This Day in History – 25 Nisan/April 30

25 Nisan

In 5693/1933, shechitah was banned in Germany by the Nazi government.

In 5698/1938, an embargo went into effect on the properties of Austrian Jews

Yahrtzeiten

5340/1580, Harav Moshe di Trani, zt”l, the Mabit

5598/1838, Harav Dan of Radvil, zt”l

5636/1876, Harav Chaim Halberstam, zy”a, the Divrei Chaim of Sanz

5659/1899, Harav Moshe Ulman, zt”l, mechaber of She’eilos u’Teshuvos Yerios Shlomo

5738/1978

Harav Avraham Yehoshua Heschel Weinberg, Zy”a, the Slonimer Rebbe of Tel Aviv

Harav Avraham Yehoshua Heschel Weinberg was born in 5658/1898. His father was Harav Yissachar Leib of Slonim, zy”a, who was the son of the Divrei Shmuel, zy”a, and a great-grandson of the Yesod HaAvodah, zy”a.

Rav Avraham Yehoshua Heschel was brought up in the court of his grandfather the Divrei Shmuel in Slonim.

When he became of age, Rav Avraham Yehoshua Heschel was taken as son-in-law by Harav Dovid Weidenfeld of Warsaw, zt”l, a known talmid chacham who was also the father-in-law of the Beis Yisrael of Ger, zy”a, in his zivug sheini, after the war.

After his marriage, Rav Avraham Yehoshua Heschel settled in Warsaw, near his father-in-law.

Following the petirah of his father, on 28 Nisan 5688/1928, Rav Avraham Yehoshua Heschel was asked to lead the Slonimer Chassidus, but he was reluctant to become Rebbe; he would travel from Warsaw to Slonim from time to time, on set dates.

After the petirah of his father’s brother, Harav Avraham, who was Rebbe in Bialystock and later in Baranovitch, on Rosh Chodesh Iyar 5693/1933, Rav Avraham Yehoshua Heschel acquiesced to move to Slonim as Rebbe.

In 5695/1935, Rav Avraham Yehoshua Heschel moved to Eretz Yisrael, and settled in Tel Aviv, where he opened a beis medrash for the Slonimer Chassidim in the city.

He wrote an encyclopedic work based on Chazal’s words from the Gemara and Midrashim on all topics mentioned in Tanach. Seven volumes have been published thus far of his monumental set, Otzar Arachei HaTorah–B’Ohalei Yissachar, named for his father.

Rav Avraham Yehoshua Heschel was niftar on 25 Nisan 5738/1978 at the age of 80. He was buried in Bnei Brak, near the kever of the Ozherover Rebbe, zy”a.

Rav Avraham Yehoshua Heschel had two sons: Harav Shmuel, who was deputy mayor of Bnei Brak, and Harav Aryeh, Rosh Yeshivas Shuvu Banim.

Zechuso yagen aleinu.

April 30

In 1789, George Washington took the oath of office in New York as the first president of the United States.

In 1803, the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory from France for 60 million francs, the equivalent of about $15 million.

In 1812, Louisiana became the 18th state of the Union.

In 1975, the Vietnam War ended as the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon fell to Communist forces.