"דיא טעלזער ישיבה עקזיסטירט ב"ה איצט אויך"

What kind of inspired this post was the Bene Beraq Vizhnitzer Rebbe's recent trip to Cleveland to partake in the sheva brochos of his grandson. The Mechutan is the Cleveland-Aleksander (or is it Aleksander-Cleveland?) Rebbe, brother of the one in Bene Beraq. There was a flyer printed, welcoming him to the mistake by the lake and announcing the sheva brochos schedule. Signed on that flyer were many local institutions, including Chabad(!) and their respective Rabbis. A Midwestern friend of mine noticed that conspicuously absent from the flyer was the late, great Telsher Yeshiva! At first I thought that only shuls were doing the welcoming, but he pointed out that the Hebrew Academy signed. So what's going on here? Is it ad k'dei kach? Did they cease to exist? Well, in 1917 they announced to the world that they exist. Maybe they need to do that again 100 years later?

{To be fair the Kolel Yad Chaim Mordechai, technically a by-product of Telshe,is also absent, yet they exist.}

Sholom Ber Sorotzkin's מלוכה - and yes, Telshe

We here have a very soft spot for Telshe, כידוע. We also can't get enough of Sholom Ber's peyos. Does Reb Shmuel Yankev understand what Shiurei Daas are? He's not a natural eynikel, nor did he learn in Telshe...

Was Telshe in the US supposed to be a YU at first?

A kind and devoted reader sends us this letter, written by Reb Elya Meir to Reb Lozer (Lazer) Levi in the fall of 1941/ Aseres Yemei Tshuveh 5702. REMB thanks him for his new year's wishes and informs him of his plans to re-establish the Yeshiva in Cleveland, where his (then) brother-in-law Reb Mottel Katz is now, trying to organize the logistics. (They had no real idea as to what was happening in Telshe, that by then the Yeshiva and their familes had been murdered.) Said reader seems to think that R' Elya Meir wanted to open a sort of "competitive Yeshiva to YU," maybe thinking that only that would work in the US, or that yungeleit would never join a system that only pays the minimum kolel wage. Meaning a Yeshiva that allows the yungeleit to go out into the world after some time at the Yeshiva, and thus have enough to be מפרנס their families בכבוד.

ישיבישע לעבן אמאל - available on Ebay

YTV, 1959. Seated: head of table, right, Rav Gedalia Schorr. Hertz Frankel second from right with mustache

The YTV library, 1959. Can you tell who the Chasidic young man is?

The Pressburg Yeshiva, 1930. Looks almost Litvish. Maybe that's why the descendants - save for a few - went to Litvishe Yeshivos?

A calendar for the Lubavitcher Yeshiva, Tomchei Tmimim, in Brunoy, outside Paris, France, 1960. Notice how they quote the Radomsker and Gerrer Rebbes in their calendar as having approved of the Yeshiva. They also offered after-school programs, as well as study-at-home lessons. The Rebbi teaching the class on the bottom left seems to be Reb Nochum Labkowski, o"h, father of the brothers Labkowski, Roshei Yeshiva in Crown Heights.

Telshe Yeshiva, 1935, Second from left is Aron Benzion Shurin, who later married the daughter of R' Moshe DovBer Rivkin

life in pre-War Telshe and Lithuania

The following are pictures recently received via email. They were sent to me by R' Doniel Schochet, a grandson of the late Rabbi Dov Yehuda Schochet, last of Toronto. Mostly of Telshe and Lituania. Some Switzerland and other places. I'm not gonna bother and watermark all of them, but can you be nice enough not to take them and publish them as your own, please? 

Telshe Yeshiva, 1932/5692. Of the 5 members of the הנהלה pictured, Reb Avrohom Yitzchok Bloch, Reb Zalman Bloch and Reb Ezriel Rabinovich were murdered with the Yeshiva and townspeople on 20 Tammuz, 5701. Reb Elya Meir Bloch and Reb Mottel Katz were in America and were thus saved. Their wives and children, however, were murdered, הי"ד.

Telsher Bochurim, Elul, 5684/1924, Rabbi Dov Y Shochet, standing, 2nd from left

Telsher Bochurim, RDY Shochet seated 2nd left. Note picture on wall of Reb Yosef Leib Bloch of Telshe, aka Der Alter Rov, who passed away in 5690/1930.

a Chevra Shas, somewhere in di Lita, (after all, where else did they finish Shas?) Adar 5690/1930

First graduating class of Yavne, the Telshe Girls' High School/Gymnasium, 1926/5786. Reb Mottel Katz, son-in-law of Reb Yosef Leib Bloch, אב"ד ור"מ טלז, pictured, right, with long beard. I count 9 students and 8 (!) staff.

יארצייט: הגאון רבי חיים מרדכי קאטץ ע"ה, ר"י טעלז-קליוולאנד - 50 שנה

As a child of a talmid of Reb Mottel, I grew up hearing stories and vertlach about him. Then, when the Alumni Association starting sending out the tapes I would often listen to them. As a child it was difficult to listen to, with the accent not being what I was used to, but I got used to it. I may not relate to him like a shtikkel Yated, with all the cliches, but Reb Mottel, who was not a כהן, has a special place in my heart. You might call it Litvak royalty. The world could have used more good Litvaks like him, but sadly Hitler and the Litwaukees yms"h all but wiped them out. It's ironic and sad that none of his, nor any of Reb Elya Meir's descendants are currently in any leadership positions in the Yeshiva that they built with the sweat of their brows.

R Mottel Katz Levaya

Direct Link to the full article and Dos Yiddishe Vort issue

Photo Source

A young Max Gifter had dreams of becoming the Chief Rabbi of the Hitler Government...

I kid you not. See for yourselves!

It's not clear if this was some kind of inside joke. As far as I remember he was not of German extraction, so it wasn't some kind of retracing his roots ambition. And AH ימ"ש was only in power for like 4 months at that time. Source

תודה להשולח

זה ספר תולדות הרה"ג ר' דוב יהודה שחט ז"ל

Bio R DY Schochet From Dvar Yehuda

הרה"ג ר' משה שמעון זיוויטץ אין לייכטע מאמענטען

  פרי יחזקאל

"Rabbi Moshe Shimon Sivitz (Zivitz) Chief Rabbi of Pittsburgh, PA Rav Sivitz was born in Zhitovyan (Kovno), Lithuania and studied in the Yeshivos of Slovan and Chelm, where he became a close disciple of Rav Eliezer Gordon, the Telzer rosh yeshiva. He also received semicha (ordained) from Rav Gordon and additional semicha from Rav Yitzchok Elchonon Spector, the Kovner Rav. The Rav's first pulpit was in Phikelin, Lithuania in 1885 but soon after moved to the United States. Before becoming the Chief Rabbi of Pittsburgh the Rav spent two years in Baltimore. Rav Sivitz, known as an outspoken critic against the Reform movement, organized the first talmud torah (day school) in Pittsburgh. The Rav was held in high esteem by many Rabbonim in Europe among them Rav Yisroel Meir Kagan, the Chofetz Chaim, who wrote the approbation to his commentary on Talmud Yerushalmi (Jerusalem Talmud). As a side, the Rav delivered the keynote eulogy at Chief Rabbi Yaakov Yosef Joseph's funeral."

the show must go on! מיין שטעטאלע טעלז

HIGHLIGHTS:

Zalman Gifter gets $1.05M.
He may not open a Yeshiva or Kolel in Wickliffe, home of the Telsher Yeshivah.
He still retains "בעלות" of the Yeshiva. I'm not sure what it's worth...
If he leaves within 90 days the Yeshiva must pay ZG $200k for his house.
הערה 3 is a must-read. The Yeshiva is there taken to task for going to court.
He may not use the name Telshe alone. It must have another name added to it.
Telshe has no claim to Rav Gifter anymore.
The Rebbetzin must be paid up what she's owed.
Yankev Velvel Katz and Yosef Zalman Bloch do NOT rescind their claim to Telshe.
All payments must be made by 120 days of the Psak.

(what about Reb Yitzchok Sorotzkin? Reb Aizik Ausband and his son?)

right-click on images and click "open image in new tab" to see large version.

see הערה 3

די סאטמורים (ארונים) אליין לאכען זיך אויס פונעם "סאחדעס" בית דין, אבער די טעלזער גלייבען נאך....

The Mystery of Reb Chaim Stein and the Old Skolyer Rebbe

Our old buddy Yeshiva World posted this article about the late Reb Chaim Stein, Rosh Yeshivas Telshe-Cleveland. The article is all good and well, but what caught my eye? the pictures in the background. (Is he reading the Yated there?) You can tell alot about a man by the pictures on the wall behind him. You see the MaHaRI"L, Reb Yosef Leib Bloch of Telshe, and his son and Memale Mokom the Telsher Rov, Reb Avrohom Yitzchok Bloch, HY"D - zeide of R' Avremel Ausband of Riverdale, his mother's father - and I believe the Steipler as well. But then, surprise, surprise! The Old Skolyer Rebbe! Not once, but twice. In the left hand corner of both big pictures you see him proudly displayed. What gives? We know that Reb Chaim had Lubavitcher Shvoggers in Kfar Chabad, and even his shver, Reb Chaim Leib Zaks of Uzda, lived there after WW2, but what was the connection to the SR?

Any suggestions?

.....אמאליגע טעלז

The picture/poster is untouched by me. I'm not sure what those globs are that we see on the heads of Reb Lozer Levy and Rav Mordechai Gifter. It may have been added by the Telshe people at the time.