R’ Baruch Gopin, 95, OBM

By COLlive reporter

R’ Baruch Gopin, one of the founders and builders of Kfar Chabad, Israel, passed away on Sunday, 10 Av, 5779.

He was 95.

R’ Baruch was born in 1924, in Ukraine, Russia, under’s Stalin’s regime. When he was 15, WWII broke out, and he was separated from his parents for 3 years, wandering around Russia alone.

When he was 18, he was reunited with his family in Samarkand, and the family later emigrated to Paris.

While in Paris, he married Gnesha, the daughter of R’ Moshe Zalman Kaminetsky, and together they traveled to Israel, joining the first settlers of the Kfar Chabad village in Central Israel.

R’ Baruch was one of the founders and builders of the Kfar Chabad village, serving on the Vaad of Kfar Chabad’s building committee, assisting many new immigrants with housing.

He and his wife were also part of a group of parents who were concerned about proper Chinuch for their children, so together they established Lubavitch Yeshiva for boys and Bais Rivkah school for girls in Kfar Chabad. His wife, Gnesha, ran the Mivtza Neshek.

He leaves behind children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren who follow in his ways, many of whom are Rabbonim, Shluchim, Shluchos and Mashpiim around the world, of which he was very proud.

He is survived by his children, Avrohom Gopin – Crown Heights, Mendel Gopin – Kfar Chabad, Israel, Yosef Yitzchok Gopin – Kfar Chabad, Israel, Yehoshua Zelig Gopin – Kfar Chabad, Israel, Rivi Moskovitz – Kfar Chabad, Israel, Taibi Gurevitch – Kfar Chabad, Israel, Risha Vilenkin – Kfar Chabad, Israel, Henya Shapiro – Crown Heights, Shterna Dubroskin – Kfar Chabad, Israel and Basya Kastel – Rechovot, Israel, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

He was predeceased by his wife Gnesha in 2000.

The Levaya will take place in Israel.

Baruch Dayan Ha’emes.