Editing Reb Zushe Wilmowsky (section)

== Life History ==

==== His Youth ====
Rabbi Zusha Wilmowsky was born on the 4th of Nissan 5682, to his father Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak and his mother Rebbetzin Mariesha (Miriam). His father served as rabbi of Izyum, Russia, and in 1924, when R' Zusha was two years old, the family moved to Poland, where his father was appointed as rabbi and head of the rabbinical court in Seltz.

In his youth, he studied in yeshivas in his area of residence. With the outbreak of [[World War II]], when the Soviet Union conquered the region, the yeshivas throughout the country were closed, and he smuggled himself across the border to Lithuania, which was then under independent government. There he studied at the Baranovitch Yeshiva under the leadership of Rabbi Elchanan Wasserman. In the yeshiva, he studied with Rabbi David Gershowitz as his study partner. The paths of the good friends met and parted several times until they both settled in Kfar Chabad. When the Germans conquered Lithuania, the yeshiva wandered from place to place until it reached the town of Samilishok, where the students were hosted in the homes of the town's Jews. R' Zusha found lodging in the home of a family from the Jewish community. After some time, information reached R' Zusha that the Nazis were approaching the city. R' Zusha ensured this information reached all the town's Jews and then fled himself, thus saving many.

==== Partisan ====
During the war, he wandered to Belarus, where he was put into the Lida ghetto by the Nazis, and after some time was transferred to a nearby labor camp. In the camp, he met his friend R' David Gershowitz, and together they managed to escape from the camp and joined the partisan unit under the command of Commander Tuvia Bielski. The Bielski unit was part of the partisan network in Belarus and included many families because Bielski's goal was saving lives.

R' Zusha participated in defense operations and food raids and would even enter the ghetto to smuggle out Jews and bring them to the forest to Bielski's unit. Even the non-believing fighters who were educated in communism showed respect and admiration for young Zusha, who endeared himself to everyone. During his time with the partisans, he maintained an Orthodox Jewish lifestyle with great self-sacrifice. From the war, R' Zusha emerged with gunshot wounds in his legs, but never told how he was wounded.

==== Post war ====
After he arrived at the Cremona displaced persons camp in Italy, where he befriended Rabbi Shneur Zalman Levin. Together they established a synagogue in the camp for the many refugees, and R' Zalman was the one who brought him close to Chabad Chassidism.

After immigrating to [[Eretz Yisroel|Israel]] on the 23rd of Adar II 5706, R' Zusha entered to study at the Achei Tmimim Yeshiva in Tel Aviv at age 25, which was considered very old compared to the other students in the yeshiva, and began studying Chassidus in an organized manner under the guidance of Rabbi Chaim Shaul Brook. In those days, he received an instruction from [[The Rebbe Rayatz|the Previous Rebbe]] to study shechita (ritual slaughter), after he described to the Rebbe all the tribulations he had endured during the war years.

In 1948, when Rabbi Moshe Gurary from Tel Aviv was staying at 770, he was called to the Rebbe's son-in-law - the Rebbe, who showed him a note in his father-in-law's (the Previous Rebbe's) handwriting: "Please inquire about the nature of the young man Z.W." R' Moshe told all he knew about R' Zusha. Immediately after his words, the Rebbe went up to the Previous Rebbe's apartment.

While still single, he established Tomchei Tmimim Lod, the Ohalei Yosef Yitzchak network, and N'shei Chabad, as detailed below.

He built his home with Mrs. Feiga of the Poker family, and the Rebbe wrote that it would be preferable for them to establish their residence in Kfar Chabad, and indeed after the wedding they settled in Kfar Chabad.