Mrs. Rivka Elyovics, 87, OBM

Mrs. Rivka Elyovics, Holocaust survivor and matriarch of a Chabad family who served as the longtime secretary of the Shomrei Hadas kehillah in Antwerp, passed away on Yom Kippur, 10 Tishrei, 5784.

She was 87.

Mrs. Rivka Elyovics was born to Sholem and Clara Vorst in Ramat Gan in 1935. The family later relocated to Holland, specifically Amsterdam to be closer to family. Tragically, their hopes for happier times were disrupted by the Nazi invasion during World War II.

As the Nazis closed in, Rivka’s father, Sholem, urgently informed her mother, Clara, about an opportunity to escape on a departing boat. Clara, recovering from a recent birth, struggled to gather the children swiftly while Sholem rushed to alert his friends. However, upon reaching the boat, they watched it depart, leaving them with a harrowing fate. They were subsequently deported to Bergen Belsen concentration camp and endured several years of suffering.

Many years later, Rivka would recount to her grandchildren her profound gratitude for missing that final boat. Her reasoning was deeply rooted in her unwavering commitment to yiddishkeit. She believed that all her suffering during those difficult years in the concentration camps was a small price to pay for her ability to remain a frum yid, unlike those who took the last boat whose commitment to yiddishkeit was later challenged. To her, nothing outweighed the significance of being able to serve Hashem and this unwavering dedication remained a guiding principle throughout her life.

As the camps neared liberation, the Nazis transported Rivka’s family on trains on Motzei Shabbos, only to abandon them by Tuesday. It wasn’t until Thursday when American soldiers discovered them, witnessing their emaciated state after enduring five days without sustenance. The soldiers promptly offered them all the food they had. However, Rivka’s father, Sholem Vorst, asserted that they were now liberated, and it was no longer pikuach nefesh which would have compelled them to consume non-kosher food. Therefore, they chose to wait until they could find kosher sustenance. Tragically, as the story goes, some individuals perished from ingesting sausages they could not tolerate. Remarkably, the Vorst family survived by steadfastly abstaining from the non-kosher food offered to them despite their dire state. Rivka would later highlight this incident often as her first lesson in Kashrus.

In the subsequent years, Rivka went to Gateshead seminary for three years and then Munich, Germany to teach and share the values of yiddishkeit. She married Yosef Elyovics in Aix Les Baines, France and settled with him in Morocco where he worked as a teacher and she served as administrator of the Gan. Their journey led them to Lubavitch, and when they relocated to Antwerp, Belgium, they played a pivotal role in establishing the first Chabad minyan, beginning in their own home for the yomim noraim. She also ran the first Chabad day camp in Antwerp, and quietly joined the chevra kadisha alongside numerous important causes and activities she nobly invested herself in while raising a family. In shul she will always be remembered as the esteemed woman many turned to for halachic guidance during davening as she was learned and extremely knowledgeable, yet always humble.

For many years, Rivka served as the dedicated secretary of the kehillah, Shomrei Hadas, in Antwerp, earning the love and respect of the community. Her devotion was so extraordinary that even on the day of her late son, Shulem’s, tragic car accident – leaving behind a grieving wife and three small children – she ensured the payroll was taken care of before sitting shiva, so that all the employees would not have to wait a week for their wages.

Despite facing numerous challenges, losses, and grief in her life, Rivka Elyovics always maintained a profound perspective. Her remarkable connection to Hashem was steadfast and her difficulties never challenged or diluted her unwavering bitachon as she consistently showed up as a soldier ready to serve Hashem. Chittas and sefer hamitzvos were an integral part of her daily routine and as cherished as the personal interest she took in each grandchild and every small detail of their lives.

Rivka’s legacy is defined by her unwavering commitment to yiddishkeit, valuing nothing more than living a life in alignment with Hashem’s will. She believed that all the trials she endured were insignificant compared to the thought of losing that alignment – a testament to her unwavering faith and resilience. It is fitting that Rivka returned her neshama to Hashem on Yom Kippur, a day symbolizing the complete surrender of personal interests and pursuits, returning to a state of absolute alignment with Hashem.

She is survived by her sisters Chana Fogel, Williamsburg and Miriam Melul, London. And her children: Yehudis Edelman, Paris France; Rachelle Clara Rapoport, England; Chaim Elyovics, Antwerp, Belgium and many grandchildren kah. She was predeceased by her husband, Yosef (2014), son Shulem Elyovics, Shliach in Milan Italy (1995) and Bella Kahn, Yerushalyim (2016).

The Levaya took place today in Antwerp, and continues tomorrow, Wednesday 8:40 AM in Yerushalayim at Har Hazeisim.

SHIVA:

Rachelle Clara Rapoport and Chaim Elyovics
Will be sitting Shiva Thursday and Friday:
46 Terlistraat, Antwerp

Yehudis Edelman will be sitting shiva
Thursday, 61 BD Beaumarchais, Paris
Friday: 60 Division Avenue, Williamsburg (with Chana Fogel)
Friday afternoon: 737 Eastern Parkway

Baruch Dayan Ha’emes.