Harav Moshe Horowitz, zt”l, the Unsdorfer Rav

The Boro Park community mourned the petirah of a beloved Rav, who also served as Rosh Yeshivah of Mesivta Beer Shmuel.

Rav Horowitz was born in Unsdorf in 5688/1928, to his father Harav Yosef Yonah Tzvi, zt”l, who served as Rav of that city and Rosh Yeshivah of the famed Unsdorfer Yeshivah that his grandfather, the Beer Shmuel had founded, and Rebbetzin Chanah. His maternal grandfather, Harav Yeshaya Zilberstein, Rav of Veitzen and author of Maasei Lamelech, served as sandak.

A year later, Harav Yosef Yonah Tzvi accepted an invitation of Khal Adas Yeshurin in Frankfurt to serve as their Rav. After Kristallnacht, the family was forced to leave Germany and settled in England, where Harav Yosef Yonah Tzvi would serve as Rav in Letchworth. Harav Moshe studied in the Yeshivah in Staines, and later received semichah from Harav Yisrael Veltz, who had previously served as a Dayan in Budapest.

It is related that when Rav Veltz gave him the semichah, he excitedly paced back and forth in the Beis Din shtiebel, and declared “I wouldn’t have believed that in these times in England would produce such a bachur.”

In 5710/1950, his father settled in the United States and established a kehillah, Beer Shmuel, along with a Yeshivah and Mesivta of the same name. When Harav Yosef Yonah Tzvi moved to Eretz Yisrael 1964 he gave over the leadership of the kehillah and Yeshivah to his son, Harav Moshe.

Harav Moshe is survived by, ybl”c, his esteemed wife, Rebbitzen Zissel, shetichyeh, and his children: Rabbi Yehoshua Elazar; Reb Shmuel; Rabbi Mordechai Yehudah; Reb Pinchas; Reb Yitzchok; Reb Yisrael; and Mrs. Feige Shimshovitz.

A fuller tribute will b’ezras Hashem appear in an upcoming tribute.

Yehi zichro baruch.