The Kretchnif-Sigeter Rebbe zt”l

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rav Zeida Eliezer Zev Rosenbaum zt”l, the Kretchnif-Sigeter Rebbe. The Rebbe was 75 years old.

The rebbe was niftar on Tuesday at Shaarei Tzedek Medical Center in Yerushalayim after suffering a severe stroke this past Shabbos. Despite fervent tefillos from thousands and the addition of the name Baruch as a segulah for his recovery, his neshamah ascended to Shamayim.

Born in Kiryat Ata (then Kfar Ata) on Pesach, 5710 (1950), the Rebbe was the second son of Rav Tzvi Hirsch Rosenbaum, widely known as Reb Hershele of Kretchnif, and his mother, Rebbetzin Shifra, daughter of the Dvar Chaim of Nadvorna. From his earliest years, he was steeped in the ways of kedushah and avodas Hashem, growing up under the influence of two illustrious dynasties, Kretchnif and Nadvorna.

He began his learning in the local cheder in Kiryat Ata and later continued at the Satmar cheder in Haifa. As a young bochur, he studied in his father’s yeshiva in Kfar Ata and subsequently attended Yeshivas Kochav MiYaakov-Tchebin in Yerushalayim, where he became known for his extraordinary diligence and yiras Shamayim.

He married Rebbetzin Frimet, daughter of Rav Yechezkel Shraga Meretz of the United States. Following her passing in 1998, the Rebbe remarried to a daughter of the gaon and tzaddik Rav Ephraim Fishel Brauch, Av Beis Din of Meda.

The Rebbe initially settled in Williamsburg, where he served as rov of the Kretchnif-Sighet kehillah. Upon the passing of his father, Rav Hershele, in 2006, he was crowned as Rebbe alongside his brother, the Kretchnif Rebbe of Yerushalayim. In 2009, he inaugurated a new beis medrash in Williamsburg, establishing a strong makom Torah and tefillah for his chassidim there.

In addition to leading the kehillah in the United States, the Rebbe expanded the Kretchnif-Sighet presence in Yerushalayim and Beit Shemesh, opening additional batei medrash and cultivating vibrant Torah communities. In 2016, the Rebbe returned to Yerushalayim permanently, setting up his court on Rechov Rappaport in the Beis Yisroel neighborhood. In 2018, he founded the Masmidim Yeshiva Nachlas Tzvi in memory of his father and established the Amud HaYomi initiative, promoting daily structured Gemara learning across the kehillah.

The Rebbe was renowned for his fiery avodah and uplifting tishen, following the traditions of his illustrious father. His Shabbos tishen, held deep into the night — often until after alos hashachar — drew hundreds who came to bask in the light of his Torah and kedushah. His divrei Torah, especially during seudah shlishis and the special weeks of Shovavim, were legendary, often extending for nearly an hour and inspiring his chassidim to new heights in their avodas Hashem.

His Torah was collected and published in Raza D’emuna — an acronym formed from his name — and additional weekly compilations titled Lehavos Eish included his teachings alongside those of his father.

Each year during the Nine Days, the Rebbe would travel to Ukraine to daven at the kever of Rav Mordchele of Nadvorna in Bistritz, connecting deeply to his ancestral roots.

The Rebbe is survived by a distinguished family of bnei Torah, including his sons:

• Rav Naftali Hertzkah Yitzchok Rosenbaum, Rav of Beis Medrash Kretchnif-Sighet in Beit Shemesh

• Rav Yechezkel Shraga Rosenbaum, Rav of the Kretchnif-Sighet Beis Medrash in Williamsburg

• Rav Nissan Chaim Mordechai Rosenbaum, a prominent Breslover mashpia

• Rav Meir Aryeh Leib Rosenbaum, son-in-law of the Shendishover Rebbe

• Rav Yoel Zusman Rosenbaum, son-in-law of the Bistritzer Rebbe in Canada

Among his sons-in-law are leading rabbanim and dayanim, including:
Rav Dovid Tzvi Kahn of Toldos Aharon Beis Shemesh, Rav Aharon Kahn of Toldos Aharon Monsey, Rav Chaim Eliyahu Yoel Ilowitz of Williamsburg, Rav Chaim Meir Schneiblag, Av Beis Din Strelishk, Rav Shmuel Halevi Rottenberg of Salkah Monsey, and Rav Aharon Teitelbaum.

He is also survived by his brother, the Kretchnifer Rebbe of Yerushalayim, and his sister, Rebbetzin Reitza Bracha Rabinowitz of Biala Bnei Brak, wife of the Biala Rebbe.

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Matzav.com Israel}