Rabbi Pesach (Paul) Z. Levovitz z”l

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candle-small6It is with great sadness that we report the passing of Rabbi Pesach (Paul) Z. Levovitz z”l. Rabbi Levovitz served for many years as the rov of Congregations Sons of Israel in Lakewood, NJ. He was niftar today in Arzei Habirah, Yerushalayim, where he resided.

Rabbi Levovitz was one of the early residents of Lakewood, when it was still a New Jersey resort town. The small frum community eventually morphed into what is today, one of the country’s largest frum enclaves, centered around Beth Medrash Govoah. Rabbi Levovitz was a talmid of the rosh yeshiva, Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l, at Beth Medrash Govoah.

Rabbi Levovitz served the Lakewood community for over 60 years and was a former president of the Rabbinical Council of America.

The Eleanor Levovitz Senior Citizen Apartments on Clifton Avenue in central Lakewood is named after Rabbi Levovitz’s wife who was known for her charitable work. The residence was built through the efforts of Rabbi Levovitz after he lobbied for congressional funding to complete it. The congressional money had run out in July 1979, and when the Carter administration sought to halt construction of the facility, he personally went to Washington and fought for and eventually received approval and funding for what is today the Eleanor Levovitz Senior Citizen Residence. The residence was completed in 1982 and has 150 apartments.

Rabbi Levovitz also served as a chaplain at the U.S. Naval Air Station in Lakehurst, a chaplain with the Lakewood Police Department, and a member of the president’s advisory committee on Israel.

The levaya will take place at 1:30 p.m. in Arzei Habirah, Yerushalayim.

Rabbi Levovitz is survived by his children, Mrs. Sivya Twersky of Teaneck, NJ, and Rav Yaakov Levovitz of Yerushalayim.

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Dov Green-Matzav.com Newscenter}


40 COMMENTS

  1. BDE – someone who had true Ahavas Yisroel, the most genuine smile for each and every Yid he ever saw. He also did lots of work for the Jewish hospice, helping other Yiden who were terminally ill. YZB

  2. He was my neighbor when I lived in Lakewood. A very fine and learned person. Always had wonderfull conversations with him.

    Boruch Dayan Emess.

  3. Rabbi Pesach Zecharia Levovitz, known as “Paul Z” to six decades of Lakewoders, was a NEPHEW of Rav Yeruchem zt’l, Mashgiach of Mir and a nephew to Rav Moshe Feinstein zt’l(his mother Reb. Levovitz was a sister to Rebetzin Feinstein).

    Rabbi P. Z. Levovitz learned in Torah Vodaath and even represented them in the famous Rabbis March to Washington in 1942. He came to Lakewood to be Rabbi at Sons of Israel and was NOT a talmid of Rav Aharon Kotler.

    Rabbi Levovitz was Dean of Bezalel Day School

    He leaves behind a remarkable son, HaGaon Rav Yaakov Levovitz of Arzei HaBirah, Rosh Yeshivas Shaarei Binah. (Rav Nachman Levovitz of the Mir- an ainekel of Rav Yeruchem Zt’l and son-in-law of Rav Beinush Finkel Zt’l- is only a distant relation.

  4. His son is Rav Yaakov levovitz. He is not a ram at the Mir but has his own yeshivah. Rabbi P.Z. Levovitz was a cousin of Rav Moshe Fienstein.

  5. He was a grand nephew. His father was a nephew. One of Reb Yeruchem’s seforim has a bunch of letters which he wrote to his father about staying frum and learning in America.

    His mother was a sister of Rav Moshe zt”l. He learned in MTJ by his uncle Rav Moshe not by Rav Aron.

  6. Rav Nachman Levovitz of the Mir Yerushalayim was not his son. Rav Nachman is a grandson of the Mashgiach Rav Yeruchem ZATZAL.

    Rav Yaakov Levovitz of Yerushalayim is a son R’ Pesach Z”L.

  7. Do you mean he WAS a talmid of Rav Ahron Zt”l, or that he HAD BEEN a talmid of Reb Ahron Zt”l?
    Rav Elya Swei WAS a talmid of Reb Ahron Zt”l.
    Rav Yosef Tendler WAS a talmid of Reb Ahron Zt”l.
    There is a difference.
    Doik Vetishkach.

  8. R’ Nachman Levovitz is not a son of Rabbi Pesach Levovitz- his father was R’ Moshe Leib Levovitz from BP Mirrer Minyan – Rabbi Levovitz son is R’ Yaakov Levovitz a RY in EY

  9. CORRECTION:

    He was a GREAT nephew of the Mashgiach Rav Yeruchom Levovitz Zatzal. (Rabbi Paul Z. was a son of Rav Reuven who was a son of Rav Chaim Yosef levovitz, brother to Rav Yeruchom Zatzal).

    He was NOT the father of Rav Nachman Levovitz of Mir Yerushalayim. He was a second cousin of Rav Nachman, who is a son of Rav Moshe Leib Zatzal who was a son of Rav Yeuchom Zatzal)

  10. #3 I am unsure about him being a nephew to R’ Yeruchom, but he was not the father of Rav Nachman Levovitz, from Mir Yerushalayim. As the article states: He was the father of Reb Yaakov (Yankel) Levovitz who also resides in Arzei HaBirah and is the the son-in-law of Rav Shamshon Brodsky Zt’l, who was niftar a few months ago.

  11. # 3: He is the father of R’ Ya’akov Levovitz not R’ Nachman Levovitz. R’ Nachaman is the son of R’ Moshe Leib Levovitz zt”l who was a son of R’ Yeruchem zt”l

    R’ Ya’akov is the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Sharei Bina (if I’m not mistaken about the name) in Yerushalayim.

  12. “He was a nephew of Reb Yeruchum Levovitz ZL and father of Rav Nachman Levovitz in Yerusholayim”

    #3 Alter Lakewooder – his son in Yerusholayim is named Yaakov not Nachman.

  13. To #3. Rabbi Pesach (Paul) Z. Levovitz, although related, was not a nephew of R’ Yerucham Levovitz and his son is Rav Yankel Levovitz, who is the son-in-law of Rav Shimshon Brodsky.!
    He is not the father of Rav Nachman Levovitz!

    (Alter, are you suffering from “Old Timer’s”?)

  14. While he has illustrious ancestors and children, his own life was a true testimony of a person committed to being marbitz torah on a full scale, he never let up for his kehilah, always trying to encourage each person to be the best they can be, he was like a father to orphans and to people seeking comfort or advice. May he be a true meilitz yosher for klal yisroel – I am sorry that he did not have his levaya here in Lakewood where he was such a prominent figure for so long.

  15. “Rabbi Levovitz was a talmid of the rosh yeshiva, Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l, at Beth Medrash Govoah.”

    He learned in Chaim Berlin and Torah Vodaas and he received is Smicha from MTJ. He became the Rabbi of Congregation Etz Chaim in Brooklyn in 1943 and in 1944 was chosen as Rabbi of Sons of Israel in Lakewood.
    He retired from Sons of Israel in around 1995-1996.

  16. Rabbi Levovitz was a wonderful Rav to his kehilla and many others. His breadth of knowledge, exemplary Midos, and his regal bearing made him a person that one could look to for inspiration.
    His mother, Rebetzin Zlata Levovitz, was a sister of Rebetzin Sima Feinstein (Reb Moshe’s rebetzin). He had a close relationship with his uncle, Reb. Moshe ZTK”L.
    May he be a Meilitz Yosher for his wonderful family and for all of Klal Yisroel.

  17. He was a talmid of Rav Aharon. When Rabbi Levovitz came to Lakewood in the forties to be Rav, he attended Rav Ahron’s Shiur. He learned B’chavrusah w/ Rav Wachtfogel as well during that Tekufah.

  18. I attended Lakewood Hebrew Day School (its name prior to becoming Bezalel) from 1950 to 1958. The Rabbi’s first rebbetzvin, z”l, was my second grade teacher. The Rav spoke @ my Bar Mitzvah @ the Hotel Feder in Lakewood in 1958.
    He will be sorely missed.

  19. I grew up in Lakewood attending Congregation Sons of Israel where Rabbi Levovitz ZTL was Rav together with his wonderful Rebbetzin Bluma ZTL, and I was bar mitzvahed in his shul. His style was to stand the bachur habarmitzvah on the bimah with his arm around the shoulder of the young man and speak his Shabbat drasha to him. I can remember his words verbatim 50 years later.

    He came to Lakewood in the early 40’s and built yiddishkeit. This included his personal mesiras nefesh in greeting and caring and rebuilding the lives of the many Holocaust survivors who located themselves in the Lakewood area. Together with Betzalel Goldstein ZTL and Irving Roy ZTL, he built the first full time Hebrew Day School in Lakewood.

    As this is his Shloshim and we are around the corner from Pesach, I still remember his drashas in both English and Yiddish and the way he showed everyone the proper derech as a Rav. May his children, Sivia and Yaakov and their families be granted nechama over the passing of one of the Arzei Halevanon on Yiddishkeit in North America.

    The “shtut” that Lakewood has become would not have been possible without the Jewish infrastrucuture of chinuch and kashrus that he built. BMG was a great but small institution while Rabbi Levovitz was busy “ma’avir Tzono”.

    Yehi Zichro Boruch

    Cantor Henry Topas
    Montreal, Canada

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