Yisrael Jacobson

Rabbi Yisrael Jacobson (originally: Paretzkin, 3 Kislev 5656 - 17 Sivan 5735) was a prominent Chabad activist especialy in its early years in the United States. He chaired the organization Agudas Chasidei Chabad and is considered one of the founders of Chabad in the United States. He worked to rescue the Sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe from occupied Poland during World War II. He served as a mashpia (spiritual mentor) at Hadar HaTorah yeshiva, which he established for American students who began their journey to Judaism and Chabad, and was a board member of the Central Tomchei Tmimim Yeshiva in New York.

Biography[edit | edit source]

Born in Russia on 3 Kislev 5656 in the city of Zhuravichi, to his father Rabbi Yaakov Leib - from an established Chabad family, descendants of the SheLaH. He initially studied with a local teacher and later wanted to study in a yeshiva. His teacher recommended that he study at Rabbi Reines's yeshiva in the city of Lida, but on the way there, he and his father met an emissary from Rabbi Reines's yeshiva who instead recommended Tomchei Tmimim yeshiva^[1] He went to take the entrance exam at Tomchei Tmimim in Lubavitch, where he was accepted as a student in the chadarim and later to the main Yeshiva ofTomchei Tmimim in the town of Lubavitch where he remained until 1916. He moved together with the Yeshiva when the yeshiva relocated to the city of Kremenchug on the banks of the Dnieper River, and later to the yeshiva branch in Kherson. He studied, on the most part, at the yeshivas: Tomchei Tmimim Lubavitch, Tomchei Tmimim Shchedrin, Tomchei Tmimim Kremenchug, and Tomchei Tmimim Kherson - during the years 1907-1920. He lived in the city of Gomel, Belarus, from 5680-5685.

In 1926, after a meeting among Chabad Hasidim where it was decided to promote emigration from Russia, he was chosen to be their representative in the United States and to work there to obtain visas for Hasidim interested in emigrating to the United States and to later help with their absorption there. During the period between his decision to emigrate and his actual emigration (about three months), he was appointed by Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn as the mashpia of the Chabad community in Gomel, Russia.

Afterward, he immigrated to the United States, changed his name to Jacobson, and lived in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. After some time, he was appointed as the rabbi of the synagogue in his neighborhood - Brownsville.

Public Service[edit | edit source]

As mentioned, already in Russia he was appointed by Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn as the mashpia of the Chabad community in Gomel, Russia. After arriving in the United States, he was appointed to the board of Agudas Chasidei Chabad and after the death of the president Morris Kramer, he was appointed in his place.

Under the directive of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak, he established the 'Agudas HaTmimim' with the following goals: a: Uniting Chabad Hasidim in the United States who until then were not organized as a community. b: Establishing classes in Hasidic philosophy. c: Advocacy for Chabad Hasidim who remained in Europe and needed assistance. d: Advocacy and fundraising for Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak and his institutions.

After Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak's release from imprisonment, he assisted him in his efforts to leave Russia, mainly by sending him sums of money. In 1932, he established the "Achei Tmimim" yeshiva in New York for young Jews who were becoming close to Chabad at that time. In 1939, he traveled together with some yeshiva students that he influenced to Poland to integrate them into the Tomchei Tmimim Yeshiva in the city of Otwock. With the outbreak of World War II, these yeshiva students fled back to the United States and later were the first students of Central Tomchei Tmimim Yeshiva.

At that time, Jacobson helped Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak, who remained in Poland, to escape to the United States. Among other things, he helped him obtain an entry visa to Latvia (from there Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak flew to Sweden and from there sailed by ship to the United States). Upon Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak's arrival in the United States, he established the Central Tomchei Tmimim Yeshiva there and appointed Jacobson as a board member and mashpia in the yeshiva. In 1941, Jacobson assisted in obtaining entry visas to the United States for the Rebbe and Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka. He also tried, unsuccessfully, to obtain entry visas for Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak's second daughter - Sheina and her husband Menachem Mendel Horenstein. In 1944, he established several branches of the central yeshiva in several cities, including Pittsburgh, New Haven, and the Bronx borough (where his son-in-law, Rabbi Mordechai Dober Altein, served as the Rosh Yeshiva).

After the Rebbe Rayatz passed away, he was influential in the matter of the the Rebbe accepting the leadership of the Chabad community.

Later Years[edit | edit source]

With the arrival of many Chabad Hasidim to the United States after the war, his public activity diminished, but he continued to give classes in Hasidic philosophy at Hadar HaTorah Yeshiva. He also served as the director of the Beis Rivkah school, Lubavitch's girls school.

Since his retirement and cessation of work as a shochet (ritual slaughterer), he dedicated all his free time to Torah study, and during these years he even held two elaborate celebrations for the completion of the Talmud.

He passed away in New York at the age of 79 on 17 Sivan 5735, and was buried in the Chabad section of the Montefiore Cemetery in the Queens borough of New York, near the Ohel of Rabbi Joseph Isaac Schneersohn.

Positions[edit | edit source]

Chairman of Agudas Chasidei Chabad in the United States.
Board member of Agudas HaTmimim.
Mashpia at the Central Tomchei Tmimim Yeshiva.
Chairman and director of the Beis Rivkah New York organization.
General gabai for the Chevra Kadisha.
Mashpia of the Tomchei Tmimim Newark department.
Founder and mashpia of Hadar HaTorah Yeshiva.

Family[edit | edit source]

His wife, Mrs. Sheina.
His daughter, Mrs. Chaya Sarah, wife of Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Hecht - Chicago.
His daughter, Mrs. Rachel Dvasha, wife of Rabbi Mordechai Dov Altein - emissaries in the Bronx, New York, and in their final days they returned to Crown Heights.
His daughter, Mrs. Chava (Rosen in her first marriage), wife of Michael "Mike" Hartheimer - accountant - (in her second marriage), they have 2 children, Manhattan, New York.

External Links[edit | edit source]

Zikaron L'Bnei Yisrael His memoir book on the Chabad Library website.
Our Man in America, An article about R' Yisrael on Anash.org

↑ In his memoirs he relates: "A tall man approached us, his beard trimmed evenly, and began to talk: 'You're surely traveling to the yeshiva?' 'Yes!' my father replied. And he began to speak about the yeshiva, and with great interest my father began to draw information from him. He said he was a fundraiser for the yeshiva, and from his words we learned that it would be better for me to study in the narrow, not in the wall, because there the older students have secular books in their bags, and they might even smoke on the Sabbath... While we were sitting there, another man entered with a dignified appearance, white beard, and also asked where we were traveling, 'Surely to Lida,' and began to speak about Rabbi Reines. I don't remember the details, but his words were emotional, and he said: 'Will you entrust your son to a man who stood on a platform with a half-naked woman?' And he concluded: 'I am an opponent, if you want your son to remain an ehrlicher Yid (honest Jew), take him to Lubavitch.'".

[1] In his memoirs he relates: "A tall man approached us, his beard trimmed evenly, and began to talk: 'You're surely traveling to the yeshiva?' 'Yes!' my father replied. And he began to speak about the yeshiva, and with great interest my father began to draw information from him. He said he was a fundraiser for the yeshiva, and from his words we learned that it would be better for me to study in the narrow, not in the wall, because there the older students have secular books in their bags, and they might even smoke on the Sabbath... While we were sitting there, another man entered with a dignified appearance, white beard, and also asked where we were traveling, 'Surely to Lida,' and began to speak about Rabbi Reines. I don't remember the details, but his words were emotional, and he said: 'Will you entrust your son to a man who stood on a platform with a half-naked woman?' And he concluded: 'I am an opponent, if you want your son to remain an ehrlicher Yid (honest Jew), take him to Lubavitch.'".

[1]