Beloved Maggid Shiur Marks 78th Birthday With Students

By COLlive reporter

The 78th birthday of Rabbi Avrohom Gerlitzky, a veteran teacher and beloved maggid shiur, was marked with a grand party on Wednesday at a Shul in Crown Heights.

It has become a tradition among his students at Oholei Torah Zal since 1981 to go all out in celebrating the day with a lavish farbrengen, fliers and posters in Crown Heights and gifts.

R’ Avrohom is marking his 55th year of teaching students at Oholei Torah, and each year, his students arrange this lavish celebration as a small token of their appreciation for his warmth, kindness and dedication to his students for decades.

“His students are like his children,” they told COLlive.com. “He puts his heart and soul into teaching, and he has thousands of grateful students all over the world.”

On Wednesday, Rabbi Gerlitzky’s students gathered to greet him with confetti, music, singing and dancing, l’chaims, as well as a festive birthday cake, which was decorated to look like the bochurim’s weekly publication of Torah writings which he leads at Oholei Torah.

The bochurim presented a special gift to Rabbi Gerlitzky, a new water dispenser for his home office, as well as a pledge to redo his stage where he teaches from in the Zal, including a new carpet and staircase.

The farbrengen continued with surprise guests stopping by to give birthday wishes to the Rabbi, including alumni from the past 55 years.

R’ Avrohom was moved by the great outpouring of love and well wishes from his students, former students and friends.

The organizers thanked the event sponsors: COLlive, Mendy’s, Sushi Spot for the sushi, First Quality products for the paper goods.