The Admor of Radzin, HaRav Avrohom Yissochor Englard
zt"l, one of the elder admorim from Poland, was
laid to rest on the fifth day of Chol Hamoed Succos at the
age of 100.
Born in Krimlov, Poland to HaRav Yeshayohu Hy"d, a
descendent of the author of the Shach and Chosen
Yeshuos who served as ravad in the city of
Sossnovtza, and to his mother Esther Frummet o"h, the
daughter of the Admor of Krimlov, HaRav Nosson Nochum HaKohen
Rabinowitz, the son of the Tiferes Shlomo of Radomsk.
He acquired his early Torah learning from his uncle HaRav
Dovid Moshe Rabinowitz, and HaRav Shmuel Aharon Pardes known
as the Illui of Stashov.
As the oldest grandson of the Admor of Krimlov he enjoyed a
close relationship with his illustrious grandfather, in whose
court he met most of the admorim of pre-Holocaust
Poland.
When he came of age, R' Avrohom Yissochor was chosen to
become the son-in-law of the Admor of Radzin, the author of
Tiferes Yosef, and he moved to Radzin. Following his
father-in-law's petiroh the mantle of leadership was
passed onto his son, HaRav Shmuel Shlomo Hy"d. His
brother-in-law, R' Avrohom Yissochor, assisted him in every
matter and laid the foundations for the Sod Yeshorim yeshivos
in Radzin and nearby towns and served as the nossi of
the yeshivos.
When World War II broke out, he joined his brother-in-law the
Admor, when he moved into the Vlodava Ghetto. There he
attended to all matters of Judaism and devoted himself to
helping Jews in crisis. When the Admor heard that Jews were
being killed in the forests of Sobibor he decreed a
taanis of three days and three nights.
During this horrific period the Nazis captured the bunker
where the Admor and his family were staying and ordered all
those inside to leave. They were then shot immediately. R'
Avrohom Yissochor stayed inside, refusing to turn himself
over to reshoim. They threw grenades into the bunker
but miraculously the explosions left him unscathed. On 27
Iyar 5702 (1942) his brother-in-law, the Admor, was executed
and died sanctifying the Name of Heaven on Shabbos.
Based on the Admor's directives before his passing, R'
Avrohom Yissochor of Vlodava, together with R' Motel Reichman
the Pious whose wife Hy"d had also already been
murdered, fled into the forests of Poland, where they
remained in hiding for almost two years. They wore the same
set of clothes throughout this period, surviving under
extreme conditions. But their lives were spared through
Chasdei Shomayim.
Throughout their period in hiding they kept all of the
mitzvos, down to the smallest detail. Under the most adverse
conditions they dug a hole in the ground and covered the pit
with branches to fulfill the mitzvah of dwelling in a succah.
When Pesach arrived they managed to bake matzoh in the
forest. Until his last day he kept in his possession a piece
of the Afikoman he ate during his Seder Pesach
in the forest. During this period of hiding he even
arranged kiddushin for other Jews hiding from the
Nazis and their accomplices.
When the war ended and the extent of the destruction became
known, based on vain hopes of finding the manuscripts left
behind by the admorim of Radzin, he found that all of
Jewish Radzin had been totally razed. He began wandering
through the cities of Poland, at first in the areas of Warsaw
and Lodz. Although a forlorn refugee himself he helped other
Jews rebuild their lives. He dedicated himself to
resuscitating the spirit of Judaism, setting up Torah and
chessed institutions and arranging kiddushin
for Jews who had lost all, but revealed great inner strength
by starting Jewish homes from scratch.
Later he returned to Sossnovtza where he assumed the post of
rov and av beis din previously occupied by his
father Hy"d. The town had become a transit point for
thousands of refugees returning from exile in Russia and
Siberia to various parts of Poland. His home drew all those
in need of succor or assistance. He shared his bread and made
his home available to refugees, attending to all of their
needs in gashmiyus and ruchniyus. He provided a
haven and an attentive ear for thousands of Jews passing
through, including former admorim and rabbonim as well
as the family of the Admor of Biale, the author of Chelkas
Yehoshua.
He attended to all of these matters in addition to a wealth
of spiritual endeavors. In Sossnovtza he set up a talmud
Torah and a yeshiva for refugees and their children. He
organized shechitoh and set up a special beis
din to release agunos. He spent all of his
personal funds to buy back sifrei kodesh in the hands
of goyim.
During this period he also served alongside HaRav Yitzchok
Eizik Libes and others as a member of Rabbinical Committee of
Postwar Polish Communities, a committee in operation for
several years. He continued his activities in Sossnovtza for
nearly three years, from 5705 (1945) to 5708 (1948).
At the end of 5708, when almost no Jews remained in the
Sossnovtza area, he traveled to Yanoville, a town outside of
Paris where numerous Jewish refugees from Poland were
gathered. Based on an invitation by friends from the
Sossnovtza kehilloh who had settled in the US, he
traveled to the US and stayed as their guest until 5712
(1952). In the US he strove to disseminate the works of his
forefathers and rabbonim from Radomsk, such as Tiferes
Shlomo and other seforim.
In 5712 he agreed to requests from Radziner Chassidim
gathered in Eretz Yisroel to join them. In Eretz Yisroel he
build a new home with the Rebbetzin tlct"a, who played
an important role in resurrecting the Radzin community.
In 5713 (1953) a ceremony was held to install him as the
Admor of Radzin. He then proceeded to build homes of
Chassidim from the Radzin kehilloh in central cities
throughout Eretz Yisroel and worked to rebuild
Yeshivas Sod Yeshorim in Jerusalem.
For decades he was heavily involved in the matter of
techeiles for tzitzis based on the path laid
down by his grandfather, the Admor of Radzin, HaRav Gershon
Chanoch, the author of Orchos Chaim and Sidrei
Taharos. The handling of techeiles was
discontinued under tragic circumstances during the Holocaust.
He worked hard to renew the dye production process using the
blood of a snail that is black in its original form.
Circumstances required him to move to the US for several
years. There, former members of the Sossnovtza
kehilloh built him a beis medrash and a
kehilloh of hundreds of Jewish survivors from
Poland.
Toward the end of 5731 (1971) he returned to Eretz
Yisroel, settling in Bnei Brak where the large Radzin
beis medrash was built. He set up a kollel
there headed by HaRav Moshe Horowitz.
He made himself available at all times to Jews of all
backgrounds. Rich and poor, talmidei chachomim and
distinguished figures along with simple Jews found an
attentive listener in him. He received every Jew warmly and
graciously.
Notable for his ahavas Yisroel, good-heartedness and
noble conduct he felt others' pain keenly and worked hard to
assist those in need. A man of truth he often overlooked his
own honor, displaying extraordinary humility.
He spent the last six years confined to a hospital bed at
Ma'ayanei Hayeshua in Bnei Brak. Jews around the world prayed
for his recovery. His condition improved somewhat, but he
remained bedridden and on the fifth day of Chol Hamoed Succos
he returned his pure soul to his Maker.
Thousands took part in the levaya, which set out from
the beis medrash on Rechov Aharonson in Bnei Brak,
proceeding along Rechov Yerushalayim and Rechov R' Akiva.
Gedolei Torah, roshei yeshivos, admorim and
dayonim could be seen accompanying the
mittoh.
In Jerusalem the procession began at the Radzin center in the
Yeshivas Chayei Olom building at Kikar HaShabbos, continuing
via the Gur beis medrash, where a large crowd led by
the Admor of Gur was waiting.
The deceased was then brought to Har Hamenuchos where he was
buried in the rabbinical section.
The Admor is survived by his wife, who stood by her great
husband faithfully and devotedly, especially during his
illness; his three sons, Rav Yeshayohu of Brooklyn, Rav
Yitzchok and HaRav Shlomo, the rov of the Radzin beis
medrash in Bnei Brak; and grandchildren and great-
grandchildren.
