Can you identify these ליטווישער רבנים?

Juuust to be sure...

As a young whipper snapper I heard the following from my dear father zg"z: (If I once wrote it here I apologize)

There was once a very frum yiddene who would daven and say tehillim and learn צאינה וראינה all day. She would fast and do chesed and feed the old and sick. She was there in sight doing the right and holy thing. It's just that every day she'd go missing for a few minutes. Maybe even the same time every day. Nobody could find her. So they decided they'll follow her and find out once and for all. At the usual time the old lady descended into a basement where there she had set up - נישט מיר נישט ווייניגער - a tzeylem and all other paraphernalia and proceeded to bow down and do all other services associated with that religion! The people were in shock! So they asked her: סורי נעיני, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be this big tzadekes, and here you're worshiping another Getshke?! Suri Neni had a very simple answer; And what if they're right? I need to make sure and worship their Getshke too! Just in case.

My friends, I'm not c"v comparing our brothers from Lithuania to another religion. I leave that to them to do. But it seems like their once-solid belief in their system alone is beginning to crack, or at least show signs of wear and tear. They're not JUST going to Volozhin and Vilna, they need to go to Lizhensk and Lublin, just to be sure. Like Reb Boruch Mordche going to Lizhensk to sing ואפילו בהסתרה. It's good to see. Maybe all those years in bnei Berak and Yerushalayim had some sort of effect, after all. Maybe the Roshei Yeshiva taking kvitlach had an effect. Maybe they'll believe in G-d after all. 

Maybe.

Yeshivishe Litvishe Stuff...

Not everything is necessarily a chiddush or a pirsum rishon, but we're keeping the burners going, at a simmer, at least. Keeps you awake amd also helps take the mind off work a bit. We'll keep this design for now.

ר' פייבעלע דער פוילישער

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Treasures from the Lithuanian State Archives

The Alter and Alteh from Slabodka...

Reb Moishe Mordche Epshteyn and Rebbetzin...

The Kovner Rov (מח"ס דבר אברהם) and Rebbetzin...

Kovner Rov at an interfaith meeting...

Kovner Rov at some kind of national celebration

The Kovner Orphanage - notice the picture they're holding. I guess we weren't the first or only ones...

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.

discovery in בירזש, ליטע

Hi Tzig,

Remember you ran a story on Rav Pinchas Lintוp. Well, his Matzeiva was just uncovered in Birzai, Lithuania. I thought this might interest you and some of your readers. The goal of the good people who did this work is to document all the gravestones at the Birzai Jewish cemetery and to publish the epitaphs in Hebrew and in English with the photos on the web.If you want to support this project, you can make a donation via PayPal at shilklaper@gmail.com.

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."