HaRav Yosef Sheinberger z"l, secretary of the Eida
Chareidis for decades, passed away in Jerusalem at the age of
87.
Yosef Sheinberger was the tenth child born in Jerusalem to
HaRav Dovid, a respected resident of the city, but all of his
siblings passed away at a tender age. As a means of
safeguarding him and as a segulah, the boy was raised
in the home of the tzadekes Chayeka Rosenberg.
As a child he was constantly exposed to Jerusalem's
talmidei chachomim. Later in life he penned a
description of HaRav Chaim Zonenfeld zt"l, written
from the perspective of a nine-year-old boy. He also related
his first impressions of HaRav Yosef Tzvi Dushinsky
zt"l.
During this period he studied at HaRav Dushinsky's yeshiva
and had a close bond with his rebbe, as well as his son and
successor HaRav Yisroel Moshe, the Gavad of the Eida
Chareidis, for the rest of his life. As a bochur Rav
Yosef was already involved in building the Eida Chareidis,
teaching shiurim for a youth organization called
Pirchei Torah Veyiroh.
He formed close ties with the leader of Agudas Yisroel in
Jerusalem, HaRav Moshe Blau, who saw Rav Yosef as a man to
his liking, sharing with him the ways of the gedolei
hadoros he had known and grooming him to take part in
public affairs and activities for the sake of the Eida
Chareidis. HaRav Moshe also arranged a match between Rav
Yosef and his niece Tziporah, the daughter of HaRav Tzvi
Hirsch Blau, the son of HaRav Yitzchok Shlomo Blau, and the
brother of HaRav Moshe and HaRav Amram.
As soon as he was married, his uncle, HaRav Moshe Blau, found
him a position at the Eida Chareidis and Agudas Yisroel of
Jerusalem, but Rav Yosef was drawn more toward work at the
Eida Chareidis, forming a close bond with beis din
members HaRav Dovid Yungreis and HaRav Pinchos
Epstein.
A few years later HaRav Moshe Blau made Rav Yosef the
assistant to Eida secretary Rav Chaim Yitzchok Schwartz. Rav
Yosef learned a great deal from Rav Chaim, who had him write
a column for Kol Yisroel, then published by Agudas
Yisroel of Jerusalem. The column gave readers an opportunity
to become acquainted with the eloquence for which Rav Yosef
later became well known. Still Rav Yosef remained faithful to
the Old Yishuv, maintaining close ties with his uncle, HaRav
Amram, as well as figures from the Eida Chareidis.
When the leadership of Satmar was handed over to the author
of Beirach Moshe, Rav Yosef became his confidant
following his appointment as nosi of the Eida
Chareidis. During the same period Rav Yosef published
Amudei Eish on the life of HaRav Yehuda Leib Diskin.
The Brisker Rov, who often received Rav Yosef in his home,
went over the manuscript and was very impressed with it.
HaRav Aharon Kotler was said to have read through the
sefer twice.
Rav Yosef also wrote Gevuros Ramchal and two volumes
of the book Ginzei Yosef, a compilation of pearls of
wisdom heard from gedolei Yisroel. He also took part
in a book on Tzanz customs and penned Olamos
Shechorvu, a biography on HaRav Yoel of Satmar.
Over the years Rav Yosef was on close terms with HaRav
Yitzchok Yaakov Weiss, author of Minchas Yitzchok and
Gavad of the Eida Chareidis, the Brisker Rov, HaRav Isser
Zalman Meltzer, HaRav Yisroel Reisman, HaRav Moshe Aharon
Freund, HaRav Reuven Bengis, the Steipler and HaRav Shach
zt"l.
Rav Yosef among the leading fighters for kodshei
Yisroel. Although he absorbed his share of bitter herbs,
poison arrows and abuse, he paid little heed, often doing
favors for those who had persecuted him. An exceptional
baal chessed he often performed acts of
tzedokoh and chessed surreptitiously.
He would immerse himself in Torah study and was
extraordinarily self-effacing. In his latter years he
suffered yissurim, which he accepted with love. In
recent months he was frequently hospitalized due to a leg
infection. Last Tuesday, 11 Shvat, he was rushed to the
hospital with shortness of breath, but still coherent. The
next morning he managed to lay tefillin and recite the
tefilloh, but a short time later returned his soul to
his Maker.
At the levaya, which set out from Zupnik in Jerusalem,
he was eulogized by HaRav Avrohom Abish Halevy Eisen, HaRav
Yitzchok Tuvio Weiss, Gavad of the Eida Chareidis, HaRav
Moshe Sternbuch, ravad of the Eida Chareidis, HaRav Avrohom
Yitzchok Ulman, a member of the Eida Chareidis beis din,
his only son HaRav Moshe Sheinberger, HaRav Pinchos
Mendel Fuchs, rov of Kiryat Shomrei Hachomos in Ramot, and
Rav Moshe Yuda Steinberger, a member of the Eida Chareidis
administration. He was buried on Har Hazeisim.
Rav Yosef Sheinberger is survived by his only son, HaRav
Moshe, rosh kollel of Ohalei Yosef and author of
Aliyos Moshe, and his four daughters, married to Rav
Menachem Mendel Meshi-Zahav, Rav Shmuel Sirota, Rav Menachem
Mendel Gerlitz, Rav Yisroel Eisenstein, grandchildren, great-
grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren, doros
yeshorim mevorochim, following in his footsteps.
