BNEI BRAK (VINnews) — Rabbi Chaim Meir Wozner, the son of Rabbi Shmuel Wozner and head of the Chachmei Lublin yeshiva and the Zichron Meir Beis Din, passed away Sunday from coronavirus at the age of 82.
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Rabbi Wozner was born in 1938 in Vienna. His parents immigrated to Palestine that year and left him with his mother’s parents in Pressburg. He survived the war with the help of a righteous gentile who hid him and was reunited with his father in 1946. He studied under his father for many years and became one of his main disciples. He married the daughter of Rabbi Avraham Eliyahu Meises, one of the heads of the Torah Ve’Yirah yeshiva which was affiliated with the Neturei Karta. He was later appointed as a teacher in the Chachmei Lublin yeshiva which was headed by his father and later became a Dayan (rabbinical judge) in the Beis Din of his father, where he became famous for his rulings.
Forty years ago he decided on his father’s advice to move to London where he served as rabbi of the Yitev Lev Satmar community for many years. During the periods when there wer disputes within the Satmar community in England, Rabbi Chaim Meir succeeded in lowering tensions and therefore was much loved by all members of the community.
After 18 years his father asked him to return to Israel and take up a leading role in the yeshiva and in the Zichron Meir Beis Din. He was officially appointed to fill the position of his father after Rabbi Shmuel passed away in 2015 (5775).
His students describe him as a special person and genius in Torah knowledge as well as a devoted Rosh Yeshiva who educated generations of disciples in Torah and Yiras Shamayim.
Rabbi Wozner participated recently in the wedding of his granddaughter with the grandson of the Temshover Rebbe. A few days later he collapsed at his home and was diagnosed with COVID-19. He was taken to Maayanei Hayeshua hospital in Bnei Brak where his condition fluctuated for a while. On Sunday his condition deteriorated and he passed away.
Rabbi Wozner is survived by his family of 13 children, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren including his oldest son Rabbi Yosef Binyamin Wozner who served as his right-hand man over the years, as well as his other sons Rabbi Aharon, Rabbi Akiva, Rabbi Mordechai Zev, Rabbi Moshe Shimon and Rabbi Yisrael. His daughters are married to Rabbi Mordechai Gelber the Admor of Kossov-Boro Park and rabbi of the Shevet Halevi community in Ashdod and to Rabbi Shalom Zvi Englander, the head of the Machnovka Kollel in London.
Not familiar with the situation in Israel, in America there was no difference in death between the communities that opened up right away when it made sense to send back the hundreds of thousands of studentsto their yeshivos, and thes ones scared of what therocket scientists in the secular world are going to say .(aka chillul hashem) but don’t worry they are still waiting for an uptick in cases to keep them comfortable with 8 month wasted
Gedoilim, roshei Yeshivah’s, Rabbonim are dying on an almost daily basis!
Maybe it was not such a good idea for him to attend his grandson’s wedding, indoors.
You guys are a bunch of apikorsim, speaking about a gadol hador like this. Do you really believe you understand better than the gedolei yisroel??? Just because you have questions, doesn’t mean that you are right and he is wrong. This is the ways of the goyim. If I don’t understand something then it’s wrong. Do you really believe that the Torah Giants and geniuses of our time can’t understand a simple thing that your stupid heads understand – that going with a mask and staying isolated can prevent the virus from spreading??? And nevertheless they decide to act the way that they do. How about a little humility. Maybe they know something that you don’t know about cheshbonos shomayim. Where’s the faith and trust in our Rabbis which is one of the core beliefs of our religion. Shame on you!
I hope his funeral shall be less deadly than his Father’s funeral, where 2 people were literally trampled to death.
Maybe for everyone’s safety,his funeral should be zoomed, and only 10 family members attend funeral:- It would be a win win for everyone concerned.
Despite all his Torah learning and Halacha erudition, when it came to science, no