HaRav Eliyahu Yehoshua Geldzahler was welcomed at Newcastle
airport by a prominent delegation from the Gateshead Kolel at
whose invitation he came to town Thursday 21 Teves from New
York. He came to grace the 50th Yahrtzeit Kinnus in
memory of his late father-in-law, Rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer
Dessler zt"l.
His first visit that day was to the Gateshead Yeshiva where
he delivered a shiur to the whole yeshiva. On Friday
morning he visited the Gateshead Jewish Boarding school and
addressed the top two classes. On Shabbos he joined the
Kehilla at Seudas Shelishis much to the delight
of the baalei batim in shul.
On Friday evening there was a kabbolas ponim at the
home of his host, Rabbi Chaim Kaufman, for all members of the
Kolel, and attended also by all former members residing in
Gateshead, now occupying many distinguished rabbinic and
teaching positions in town.
Here Rabbi Geldzahler reminisced about the early years of
Rabbi Dessler's life and his activities. He had come to
England from Poland in 1928. For some years he occupied the
rabbinate in East London's Montague Road Synagogue. He also
had several prominent private students who later made their
mark in Anglo-Jewry. He told how Rabbi Dessler had visited
the United States but decided to remain in England.
On motzei Shabbos Rabbi Geldzahler gave a shiur
in the Kolel. He took this opportunity to express his
appreciation for the pleasure and privilege of standing in
the place of his great late father-in-law. He said that,
whereas a yahrtzeit arouses certain sadness, it also
evokes sentiments of gratitude and encouragement when viewing
the achievements of a life well spent.
Rabbi Dessler had been involved in the establishment for
Klal Yisroel of numerous Torah institutions, prompting
previously undreamed of higher standards of Torah and
yiras Shomayim. And if popularity is a guide, his five-
volume Michtav MeEliyohu, published posthumously from
his stenciled notes, has incredibly run into 30 editions.
At the Yahrtzeit Kinnus, Rabbi D. Sternbuch spoke
impassionately about Rabbi Dessler zt"l. How was it
that he had such phenomenal success, he asked? He was by no
means a strong man and was of delicate constitution. But his
determination knew no bounds.
In 1941, it was already realized that every vestige of
organized communal life on the European continent had been
ruthlessly razed to the ground. Hardly a shul, school or
mossad survived, and the great centers of Torah in
America and Eretz Yisroel had not yet emerged. The
very few great men who escaped the inferno were perplexed:
Where would the rabbonim and roshei yeshiva of future
generations develop?
Such was the despondency at the time and that was the
challenge which spurred Rabbi Dessler into action. Rabbi
Sternbuch said that just as Moshe Rabbenu left the comfort of
his palatial home in order to concern himself with the urgent
welfare, indeed the very survival, of the Bnei Yisroel
in Mitzrayim, so too did Rabbi Dessler set aside
everything else to put his heart, body and soul into the
revitalization of Torah learning. He said that sending a son
to Yeshiva at that time was a rare thought.
A kolel! A term then quite unknown in the Western
World and beyond the grasp of imagination. Rabbi Dessler was
not perturbed. Gateshead Kolel, with its many eminent
talmidei chachomim, graduates have become the
cornerstone of similar and other Torah mosdos
worldwide.
Rabbi Yehuda Leib Ehrentreu, a member of the Kolel, presented
an erudite shiur on Kedushas Bechor.
Another Kolel chover, Rabbi Mordechai Chody,
eloquently demonstrated how the combination of
Shabbos/Tefillin and Bris Miloh complement each
other as true testimonies of our trust in HaKodosh Boruch
Hu in all circumstances.
Rabbi Geldzahler's visit unfortunately came to an abrupt end
as he was called away to Israel due to a tragic bus accident
in which his son was seriously injured.
