It is with great sadness that we report the passing of Rav Lipman Schapiro zt”l, a member of the Agudas Harabbonim and rov of the Empire Shtiebel in Crown Heights who was believed to be the eldest Lubavitcher rov. He was 97.
Rav Schapiro endured the hardships of the Former Soviet Union, where those who kept Yiddishkeit were punished and persecuted. Born in Kralevitz, now in Ukraine, Rav Schapiro learned in the many underground Lubavitcher yeshivos.
He later married Chana Vilenkin, daughter of Rav Zalman Vilenkin.
While living in Leningrad, today St. Petersburg, he ran a yeshiva, Tiferes Bachurim, together with Rav Chonye Marozov, for working youngsters.
When the Second World War broke out, he fled with his family to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Poking Pine City Displaced Persons’ camp in Germany (where he was a member of the vaad to aid Jews), and later Paris, France.
Upon immigrating to the United States, he worked as a shochet in Cleveland, Ohio, where he also reached out to local Jews, encouraging them to strengthen their spirituality.
In Crown Heights, he assumed a rabbinical position, leading his shul and inspiring others for decades.
His wife passed away 2 years ago.
He is survived by his children, Rabbi Sholom Ber Schapiro, Mrs. Raizel Goldberg, Rabbi Leib Schapiro, Rabbi Gavriel Schapiro, and Rabbi Nochum Schapiro.
The levaya will be held today at Shomrei Hadas Chapels in Boro Park, Brooklyn, at 1:30 p.m. and then in Crown Heights. Kevurah will take place at the Old Montefiore Cemetery in Queens.
Yehi zichro boruch.
{Dovid Bernstein-Matzav.com Newscenter/Collive.com)
A tazik mamesh! The whole generation who were persecuted in Russia just for being frum and keeping torah umitvohs
zacher tazidik levbrocha
Rabbi Schapiro was a great man. Years ago he lived in Cleveland and was very well known in Yeshiva Telz he dealt many years with Gedolim and his Halachik opinion where very well respected by many.
Yehi Zichron Baruch