BD’E – Rebbitzen Rivka Kahaneman, A”h, Almanah of Harav Avraham Kahaneman, Zt”l

Hamodia is saddened to report the petirah of Rebbitzen Rivka Kahaneman, a”h, the almanah of the Nasi of Ponevezh Yeshiva, Harav Avraham Kahaneman, zt”l. She was 99 years old.

Rebbitzen Kahaneman was admitted to the hospital last week suffering from pulmonary issues, and she was niftar Sunday evening.

Rebbitzen Kahaneman was born in Germany on 5 Av, 5681/August 9, 1921 to Reb Eliezer and Chava Knoller. Reb Eliezer served as the head of the local community in Berlin. The family traced their lineage to many gedolim, including the Maharal, Chavos Yair and Levush.

During WWII, she was stranded in France, and with great mesiras nefesh she managed to avoid eating non-kosher foods. After the war, she went to Eretz Yisrael, where she was one of the first talmidos of Harav Wolf in the Bais Yaakov Seminary in Bnei Brak.

She married Harav Avraham Kahaneman, the only surviving child of the Ponevezh Rav Harav Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman, zt”l, in 1946/5706 in the United States, and the couple remained there while they assisted the ponevezh Rav in establishing the finances of the yeshiva.

She is survived by her son, Harav Eliezer kahaneman, shlita, the present Nasi of Ponevezh, and her daughter Rebbitzen Tziporah Markovitz, wife of the Rosh Yeshiva Harav Shmuel Markovitz, shlita.

The levayah is planned for Monday with kevurah in Ponevezh Bais Hachaim in Bnei Brak.

Tehi zichrah baruch.