Yeshiva World Calls him the "father of Rav Yaakov Eliezer Shlita, who is the eldest grandson of Hagoan Rav Aaron Kotler ZATZAL, and is presently the Rosh Yeshiva of Lakewood East in Yerushalayim..." Berel Shvartzman was from
Nevel. Yes, that Nevel. I was told that he was
boki in
Tanya and
Likutei Torah. His mother was
HaYitzchaki, a cousin to the famed
Reb Zalman Moshe of Nevel. His family left the USSR during the 30s and
Berel learned in
Eitz Chaim, IIRC. [ I'm told now that he was a
Chevroner.] Once during a visit by RAK to Israel he gave a
shiur in
his shver's (RebIsserZalmanMeltzer) Yeshiva Chevroner Yeshivah and
Berel was not impressed by the
shiur... And told him so... So RAK took him to America and married him off to his daughter. That marriage ended rather unfavorably, but his kids did manage to get pedigree that was more to their liking than a
Neveler balagoleh... כאטש אז יעדער חסיד וואלט אנדערש געזאגט. The
frum webistes seem to not want to recognize that he had a wife and life after the divorce, and several children too...
Reb Berel was married to a sister of
Rav Uri Chountal's of Yerres, France, wife, who passed away a month ago.
I heard that he would say that he was
Tinok Shenishbeh...
