R’ Yisroel Kozominsky, a longtime Crown Heights resident and Chabad historian, passed away on Monday, 25 Elul, 5780.
He was 67.
Born in 1953 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he moved with his parents to Paterson, New Jersey as a child.
Rabbi Meir Greenberg, the Rav in Paterson, helped enroll R’ Yisroel in Lubavitcher Yeshiva at Bedford and Dean.
R’ Yisroel was a known figure in Crown Heights and a known Chabad historian. He was close with Rabbi Zalman Shimon Dvorkin and later Rabbi Shmuel Levitin.
He was very knowlegeable in facts of Chabad history, publishing articles in many publications as well as responses to others’ writings.
As a young man Reb Yisroel suffered a stroke that made it difficult for him to walk and talk. Despite his handicap and his being in pain, to those who knew him, it was as if he was leading a normal life.
At every Lag Beomer parade at 770 Eastern Parkway, he would be the baker on a float, which would bring a broad smile to the Rebbe.
Because of this, the Rebbe would refer to him as “Der Baker,” the baker.
Reb Yisroel was a walking encyclopedia of Chabad history. When discussing history, his eyes would light up. It was said of him, that when he told you a story from a hundred years ago, it was as if he witnessed it with his own eyes. As every generation of bachurim who were interested in history came to hear his stories, he would treat them, and their inquiries just as those his age.
Details made a great difference to him, but a new historic find made him excited. He travelled to archives, before they were easily found on the internet. He never cared to be known as the one who had made the discovery, but reveled when they were published.
The Levaya will take place Tuesday, passing by 770 at 12:30 pm, Kvura at Montefiore cemetery at 1:30 pm.
Reb Yisroel Mordechai Kozominsky’s sister Adele is sitting Shiva at
85 Howard Ave
Passaic, NJ 07055 4439
Condolences may be sent to [email protected]
Baruch Dayan Ha’emes.
Bdh! I remember a farbrengen in the year 5734, in the 770 sukah (“umoleo hooretz farbrengens es Havaie”, remember?). He started telling a story from Lubavitch with the words “I remember….”. Reb Mendel Futerfas a”h was there and reacted: “mir hot men dertzeilt, un er gedenkt.”
Yehe zichro boruch, vehokitzu vechulhu.
Bde
R’ Yisroel Mordecai ben R’ Shlomo haleivi was a gentleman. He loved telling stories of elterer chassidim and loved to hear stories of chasidim. He spoke to everyone with deep respect. He will be sorely missed.
such a sweet Neshomo!!!!!
a loss for our whole kehilla and all for Klal Yisroel
Please bang down the gates of golus
Moshiach NOW
It was Yom Kippur morning about 10 -12 years ago. I came early to the kolel to learn, I was the third person there. Already there was R’ Wilhelm (from the Library) and the only other person in kolel was R’ Yisroel who spent the night there. R’ Yisroel had difficulty walking, he would wear metal braces on his legs. It would take strenuous efforts for him to scale the (steep) steps leading up to the kolel. He would arrive Erev Yom Kippur and stay there in shul overnight, sleeping on his chair. That You Kippur morning when I walked… Read more »
When crown heights community had nowhere to place him, as he would take a room at the dorm.
It was offered to many and asked who would take him in?
Only one individual Reb Yisroel Drizin a”h offered. He and his wife Faigy took care of yisroel mordche for many years.
They redid their basement to make him his own apartment.
Their children Rochel, Nechama, yossi, zalman
Treated him as their own sibling.
He lived and was cared by them for over 12 years.
May Hashem bentch the Drizin family and may yisroel mordche be a gutte beter for them.
A dear friend a gentle soul a טייערע Neshama
I remember the day “Kozo” (as he was dearly knowמ) arrived with Rabbi Greenberg at Bedford and Dean. See him walking up the outside steps.
Good memories . . he will be sorely missed. ת.נ.צ.ב.ה
I remember him back in the mid 80’s he was a person who loved stories & he would tell stories. He will be missed
I dont know if i understood his home story correctly, but I heard that he ran away from home at 16 and became a Frum yid.
This story made me cry as a teen ager. Here is a young teen who decided to run away from home from South America and chose to be a Frum yid at 16. Maybe someone can shed more clarity on his background
when I was a child he would visit my friends the blesofsky’s of kingston and president, I remember him speaking for a long time in spanish or portuguese to his sister.
where does she live today? is it possible to be menachem?
please all try go to levaya he has no family
For many years kozo and I would be eidim for the gittin by Harav JJ Hecht and he would tell me stories of my family that I didn’t even know
What a special neshomo who is saying kaddish for him