Rabbis, Cantors and Beit Din in Lodz

Contents

Right: Seal of the Rabbi of Lodz.
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Head Rabbis

  • Rabbi Yehudah Aryeh (Lewek) Salomonowicz of Widawa, first head rabbi of Lodz, from about 1813 until 1818; established the Chevra Kadisha in 1811; son of Zalman
  • Rabbi Pinkus Hillel haCohen, of Rozprza or Lutomiersk (?-1845), second head rabbi of Lodz from 1818 until 1823; died in Lodz, buried in Konstantynow
  • Jerozolimski, Rabbi Mendel Wolf, third head rabbi of Lodz, from 1825 until 1832; son of Meszulam Zalman Kohen of Lubraniec.
  • Naumberg, Rabbi Ezekiel (Nomberg, Chaskiel) (1786-1856) (in Polish); fourth head rabbi of Lodz from 1832 until 1856; Kotsk Chassid; buried in the old Lodz cemetery; wife: Esther nee' LEWIN of Lutomiersk; father of Chanoch Henich, Judel (whose wife was Rywka LECZYCKI of Zdunska Wola), Frajda FRIEDENSOHN; great-grandfather of Hirsz Dawid Naumberg, well-known journalist and social activist 

  • LIPSZYC, Rabbi Mojzesz (1803-1873) of "Dobrzynia," fifth head rabbi of Lodz from 1857 to 1873; Kotzker Chassid; born in Warsaw; father of Nusen

  • MAJZEL, Rabbi Eliasz Chaim (1821-1912), sixth head rabbi of Lodz from 1873 to 1912, founder of the Talmud-Torah; born in Grodko, near Vilnius, Lithuania

  • Trajstman, Rabbi Eliezer (Lejzer) Lajb (1862-1920), seventh head rabbi of Lodz from 1912 until his death in 1920; Chassid of Gur; coordinated the Jewish community throughout WWI

Due to disagreement among the various parties, no head rabbi was chosen after Rabbi Trajstman's death. However, Rabbi Segal was head of the rabbinical court:

  • Segal, Rabbi Moshe Menachem (1876-1942), elected dayan in Lodz by 1906 and later head of rabbinic court (Av Beit Din); a descendant of the Maharsha (sic?) and Rabbi Moshe Isserliss; had a wide knowledge of astronomy; when the Germans invaded Lodz in WWII, he was terrorized and tortured; he left Lodz and was murdered near Kielce in 1942; son-in-law was Rabbi Yochanan LIFSZYC (1898-1943)

Rabbis of Lodz

  • Alter, Rabbi Nechemia (1873-Holocaust), scholar and religious leader; born in Gora Kalwaria, son of Rabbi Aryeh Leib, "Sfas Emes"; wife: daughter of Lomazer Rebbe (of Lomazy) Rabbi Tsvi Hersz MORGENSZTERN, of the Kotsker dynasty; died in the Warsaw ghetto.
  • Berliner, Rabbi Nota Jerucham (1896-1945), established publishing house of Yeshurun. director of the Bais Yaakov movement to educate girls; born in Radzymin; died in a concentration camp shortly before liberation
  • Berman, Rabbi Yitzchak, involved in religious school, inter-war period
  • Borensztajn, Rabbi Aron, inter-war period
  • Bornstein, Rabbi David (1876-1943), the third Rebbe in the Sochatshover (Sochaczew) dynasty; established a yeshiva in Pabianice; son of the second Sochatshover Rebbe, Rabbi Shmuel, who was the only son of Rabbi Abraham, the Avnei Nezer; born in Nasielsk, near Sochaczew; died in the Warsaw ghetto
  • Braude, Rabbi Markus (1869-1949) educator, creator of the first Jewish high school
  • DANZIGER, Rabbi Bezalel, inter-war period
  • DANZIGER, Rabbi Yerachmiel Yitzkhok Yakov (1853-1910), Aleksanderer rebbe (Chassidic leader of Aleksandrow Lodzki)
  • DANZIGER, Rabbi Yitzchak Menachem (1880-1942), Aleksanderer rebbe; son of third rebbe, grandson of Rabbi Yechiel; deported from the Warsaw ghetto to Treblinka, where he died on September 23, 1942
  • Domb, Rabbi Moshe, inter-war period; descendant of Mojzesz LIPSZYC
  • Eiger, Rabbi Yakov, inter-war period
  • Elchman, Rabbi Icchak (? - 1924)
  • Eizenberg, Rabbi Avraham, involved in religious school, inter-war period
  • Feiner, Rabbi Yosef (1866-1943), Aleksanderer rebbe; chief assistant to Rabbi Eliasz Chaim MAJZEL from 1901 and arbitrator in the rabbinic court (Beit Din); born in Piotrkow-Trybunalski; killed in September 1943
  • Fishchak, Rabbi Hershel, inter-war period
  • Friedel, Rabbi Yisrael, the Baluter (Baluty) rebbe; inter-war period
  • Gelbart, Rabbi Baruch, involved with "Torah Learning," inter-war period
  • Gliksman, Rabbi Pincus Zelig (1865-Holocaust), Kotzker Chassid; historian, author of a book on the history of the Jews of Lask; son of Avraham Hirsh, great-grandson of Rabbi Baruch GLIKSMAN; died in the Lodz ghetto
  • Grawe, Rabbi Mojzesz, member of the Ritual Service and examination board for Hebrew school teachers
  • Grodzenski, Rabbi Shlomo, head of Yeshivat Torat Chesed
  • Halpern, Rabbi Mojzesz Eliasz (1872-1921), underrabbi of Lodz, activist and honorary chairman of Agudas Israel (Orthodox political party), member of national parliament
  • Hartzsztark, Rabbi Hertzl, inter-war period
  • Jakubowitz, Rabbi Shlomo, inter-war period
  • JAKUBOWICZ, Rabbi Salomon, underrabbi of Lodz; wife: Jochewet CHECINSKI
  • JELSKY, Israel
  • Kaminetz, Rabbi Naphtali (1896-1944), author, head of religious studies at Bais Yaakov school from 1923, founded Chavatzelet school for girls; born in Ostrow Mazowiecka; deported from the Lodz ghetto to Auschwitz in August 1944
  • KOHN, Mojzesz Nechemia (1790- ); born in Warta, where he was head rabbi; son of Binjamin Bejnisz; father of Aharon Elijahu, Lewi Icchak, Jakob Symcha, Abraham Benjamin, Dawid, Cywja Bluma KOHN, Sara Rywka RUS (wife of Eliasz Fiszel RUS of Kalisz; children: Izrael Ick, Szmul Fajwel, Mojzesz Nechemia, Pesia - wife of Dawid WALD of Lodz, Chaje - wife of Mojzesz GERSZON, Golda - wife of Chaim SZWARC, and Malka - wife of Joel FRIEDE)
  • Krol, Rabbi Mordechai Nissan (1874-1942), elected to the Rabbinical Board (Beit Din) in 1914; a descendant of the Maharal of Prague; deported from the Lodz ghetto
  • Landenberg, Rabbi Falk (Felek) (1904-1942), community leader, Orthodox Bund (Agudas Izrael worker's movement) activist
  • Laski, Rabbi Shmuel Dawid, inter-war period
  • LEWIN (LEVIN), Rabbi Simcha Benim, inter-war period; brother of the Bendiner Rav, grandson of the Aleksanderer rebbe Reb Chanoch Henoch, he was a close friend of the Imrei Emes; lived in Lodz before the war but went the Warsaw Ghetto when was broke out; deported to and died in Treblinka 
  • LEVY, Rabbi Yisrael, involved in religious school, inter-war period
  • Lieberman, Rabbi Fishel (Liberman, Fiszel) (1899-Holocaust), owner of textile business, member of the Municipal Council of Lodz and Orthodox community activist, member of Agudas Izrael party; born in Zelow, murdered by the Nazis in the Lodz prison and buried in a mass grave
  • LIPSZYC, Rabbi Eliezer, inter-war period
  • LIPSZYC, Rabbi Nusen (1863-1923), member of the Ritual Service
  • LIFSZYC, Rabbi Yochanan (1898-1942), arbitrator of Jewish law in Lodz, head of the Beit Din in the Lodz ghetto; deported from the Lodz ghetto to Chelmno on Rosh Hashanah 1943; wife: daughter of Rabbi Moshe Menachem SEGAL
  • MAJZEL, Rabbi Eliezer Yitzchak (Itche), inter-war period; grandson of Rabbi Eliezer Chaim MAJZEL and Rabbi Eliezer Proszhener)
  • MAROKKO, Rabbi Aszer Lemel, underrabbi of Lodz, under Rabbi Chaskiel NAUMBERG in 1842; born in Wyszogrod; son of Natan; wife: Rajzla ROZENKRANC (daughter of Samuel of Ozorkow); children: Mojzesz (who died in Gora Kalwaria), Jakob (rabbi and morah in Lodz, d. 1892; his son, Judel, died in Otwock in 1933), and Samuel (rabbi and morah in Biskowice/Bieszkowice); Kotzker chassid
  • MAROKKO, Rabbi Jakob, d. 1892; rabbi and morah; his son, Judel, was author of "Kibbutz Jehuda" and "Bejur Jehuda" and died in Otwock in 1933
  • Oberbaum, Rabbi Simcha (1851-1942), Aleksanderer Chassid; a central figure in the Lodz Jewish community; born in Warsaw, died in the Lodz ghetto on August 29, 1942
  • Rabinowicz, Rabbi Shlomo Chanoch (1882-1942), last rebbe of the Radomsk dynasty, educator, a director of the Kesser Torah organization, member of the religious council in the Warsaw ghetto; murdered with his family in the Warsaw ghetto on August 1, 1942
  • Rabinowitz, Rabbi Efraim Fiszel, inter-war period
  • RADIN, Adolf M.
  • Rogowy, Rabbi Avraham Mordechai (1898-1942), educator, writer, Orthodox Bund activist
  • Rozenberg, Rabbi Moshe, inter-war period
  • Rozenmutter, Rabbi Mendel, Lubavitcher Chassid, inter-war period
  • Rozensztajn, Rabbi Zelig, inter-war period
  • Segal, Rabbi Gabriel, member of the Prayerhouse Ritual Service
  • SZYMSIO, Rabbi Boruch Mordechaj, died at age 18; son of Salomon Zalman, melamed
  • Trajstman, Rabbi Simcha, inter-war period
  • Waltfried, Rabbi Emanuel, the Pabianice Rebbe; brother of Shlomo Zalman; grandson of Rabbi Yeshayahu of Przedborz, a follower of the "Hozeh of Lublin"
  • Waltfried, Rabbi Shlomo Zalman, the Tomaszower Rebbe; brother of Emanuel; grandson of Rabbi Yeshayahu of Przedborz a follower of the "Hozeh of Lublin"
  • Weiss, Rabbi Moshe, inter-war period
  • Weizenzaft, Rabbi Pinkus, inter-war period
  • Wiener, Rabbi Moshe Aron, Chassidic rabbi, inter-war period
  • Wojdyslawski, Rabbi Yakov, Chassidic rabbi, inter-war period
  • Zajdel, Rabbi Mojzesz Menachem, scholar, talmudist, director of the yeshiva in Lodz
  • ZYCHLINSKI, Rabbi Saadia (1885-Holocaust), the Zychliner Rebbe, inter-war period; scholar, publisher, Orthodox community activist (Agudas Izrael), involved with the Bais Yaakov movement

Cantors of Lodz

  • ALTERMAN, Cantor Hillel (1849-1934), cantor of the Reform synagogue from 1889; born in Russia, previously cantor in Nikolaevsk
  • HALPERN, Cantor Gedalje, cantor in Tuszyn; moved to Lodz in 1851; became popular assistant cantor, to Lejzor PERELMUTTER, in 1863 until 1876
  • HERBST, Cantor Hersz (d. 1884); died in Warsaw; wife: Chawa of Parzeczew
  • JOSELOWICZ, Cantor Gerszon, (d. 1929), cantor of the Altshtot synagogue until 1929
  • Perelmutter, Cantor Arie Symcha (1848-1924), composer and cantor of Lodz from 1908; son of Lajzor
  • Perelmutter, Cantor Lejzor (1807-1887), composer and synagogue cantor from 1856 or 1859; previously from Brzeziny; son of Mojzesz of Sieradz; children: Mojzesz, Arie Symcha, Abraham (rabbi of Radom and Warsaw), Icchak (1856-1896), and Gitla MARKOWICZ
  • Perelmutter, Cantor Mojzesz (1838-1920), main cantor of Lodz from 1887, member of the Ritual Service from 1913; son of Lajzor
  • WINOGRAD, Cantor Oszer, of Grodno, cantor of the Altshtot synagogue in 1929, and later the Reform synagogue until 1939

Members of Beit Din

  • Feiner, Rabbi Yosef (1866-1943), Aleksanderer rebbe; chief assistant to Rabbi Eliasz Chaim MAJZEL from 1901 and arbitrator in the rabbinic court (Beit Din); born in Piotrkow-Trybunalski; killed in September 1943
  • Krol, Rabbi Mordechai Nissan (1874-1942), elected to the Rabbinical Board (Beit Din) in 1914; a descendant of the Maharal of Prague; deported from the Lodz ghetto
  • LICHTENSZTAJN, Ezra, dayan (judge) in Lodz; married to Sara KATZ, son of Wolf
  • LIFSZYC, Rabbi Yochanan (1898-1943), arbitrator of Jewish law in Lodz, head of the Beit Din in the Lodz ghetto; deported from the Lodz ghetto to Chelmno on Rosh Hashanah 1943; wife: daughter of Rabbi Moshe Menachem SEGAL
  • Rotbajn, Mojzesz Majer (1868-1921), arbitrator of Jewish law in Lodz and juror in rabbinic court, after 1905 (Chassid of Gur); a descendant of the Maharshal, Even HaOzer and Rabbi Meir Eizenstadt; born in Piotrkow Trybunalski, died in Lodz [contributed by Shirley Rotbein Flaum, granddaughter]

Sources

For further information, see:

The assistance of Jan M. Engel, Irving Gertel and Morris Wirth is gratefully acknowledged.
Any comments or additions to this page should be directed to: Roni Seibel Liebowitz
 

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