Levi Yitzchak Horowitz
Levi Yitzchak HaLevi Horowitz (born 3 July 1921, Boston,[1] died 5 December 2009, Jerusalem[2]) was a rabbi and the second rebbe of the Boston Hasidic Dynasty founded by his father, Pinchos Dovid Horowitz. He was the first American-born Hasidic rebbe[3] and the founder of ROFEH International, a community-based medical referral and hospitality liaison support agency.[4]
Levi Yitzchak Horowitz | |
|---|---|
 Horowitz at the Western Wall, Jerusalem | |
| Title | Second Bostoner Rebbe |
| Personal | |
| Born | Levi Yitzchok Horowitz July 3, 1921 Boston, Massachusetts, US |
| Died | December 5, 2009 (aged 88) |
| Religion | Judaism |
| Spouse | Raichel Ungar, Yehudis |
| Children | Pinchos Dovid Horowitz Mayer Alter Horowitz Naftali Yehuda Horowitz Shayna Gittel Toba Leah |
| Parents |
|
| Jewish leader | |
| Predecessor | Pinchos Dovid Horowitz |
| Successor | Pinchos Dovid Horowitz (II) (1943-2021), Mayer Alter Horowitz Naftali Yehuda Horowitz |
| Began | 1944 |
| Ended | 2009 |
| Dynasty | Boston |
Family
Horowitz's parents were Pinchos Dovid Horowitz, founder of the Boston Hasidic dynasty, and Sora Sosha Horowitz. His father died in November 1941. In November 1942[1] he married Raichel Unger Leifer of Cleveland, Ohio,[5][6] a descendant of Naftali Tzvi of Ropshitz.
Rabbinic career
In 1943, Horowitz was one of over 400 rabbis led by Baruch Korff who traveled to Washington, D.C. just before Yom Kippur, to ask President Franklin D. Roosevelt to rescue Jews from Hitler.[3][7]
Upon becoming leader of the Bostoners in 1944, after his marriage and ordination at Yeshiva Torah Vodaath, he announced that his primary thrust as rebbe would be aimed at the area's large number of college students, many of whom were away from home[3]
In 1984, Horowitz established Givat Pincus, a Hasidic community in the Har Nof neighborhood of Jerusalem and began dividing his time between Israel and Boston.[3] In 1999, an additional community was established in Beitar for the next generation of Bostoner Chassidim.
Horowitz served as a member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Agudath Israel of Israel.
At the time of his death, he resided both in the U.S. and in Israel spending half a year in each country. Day-to-day leadership in his community had already passed on to his children.
Death and succession
Horowitz suffered a cardiac arrest on July 6, 2009, and was hospitalized in the Sharei Tzedek hospital in Jerusalem.[8] He died on December 5, 2009 and was buried that night on the Mount of Olives.[9]
Per his will, he was succeeded by all his sons:
- his eldest son, the Chuster rabbi, Pinchos Dovid Horowitz (died 2021)[10][11] as Bostoner rebbe of Borough Park, Brooklyn[10]
- his second son, Mayer Alter, as Bostoner rebbe of Jerusalem
- his third son, Naftali Yehuda, as Bostoner rebbe of Boston.[12]
References
- Rosenstein, Neil (1990). The Unbroken Chain: Biographical sketches and the genealogy of illustrious Jewish families from the 15th-20th century, Volume 2. CIS Publishers. p. 993. ISBN 0-9610578-4-X.
- Ronen, Gil (5 December 2009). "Bostoner Rebbe Passes Away at 88". Arutz Sheva. Israel. Retrieved 5 December 2009.
The Bostoner Rebbe, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Horowitz, died at Shaarei Tzedek Hospital in Jerusalem on Sabbath
- Ahren, Raphael (12 November 2009). "The Bostoner Rebbe, the first American-born Hasidic leader". Haaretz. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
- Rofeh International
- The Bostoner Rebbetzin Archived 2006-10-28 at the Wayback Machine
- Raichel Horowitz
- International Jerusalem Post, January 19–25, 2007, Page 19
- Thousands Daven for the Bostoner's Rebbe Refuah. Yeshivaworld.
- Bostoner Rebbe Levi Yitzhak Horowitz dies at 88. Jerusalem Post, December 6, 2009.
- Karman, Binyomin Zev (January 14, 2021). "BDE: Harav Pinchos Dovid Horowitz, Bostoner-Chuster Rebbe of Boro Park". Hamodia. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
- "Bostoner Rebbe of Boro Park, Rav Pinchos Dovid Horowitz zt"l". Matzav.com. January 14, 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
- Tannenbaum, Rabbi Gershon (14 April 2010). "Bostoner Rebbe Visits 17th-Century Ancestor". The Jewish Press. Archived from the original on May 11, 2010. Retrieved 9 February 2011.
