ותחי רוח אמשינאוו ד'בארא פארק - finally getting around to finishing this

Amshinov in Boro Park - what? you never heard of it? It does exist, squeezed in between the big Bais Yaakov/Bobov45 building and the Korn's bakery trucks blocking 15th Avenue - has sprung to life again! This past Shabbos, Parshas Shelach in America, they had the largest crowd ever to pack in to the confines of shtiebel.

Here's how I see it, and correct me if I'm wrong. Some 30 years ago I once walked into the tish of Reb Itzikel of Amshinov, in his apartment above the shul. If there were 25 people there it would be an exaggeration. He said Torah for a few seconds and the oylem was content with that.

The next time I was there was 20 years later, for a family simcha. I have no recollection of the then-Amshinover Rebbe. He passed away a few months ago - a victim of coronavirus.

Reb Itzikel, son of Reb Yosef (d. 5696/1936), was a nephew of Reb Shime'le of Amshinov, who passed away on the 19th of Av, 5714/1954. Reb Shime'le's son Reb Meir went up to Eretz Yisroel with his father's aron and stayed there. He passed away in 1976. The Current Amshinover Rebbe in Bayit VeGan is a grandson of Reb Meir. His mother was a daughter of Reb Meir. Reb Chaim Milikovski, father of the Amshinover Rebbe, was a Mirrel Talmid who escaped to Shanghai, as did the Amshinover Rebbe. 

The Rest is history.  

The young Rebbe, Reb Menachem Kalish, a grandson of Rav Eliyahu Sternbuch of Antwerp, is also a Vizhnitzer eynikel. Rav Sternbuch was a son-in-law of Reb Boruch of Seret-Vizhnitz, later in Haifa. Those in the know foresee a great and bright future for the Amshinovers of Boro Park. The young Rebbe, a son-in-law of the previous Zutchker Rebbe of Bnei Brak, had been living in Eretz Yisroel, and even started his own independent chassidishe yeshiva last Elul, but is expected to relocate to Boro Park.

I did hear, from my Chabad sources, that the current Rebbe - while a talmid in Rachmistrivka Yeshiva in Yerushalayim - learned Chassidus Chabad with a Lubavitcher mashpia.

As it should be done.

Tarnapol, 1917

German Troops Enter Town During WW1 as Local Jews Watch

Please Help! .... Identify the Surrounding People Here

If you think you know any of the people pictured here with the Munkatcher Rov you can post your responses here, or email Munkatch directly.

Tizku LeMitzvos and Thank You.

הרב מאיר שפירא ותלמידיו

א געזונטן ווינטער - א גוט געבענטשט יאר

רבי אלתר אלעזר מענדל בידרמן מלעלוב זצ"ל

רבי אלתר אלעזר מנחם (מענדל) בן הרה"ק ר' משה מרדכי מרדכי בידרמן, אדמו"ר מלעלוב-בני ברק, נפטר י"ד טבת ה'תשס"א
יושב שני משמאל בהתוועדות אצל כ"ק אדמו"ר מליובאוויטש זצוקללה"ה נבג"מ זי"ע
 כ"ד תמוז ה'תשל"ו

צילום, יהודה בענדזשאמין, באדיבות: חברת רעבעדרייוו

לב שמחה

מאכניווקע

רבי אברהם יהושע העשל טברסקי ממאכניווקע, בן רבי יוסף מאיר בן רבי אברהם יהושע העשל מסקווירא בן רבי יצחק מסקווירא בן הרה"ק רבי מרדכי מטעשרנאבל זצ"ל. נפטר יוהכ"פ ה'תשמ"ח ומנו"כ באוהל רחמסטריווקא אשר בחלקת וואהלין בהר הזיתים בירושלים תובב"א

רבי יחזקאל צוועבנער ב"ר יהודה לייב בן הגאון רבי אברהם שאג זצ"ל

נפטר כ"ט סיון תש"ד ומנו"כ בהר הזיתים
Don't have any more info on him, besides for his yichus.
א הדרת פנים האט ער געהאט

Monday Morning Media

Well, my friends, sometimes, just to keep promises you're forced to post just about anything.Not that this isn't worthy material; it's just that it has no flow and no cohesiveness. What connection does a 1919 London protest against "butchery" in Poland have to do with a Rov in Austria writing responsa? Come to think of it, there's much connection. But you get the drift. I can't quite place the butchery that the sign speaks of in Poland of 1919. What was going then that needed international intervention? Was it the war against the Soviets? wee Jews the scapegoats then and being "punished" then as well?

The above Tzelemer Rov was later Ungvarer Rov - Rav Yosef Elimelech Kahana, HYD.

The Tzelemer Rov, Rav LY Grunwald, later in Brooklyn. Son of the Arugas Habosem of Chust.

The Widow and Brothers Romm Publishing House, Vilna. Nice tires on that wagon.

The Chanukas HaBayis for the Yeshiva in Kletz (later in Lakewood)

Occasion and location unknown

הגאון הגדול רבי זאב וואלף גינצלער זצ"ל הי"ד

My zeide was his talmid in Solgotarjan, Hungary. He's even in the yeshiva pic in Avrohom Fuchs'   ישיבות הונגריא בגדלותן ובחורבנן. So I'd hear the name a lot. That is whenever the zeide felt comfortable speaking about those times... Then later my zeide was in Fehergyarmat, where he married and had four children, all of whom were murdered by the Nazis. So why not share this with all of you. It makes me feel a part of society; that my zeide's Rebbe was a somebody.

   הגאון רבי זאב וואלף גינצלער זצ"ל הי"ד by Hirshel Tzig on Scribd

 Rav Gintzler's yeshiva in Salgotarjan. My zeide a"h is pictured, standing, third from right.

שבת אויפרוף של מר"ש - Belzer Aufruf, Tel-Aviv, 1966

ITRI "Wikileaks"

We wrote about Rabbi Elefant some ten years ago. 
Check it out. 
Quite the character, it seems.

An Elephant Never Forgets by Hirshel Tzig on Scribd

ישיבה תורת אמת חב"ד ליובאוויטש - ירושלים עיה"ק תובב"א

הרב משה דובער ריבקין (עומד מימין), הרב משה יהודה לייב שפירא (יושב   משמאל), הרב שמעון גליצנשטיין (יושב מימין) הרב שלמה זלמן האוולין

גער - אחרי תש"ח

I'll go out on a limb here and say that this these pictures was for a fundraising effort for Yeshiva Sfas Emes. Otherwise, it'd be kind of strange that they posed for a picture like this by the Imrei Emes' tziyun. In those days it was still common. Today, cooler heads have prevailed. Also, photoshop works wonders, you needn't actually have a group of boys pose in front of a holy place. Many of you may know that the IE was buried in the courtyard of the Yeshiva Sfas Emes as a temporary measure, being that it was during the War of Independence and Har Hazeisim was closed no other cemetery was readily available. Once other places became available it was decided by his children not to move him.

סאסובער רבי זצ"ל

Nephew and son-in-law of the Satmar Rov - Reb Yoel. His mother was the Satmar Rov's sister. The original family name was Mayer, not Teitelbaum. He did not have children before his wife bas the Satmar Rov passed away in 5714/1954. He later remarried and had children. I came across this drawing and figured I'd post it - along with some pics for comparison. They made him look kind of like a movie character. He, unfortunately, passed away in his prime in 1966.

The movie character

Laying the cornerstone for his kiryah in Eretz Yisroel.

הנחת אבן הפינה לשכונת וולפזון בירושלים

Hi, all! Nice to be back. Sorry for the prolonged vacation. I hope to be here more often from now on.
These pics are seemingly from an expansion to the institutions of Eitz Chaim, led by the late Rabbi Yechiel Michel Tikochinsky, who of course was a great admirer of Rav Kook. As was Reb Isser Zalman Meltzer, who served as Rosh Yeshiva from 1925 until his passing in 1953.
But you knew that.
The date is probably the late 20s or early 30s.
Or maybe it's a building project? Hard to tell. The internet wasn't very helpful either.

הגראי"ה קוק, הגרא"ז מלצר

הגראי"ה קוק נואם

הגרי"מ טיקוצ'ינסקי עומד ליד הגראי"ה קוק

 נואם - הגרי"מ טיקוצ'ינסקי

Passing of Reb Nosson Kaminetzky, A"H (MOAG)

Yeshiva World informs us of the passing of Reb Nosson Kaminetzky, author of "Making of a Gadol," and Rosh Yeshiva at ITRI. He passed away on Shabbos Erev Shavuos at the age of 89. You wouldn't be exaggerating if you call him a revolutionary and ahead of his time. Here, we present you with two pictures of his father Reb Yankev's visit to Boys Town Jerusalem, where we see Reb Nosson accompanying his father (in the first photo.)

ספינקער רבי'ן זצ"ל הי"ד