JERUSALEM (VINnews) — BDE: On Friday, the eve of Parashat Tzav and the eve of Pesach, the righteous Rebbetzin Malka Waltner, of blessed memory, passed away peacefully at an advanced age, well over 100 years old. She was the widow of the renowned Torah scholar Rabbi Zusha Waltner zt”l, founder and head of the Otzar HaTorah institutions in Morocco and Rosh Kollel “Or Yechiel” in Jerusalem.
Join our WhatsApp groupSubscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
Rebbetzin Waltner was born on the 27th of Cheshvan 5680 (1919) in the town of Würzburg, Germany, to her father R’ Moshe Habermann, may G-d avenge his blood, who was one of the community leaders in this prominent town. She was raised in the town’s educational institutions by her parents, with strong foundations in faith and pure fear of Heaven.
Prior to the outbreak of World War II, during Kristallnacht—the Night of Broken Glass, a night of pogroms against the Jews of Germany—she hid alone, terrified of what was to come. Yet she never lost her faith and hope. She made a brave decision to flee the land that no longer offered safety to Jews, escaping alone while leaving behind her family, many of whom perished. She arrived in England destitute and alone, and sought to continue her growth in Torah and Yiras Shamayim.
At that time, the revered mashgiach Rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler zt”l, author of Michtav MeEliyahu, had arrived in England, having left behind his beloved son and family in war-torn Lithuania. Around him gathered a group of refugees seeking shelter and strength. His spiritual guidance left a deep impression, offering them faith, inner strength, and the eternal foundations of the Jewish people.
Out of great concern for the refugees and for the future of the Jewish people, Rabbi Dessler worked to establish Jewish homes. He arranged a match between a distinguished young man Zusha Waltner—a sharp-minded, G-d-fearing refugee from a devout Chassidic family in Hungary—and Malka, the daughter of a German-Jewish family. Their wedding was celebrated in Rabbi Dessler’s own home. He expressed his great joy in an emotional letter (later published in Michtav MeEliyahu), referring to the couple as “beloved companions.”
The Waltner couple often reminisced about that period, shaped by the spiritual influence of Rabbi Dessler zt”l. At the same time, Rabbi Zusha began his lifelong mission of spreading Torah, helping to establish the Gateshead kollel under the direction of his teacher. Rabbi Dessler appointed him as a ba’al tefillah (prayer leader), and many of his melodies are still sung today in the holy communities of Gateshead.
Noting the Rebbetzin’s intellectual abilities and pedagogical gifts, Rabbi Dessler appointed her to serve as a teacher in the school, educating Jewish children with pure faith and love. Among her most famous students were the orphaned Sternbuch brothers: Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch, today one of the foremost halachic authorities, and his brother Rabbi Eliyahu Sternbuch zt”l, as well as Mrs. Judy Sternbuch (Soloveitchik), later the wife of Rabbi Meshulam Dovid Soloveitchik zts’l
When their only son, Rabbi Yehoshua Meir, was born, Rabbi Dessler was honored to serve as sandek at the bris. Since Rav Zusha came from a Chassidic background, Rabbi Dessler changed his usual custom and immersed in a mikveh before entering the bris ceremony.
At that time, Rabbi Dessler lived alone in a foreign land and was deeply worried about his family left in war-torn Europe. The young Waltner couple hosted him in their home and did everything to ease his burden. The deep gratitude Rabbi Dessler felt toward them is well known. Numerous letters from that time testify to the warm relationship they shared. He especially appreciated the Rebbetzin and blessed her that she should merit a long life filled with health and joy—a blessing that indeed came to full fruition.
In one letter, Rav Dessler wrote of his gratitude to the couple.
“You warmed my heart, dear Reb Zushe, when I came home from shul and found a cup of tea waiting for me. And not just this, but your wife, the esteemed Rabbanit, got up for me and urged me to sample this and this and this… no end of things. And to my distress, I couldn’t fulfill her wish, because I wasn’t able to eat. Baruch Hashem, now I’m feeling better and I ate and was satisfied from all the baked goods she prepared for me, and I enjoyed their sweetness. I can’t express how grateful I am to the two of you for your great good and kindness; both of you outdo each other in this respect.”
After the horrific war, Rabbi Dessler established a yeshiva for survivors returning from the concentration camps, again relying on the Waltners’ help to found a yeshiva in Sunderland. Many memories of that period are recorded in survivor literature.
Later, Rabbi Dessler dreamed of spreading Torah even among distant communities. He set his sights on Morocco—a spiritual desert where many Jews were still far from observance. Knowing that Rabbi Zusha was uniquely suited for the task, he sent him to found the “Otzar HaTorah” network in Tangier. These institutions included a cheder, a yeshiva for youth, a kollel for scholars, schools, and a seminary for girls, along with a staff of outstanding Torah scholars. Their work bore great fruit, establishing generations of Torah-true families and leaving a lasting legacy.
The Rebbetzin went joyfully with her husband to build this great Torah project, fulfilling the verse “You followed Me into a barren land.” She sacrificed greatly—living in a foreign land, raising her children alone for extended periods while dedicating herself to education and Torah life.
This extraordinary chapter is woven into the fabric of Moroccan Jewry’s glorious history. During their years in Morocco, a staggering 17,000 children made their way through Rabbi Waltner’s institutions. The graduates of the yeshivah became Torah personalities, leaders of the Sephardic community around the world — in Morocco, France, Central and South America, and Eretz Yisrael. In Bnei Brak, Rabbi Farache and Rabbi Fahima; in Jerusalem, Rabbi Amar and Rabbi Toledano were among the scions of Rav Waltner’s chinuch, rabbis who went on to build up the Sephardic Torah world.
After many years, as tensions rose between Jews and Arab countries, remaining in Morocco became a danger. The Waltners made aliyah to Jerusalem and settled in the Bayit Vegan neighborhood. Even in Israel, their spiritual light did not dim. Rabbi Zusha opened the “Or Yechiel” kollel, and the Rebbetzin illuminated the neighborhood with her presence—always seen sitting on the bench outside her home, warmly chatting with neighbors.
Even after her husband’s passing in 2003, she continued to radiate joy and light. It became common for neighbors and guests to visit her on Shabbat afternoons or winter nights to hear stories of earlier generations and enjoy the wisdom of the past. She had a special love for Shabbat songs and prayers and, even at an advanced age, walked to the GRA (Chassidim) synagogue in Bayit Vegan.
When she turned 104, someone pointed out that Psalm 104 says, “I will sing to the Lord with my life…”—from then on, that verse became her favorite song to sing with visitors. One could say her entire long life was like an ongoing, rising melody—never ceasing.
In her final weeks, her health declined, and she was hospitalized at Hadassah Hospital. On Friday afternoon, the eve of Shabbat and Passover, she returned her pure soul to her Creator at the age of 105, with full mental clarity until her very last day.
Her funeral was held swiftly, in accordance with Shabbat and holiday laws. Her only son, Rabbi Yehoshua Meir Waltner, delivered a brief eulogy, noting the limitations on mourning in the month of Nissan. She was then laid to rest on Har HaMenuchot, beside her great husband. Because of the sanctity of the day, her family observed only a brief period of mourning before Shabbat began.
She leaves behind a vast family following in her path of Torah and mitzvot: children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren, all immersed in Torah. Among them: her son Rabbi Yehoshua Meir Waltner, a prominent Torah scholar in Bayit Vegan and head of “Or Yechiel” Kollel in Jerusalem; her daughter Rebbetzin Goloventzitz, widow of Rabbi Shlomo Goloventzitz zt”l of Antwerp, Belgium, author of Shig V’Si’ach; and her daughter Mrs. Dzlaozinsky, wife of Rabbi Moshe, a noted Torah scholar in Antwerp—along with numerous descendants devoted to Torah and mitzvot.
May her soul be bound in the bond of life.
