Rav Tzvi Yehuda (Hashi) Friedman (1925-2005). Born in Pressburg, Hungary, Reb Hashi was a descendant of the Chasam Sofer, whose youngest daughter, Rechel, married Reb Tzvi Yehuda Friedman from Topolcany. Their youngest son, Yeshaya, married Yehudis Link and had a son, Moshe, who married Malka Hochhauser. Reb Moshe had three sons, Nissan, Hashi, and Pinchas. Among Hashi’s teachers were Rav Akiva Sofer (the Daas Sofer), Rav Avraham Shmuel Binyamin Sofer (the Cheishev Sofer), and Rav Michoel Ber Weissmandel. In 1944, he was sent to Aushwitz and marched the Death March to Gleiwitz and was transported to Buchenwald. Although his entire family was murdered, he lived another 60 years. He emigrated to Montreal in 1951 and moved to Toronto in 1970. His life was filled with Torah and hachnasas orchim.
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I knew him very well. I was his chavrusa for about two years. He was a gevaldige Talmid Chochem. He knew the Chasam Sofers seforim bal peh. He was also great at gematrias.
I had the zechus to give him his last koved being in Toronto by chance.
He gave a shiur in his shul every 6.30AM, and on on that unforgettable Fri. he slipped on the ice….
May he be a meilitz Yosher for all his progeny, kilom ahuvim uberirim.. anmd for klal Yisroel
Chaval al d’ovdin v’lo mishtakchin!
Besides being a tremendous Talmid chochom and Baal darshan with a photographic memory,
R.Hashi was a “Klal Yisroel” yid,
we miss him at Shlomei Emunah,
Yossi L.