by COLlive reporter
Rabbi Avrohom Lison, one of the eldest Chabad chassidim in Israel who was known as an exemplary chossid, passed away on Monday, 15th of Shvat 5779.
He was 96.
Rabbi Lison was born on 12 Cheshvan 5683 (1922) in the Lithuanian city of Ponevezh (Panevėžys). His parents were Rabbi Shmuel Tzvi Hirsh and Yente Lison, both of whom had deep Chabad Chassidus roots.
For his studies, R’ Avrohom was sent to the local Yeshiva led by Rabbi Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman. He was one of the few of the original students who survived the Holocaust before the Yeshiva was reestablished in Bnei Brak.
R’ Avrohom was able to escape the horrors of the Second World War to Russia, where he joined Chabad chassidim fleeing to Samarkand, where he learned in Chabad’s local Yeshiva Tomchei Tmimim.
In 5706, he joined the “great escape” of Chabad Chassidim from Russia using fabricated Polish documents. He ended up in the DP camp (“displaced persons”) in Pocking, Germany. He was a Mashpia of the Chabad Yeshiva that formed there.
It was during his next stop at the celebrated Yeshiva Tomchei Tmimim Lubavitch in Brunoy, France, where he found his shidduch.
The Yeshiva’s famed Mashpia Rabbi Shlomo Chaim Kesselman took a liking to him and matched him with his daughter Yehudis. The wedding took place there without the presence of R’ Avrohom’s parents who perished in the Holocaust.
The young couple, R’ Avrohom and Yehudis Lison, soon received an instruction from the Frierdiker Rebbe to immigrate to Israel and help establish the Chassidic village of Kfar Chabad.
R’ Avrohom worked as a school teacher for many years, along with regularly dedicating his free time to run Chabad’s Tefillin stand at the old bus station in Tel Aviv, helping Jews pray and connect.
He was most known for his unique singing ability, joining the first Chabad men’s choir of R’ Yosef Yehuda Marton and singing at the “Evenings with Chabad” for secular Israeli Jews.
During a visit to New York on Sivan 5741, the Rebbe asked that R’ Avrohom sing in his presence at the children’s rally for Shavuos. Throughout his singing, the Rebbe smiled and clapped showing his satisfaction of how the niggunim were sung.
In his later years, R’ Avrohom served as a Mashpia of the Nochum Yitzchok Shul in Kfar Chabad and would regularly give shiurim on the Alter Rebbe’s Torah Ohr and Likutei Torah. He was known for his lengthy and heartfelt davening.
He was predeceased by his wife Mrs. Yehudis Lison who passed away> on 5 Iyar 5775.
He is survived by his children R’ Yomtov Lison – Montreal, Canada; R’ Shmuel Tzvi Hirsh Lison – Kfar Chabad; R’ Yosef Yitzchok Lison – Nachlas Har Chabad; R’ Shlomo Chaim Lison – Haifa, Mrs. Rivka Schildkraut – Haifa, Mrs. Chana Shmulevich – Beit Shaan; Mrs. Sterna Alperovitch, Kfar Chabad; grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
He is also survived by his brother in law, the Mashpia R’ Zev Kesselman.
The levaya took place on Monday in Kfar Chabad and he was buried in Har Hazeisim in Jerusalem. The family will sit Shivah in Kfar Chabad.
Baruch Dayan Haemes: Avrohom ben Shmuel Tzvi Hirsh.
Not precise, in addition to all his many qualities he was an amazing gymnast who could perform amazing feats of gymnastics! The Rebbe asked that he DANCE and perform gymnastics in front of his “Army” which he did, despite his age already than, jumping over a stick which he would break in half and thsn again in half while holding it in his own two hands! I think he also stood and danced on his hands before the Rebbe! Surely a video still exits of his performance and should be publicised to show a living example of selflessness and total… Read more »
He danced on his hands in the presence of the Rebbe
Baruch dayaan haemes.