strasbourg, and later as a member of the Eida
Chareidis Beis Din in Jerusalem.
Born on 22 Cheshvan 5672 (1912) in the city of Bulchov,
Belgium, Avrohom Dovid Horowitz was the son of HaRav Shlomo
Yehuda Horowitz, a dayan in Pashwersk, and later av
beis din of Bulchov, and the grandson of HaRav Aharon
Meir Horowitz, av beis din of Bulchov, author of the
Avreich and a talmid of HaRav Yitzchok Izaak of
Ziditchov.
His mother Rasha was the daughter of HaRav Pinchos Halevi
Horowitz, author of Pischo Zuto on the Shas and
Beis Pinchos on the Torah, av beis din of Kosov
and one of the leading talmidim of the Divrei
Chaim of Tzanz and his son the Admor of Gorlitz. The
Horowitz' illustrious lineage reaches as far back as the Baal
Hamo'or.
At the tender age of three his mother passed away, followed
by his father only four years later. He then went to live in
Grosswardein with his grandfather, who gave him most of his
foundation in Torah. His talent and assiduousness became
apparent at a young age and he became known as a child
prodigy, to the delight of his grandfather who even entrusted
him to publish his books. He would daven with such
great fervor that parents and educators would point to him as
an example of how one should pray.
In Grosswardein he formed a tight bond with the Ahavas
Yisroel of Vishnitz. Later he served as rosh yeshiva of
Yeshivas Vishnitz in Grosswardein and eventually he married
his daughter to HaRav Menachem Mendel Hagar, av beis
din of Kiryat Vishnitz in Bnei Brak and the son of the
Ahavas Yisroel.
Already in his youth he became the image of ahavas
Torah and yiras Shomayim. Conversant with all
facets of Torah, Shas and poskim, he learned
every little section of the Shach, Taz and Mogen Avrohom on
all four parts of the Shulchan Oruch by heart.
Talmidei chachomim who came to him to get tested were
astounded to see him sit without a single book open and bring
up various little-known details of halochoh.
In 5694 (1934) he married the daughter of HaRav Eliezer Lipa
Zilberman, the Admor of Ratzpert, who was the grandson of the
Admor of Gorlitz. One year after his wedding he returned to
Grosswardein where he was appointed as a dayan and
moreh tzedek in the Beis Din Godol under HaRav Pinchos
Segel Tzimetbaum, alongside the av beis din's son-in-
law, HaRav Yitzchok Yaakov Weiss, author of Minchas
Yitzchok and eventually av beis din of the Eida
Chareidis in Jerusalem.
When the war broke out in Europe HaRav Horowitz was taken to
the work camps where he suffered through horrible ordeals.
According to testimony from the inferno he kept Torah with
mesirus nefesh. His wife and all five of his children
Hy"d were murdered by the Nazis, ym"sh.
When the war ended, after recovering his strength, together
with his uncle the Admor of Klausenberg he worked hard to
revive the Jews and return them to the beis medrash.
Later he was appointed rov of the Landsberg and Augsburg
kehilloh in Germany, where he published the first
siddur for the refugees in the displaced persons
camps.
He also remarried, to the daughter of HaRav Yechezkel Vidman,
zt"l, av beis din of Sitshel and one of the
gedolim of Vishnitz, who stood by him faithfully for
the rest of his lifetime.
In 5707 (1947) he was summoned by HaRav Avrohom Deutsch, the
Chief Rabbi of Strasbourg and the surrounding area and one of
the leading rabbonim in France during that period, to serve
as a dayan and posek in Strasbourg. Appointing
a dayan was an extremely bold move during that time in
the leadership of Torah Jewry in France.
For over 30 years the gavad of Strasbourg led Kehillas
Adas Yisroel, setting up a superb kashrus organization which
benefits Jews in all of France and the surrounding countries.
He also set up a broad rabbinate and dayan system to
handle gittin and kiddushin. His children were
born in France and successfully raised there, despite the
spiritual perils lurking.
In 5738 (1978) he came to Eretz Yisroel, settling in
Jerusalem on Rechov Rabbenu Gershom in the Neve Tzvi
neighborhood, where he took an active role in the beis
medrash of the Zichron Gershon kehilloh. In 5740
(1980) he was appointed to the Eida Chareidis Beis Din in
Jerusalem and he continued engaging in harbotzas Torah
and yir'oh and issuing halachic rulings in Eretz
Yisroel.
He became known for his nine-volume work, Kinyon Torah
Behalochoh and Kinyon Torah Beshmateto on the
Torah. After HaRav Weiss' petiroh he was selected to
replace him as rov of the beis medrash in the Badatz
building at Beis Zupnik. He would deliver charged Torah
talks, which had a major impact on his listeners.
He would give much of his money to tzedokoh, often
sending envelopes to Mattan Beseiser for needy
families. Once a Jew came to him on Erev Shabbos to ask a
question on chicken and treifos. Looking the man in
the face he realized this was his only chicken for Shabbos.
He then walked straight to his freezer, took out a frozen
chicken and handed it to him.
HaRav Avrohom Dovid Horowitz, zt"l, is survived by his
son, HaRav Yechezkel, rov of Kinyon Torah in Boro Park, his
sons-in-law HaRav Aharon Meir Eichenshtein, the Admor of
Ziditchov in Chicago, HaRav Yosef Dov Babad, a rov in London,
HaRav Chaim Feivel Shneibalg, a rov in Monsey, HaRav Menachem
Mendel Hagar, rov of Kiryat Vishnitz in Bnei Brak, HaRav
Eliezer Ernster, av beis din of Meor Chaim, and
grandchildren and great-grandchildren all following in his
path of Torah and yir'oh.
