It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the passing of Rav Yosef Yitzchok Feigelstock zt”l, rosh yeshiva of Mesivta of Long Beach.
Rav Feigelstock, one of the ziknei roshei yeshivos in the United States, was a member of the Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah of Agudas Yisroel of America.
Rav Feigelstock was a son of Rav Avrohom Feiglestock. He learned in his younger years at Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood, becoming a leading talmid of Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l, who held Rav Feigelstock in tremendously high esteem.
Rav Feigelstock later went on to lead his own yeshiva, Mesivta of Long Beach, turning it into one of the most prestigious Torah institutions in America. For over half of a century, he led the yeshiva, guiding talmidim through their yeshiva years and well beyond.
Rav Feigelstock’s shiurim, shmuessen and divrei Torah inspired bnei Torah during their formative years, as they were enthralled by his unique combination of high-level lomdus with penetrating hashkafah, a beacon of purity and clarity.
“There are no words. We are reeling,” said Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, executive vice president of Agudath Israel. “Rabbi Feigelstock was a true manhig hador, leader of our generation, a tangible link to the Torah and hashkofah of his great rebbi, the rosh hayeshiva Rav Aaron Kotler zt”l. The entire Jewish world has suffered a terrible blow with his death.”
The levayah will be held today at 4 p.m. at Mesivta of Long Beach, located at 205 W. Beech St. in Long Beach, NY. A second levayah will be held tomorrow at 11 a.m. at the Bais Yitzchok Bais Medrash of Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood. Kevurah will then follow at the bais hachaim off of East Seventh Street in Lakewood.
Yehi zichro boruch.
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{Matzav.com}
WANTED FOR KIDNAPPING
In 1949, My uncle R.Yitzchok Donath Zt”l obtained false identity papers for himself and both of my parents a”h. This enabled them to escape from Communist Czechoslovakia and flee to Vienna Austria
They obtained the id of the Feigelstock family (our cousins) who had left Austria before the war.
R Yitzchok Donath lived in Vienna Austria as Yitzchok Feigelstock.
He was a Madrich in Agudas Yisroel. He was also very active in getting back the children who were hidden by the Goyim during the war.
There were many times when the Goyim were unwilling to voluntarily return the children to the Yidden. They had different methods to get the children out of the Goyishe homes. The last resort used was simply to kidnap
the children.
One day the police showed with an arrest warrant for Yitzchok Feigelstock. My uncle was charged with kidnapping, a very serious crime. He was locked up in prison. With the help of Askanim he managed to convince the authorities that they have the wrong man because his name is not Feigelstock but Donath. With Nissim, he was released.
The Yitzchok Feigelstock they were after was none other but the Longbeach Rosh Yeshiva Zt”l who was at that time thousands of miles away across the ocean learning in Lakewood under R.Aron Kotler Zt”l
He had no idea that he was on the most wanted list in Austria.
A few years later when the Rosh Yeshiva applied for citizenship in the US the officials denied him citizenship
claiming him to be a criminal charged with kidnapping in Austria.
It wasn’t too difficult to prove to the officials to have a mistake in identity being the Rosh Yeshiva was
during all that time in Lakewood learning in the Yeshiva.
my great grandfather was yitzchak donath from hungary but he was killed in 1944/45 in the camps. wonder if this is a cousin?
Any information on hookup or zoom for levaya? Please post.
Is there a video or phone hookup to the levaya in lakewood tomorrow?
Please post any, thanks
Besuros Tovos b’karov!
Baruch Dayan Ha’emes
Phone Hookup info.
857-347-0100
pin 125005
Boruch Daiyan HaEmes!!
When I entered the Torah world in 1970, the talk was of the, relatively, recent passing of the very great leader, Rav Aharon Kotler, ZT’L, just about eight years before in the winter of 1962. Of course though, we were not without leaders, as there were the many colleagues of Rav Aharon, including: Rav Moshe Feinstein, ZT’L, Rav Yaakov Kaminetsky, ZT’L, Rav Yaakov Ruderman, ZT’L, and Rav Yaakov Yisroel Kanievsky, ZT’L (Rav Chaim Kanievsky’s father). In the following years though, his colleagues too were Nifter; in just the two year period of 1985 – 1987, these four were Nifter. There was though, the “next generation” of their sons and their Talmidim. Recently and now though, many of the next generation have been Nifter. It is thus a “DOUBLE Aveilus” that is extremely, extremely painful.