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to the police. As it turned out, when the police investigated they felt there was not
to the police. As it turned out, when the police investigated they felt there was not
enough actionable evidence to pursue a case. Nonetheless, I took the step of advising
enough actionable evidence to pursue a case. Nonetheless, I took the step of advising
parents to not enroll their children in the playgroup and it ultimately closed down."<ref>https://vosizneias.com/2013/06/12/new-york-rca-says-rabbi-belsky-clarifies-his-position-in-letter-to-them/</ref>
parents to not enroll their children in the playgroup and it ultimately closed down".<ref>https://vosizneias.com/2013/06/12/new-york-rca-says-rabbi-belsky-clarifies-his-position-in-letter-to-them/</ref>

In 2000, Belsky sided against rabbis in [[Borough Park, Brooklyn]] who established a controversial [[eruv]], referring to them as amateurs and populists.<ref>Barnes, Julian E. (June 2, 2000) [https://www.nytimes.com/2000/06/02/nyregion/symbolic-line-divides-jews-borough-park-debate-over-strictures-for-sabbath.html?pagewanted=all "Symbolic Line Divides Jews in Borough Park; A Debate Over Strictures for Sabbath Observance"], ''The New York Times''</ref>
In 2000, Belsky sided against rabbis in [[Borough Park, Brooklyn]] who established a controversial [[eruv]], referring to them as amateurs and populists.<ref>Barnes, Julian E. (June 2, 2000) [https://www.nytimes.com/2000/06/02/nyregion/symbolic-line-divides-jews-borough-park-debate-over-strictures-for-sabbath.html?pagewanted=all "Symbolic Line Divides Jews in Borough Park; A Debate Over Strictures for Sabbath Observance"], ''The New York Times''</ref>


Revision as of 18:46, 27 January 2022

Rabbi
Chaim Yisroel HaLevi
Belsky
In Camp Agudah
Born(1938-08-22)August 22, 1938
New York
DiedJanuary 28, 2016(2016-01-28) (aged 77)
(after sunset)[1]
New York
Occupation(s)Rosh Yeshiva, Posek, av beis din, kashrut expert, mohel, sofer, shoche, musician, artist among others
SpouseRebbetzin Miriam Belsky
Parent(s)Berel and Chana Belsky

Hagaon Harav Chaim Yisroel Belsky (Chaim Yisroel HaLevi Belsky; August 22, 1938 – January 28, 2016)[2] was an American rabbi and posek of Orthodox Judaism and Haredi Judaism who resided in Brooklyn, New York. He was one of the roshei yeshiva at Yeshiva Torah Vodaas, and rabbi of the summer camp network run by Agudath Israel of America.

Belsky served for more than 28 years[3] as a senior kashrut advisor to the OU.

Education

Belsky received his semicha from Yeshiva Torah Vodaas, in Brooklyn, NY, in 1962, and from Rabbi Moshe Feinstein in 1965. He also studied at Beth Medrash Elyon beginning at age 17.[4] His Rosh Yeshiva[3] was Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky.

Career

Belsky served as a member of the Iggud HaRabbonim[5] Beth din under, successively, Rabbis Yitzchok Isaac Liebes, Baruch Leizerowski and Herschel Kurzrock.[6] Some events that he addressed with this beth din were: the aftermath of the 9/11 World Trade Center attack and freeing its widows from agunah status, New York City tap water,[7] human-hair wigs from India,[8] surrogate motherhood, and a kashrus scandal in Monsey, New York.

His first kashrus position was with the Kof-K.[9] He served with the Orthodox Union starting in 1987, and was eventually described as one of "the chief experts for the Orthodox Union, which certifies more than 600,000 products as kosher."[10] In 2004, Belsky ruled that water that might contain microscopic nonkosher organisms is kosher even if it is unfiltered.[7] The same year he ruled that "gruesome" slaughtering of animals at Agriprocessors, then the largest glatt kosher meat producer in the United States, appeared not to violate kosher laws as long as the animal "felt nothing".[10] He later ruled on a kashrus scandal surrounding Doheny Meats, which had been videoed violating the laws of kashrus,[11] saying that food that had been sold by Doheny prior to the scandal could still be considered kosher.[12]

In September 2005, Belsky served as the keynote speaker at the Igud Horabbonim Annual Siyum HaShas. The event also served as the chag ha’semichah where 35 students of his received their certificates of semichah.[6]

Controversies

Belsky publicly defended confessed sexual abuser Yosef Kolko, who taught children at a Lakewood, New Jersey, yeshiva.[13] Further, he condemned the victim and his parents for reporting the sexual abuse to the police, and wrote that one who does so "has no share in the world to come." Belsky was criticized for his actions in this regard.[14] According to The Jewish Week, the Ocean County, New Jersey District Attorney privately warned Belsky to cease and desist writing letters defending Kolko, or risk prosecution.[15] Rav Belsky later clarified his position in a letter to the RCA. The letter red:"It was a pleasure to meet with you the other day. As we discussed, we all share a concern in protecting children in our community from sexual or physical abuse. Though some have misunderstood my position, I completely agree that, given firsthand knowledge or credible evidence of child abuse or molestation, one should definitely go to the authorities. This is not only a theoretical position that I hold, but also one that I have personally implemented. To cite one occasion, in Brooklyn several years ago a claim was made against a driver who transported children to a playgroup operated by his wife. There was reasonable cause for suspicion -- the child would wake up crying in the middle of the night and described the abuse - and I advised the parents to report the matter to the police. As it turned out, when the police investigated they felt there was not enough actionable evidence to pursue a case. Nonetheless, I took the step of advising parents to not enroll their children in the playgroup and it ultimately closed down".[16]

In 2000, Belsky sided against rabbis in Borough Park, Brooklyn who established a controversial eruv, referring to them as amateurs and populists.[17]

In a 2011 interview with The New York Times about a divorce case, Belsky described a court-ordered child custody order as "a joke" since it interfered with observance of the Jewish Sabbath.[18][19]

Personal

Belsky was the son of Rabbi Berel and Chana Tzirel Belsky. His maternal grandfather is Binyomin Wilhelm, a founder of Yeshiva Torah Vodaas.

In 2012, he suffered a serious medical emergency. At that time, the name Chaim was added to Rav Belsky's name. He recovered, and was able to return to Torah Vodaath. In 2013, the annual Yeshiva Torah Vodaath dinner honored the rosh yeshiva and highlighted 50 young men who earned semichah from him.[20]

Belsky was re-hospitalized in January 2016[21] and died in the early hours of 19 Shvat 5776,[1] the evening of January 28, 2016.[22]

Works

  • Piske halakhot (Brooklyn 2002) - responsa
  • Einei Yisroel on Chumash (currently Bereishis, Shemos, Vayikra, and Devarim) (Kiryat Sefer 2005, 2006, 2011, and 2008 respectively) - Lectures edited and adapted by Moshe Armel and Reuven Mathieson
  • Sha'alos U'Teshuvos Shulchan Halevi, questions and answers on a wide variety of topics, (Kiryat Sefer 2008)

References

  1. ^ a b "Torah Vodaath marks first yartzeit of Hagaon Harav Chaim Yisroel Belsky ZT"L". hamodia.com.
  2. ^ "Torah Vodaath Marks First Yahrtzeit of Hagaon Harav Chaim Yisroel Belsky ZTL".
  3. ^ a b "The Legacy of Rav Chaim Yisroel Belsky zt"l at the OU". Retrieved 2017-02-20.
  4. ^ Finkelman 2017, p. 122
  5. ^ Igud HaRabonim (Rabbinical Alliance of America) "The Beth Din-Rabbinical Alliance of America Inc".
  6. ^ a b Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum (February 5, 2016). "We've Lost Our Guiding Light - Rabbi Yisroel Belsky, Zt"l (1938-2016)". The Jewish Press.
  7. ^ a b Berger, Joseph (November 7, 2004) "The Water's Fine, But is it Kosher?", The New York Times
  8. ^ Daniel J. Wakin (May 14, 2004). "Rabbis' Rules and Indian Wigs Stir Crisis in Orthodox Brooklyn". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
  9. ^ Finkelman 2017, p. 307
  10. ^ a b McNeil Jr., Donald J. (December 1, 2004) "Videos Cited in Calling Kosher Slaughterhouse Inhumane", The New York Times
  11. ^ "Statement from the Rabbinical Council of California on Doheny Meats | Los Angeles". Jewish Journal. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
  12. ^ "Passover Kosher Meat Scandal in Los Angeles Latest in String of Mishaps". The Forward. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
  13. ^ "Hynes Refuses To Name Orthodox Child Sex Abusers - News –". Forward.com. 2011-12-14. Retrieved 2016-01-30.
  14. ^ Gary Rosenblatt. "Connecting the World to Jewish News, Culture, and Opinion". The Jewish Week. Retrieved 2016-01-30.
  15. ^ Ben Hirsch. "Connecting the World to Jewish News, Culture, and Opinion". The Jewish Week. Retrieved 2016-01-30.
  16. ^ https://vosizneias.com/2013/06/12/new-york-rca-says-rabbi-belsky-clarifies-his-position-in-letter-to-them/
  17. ^ Barnes, Julian E. (June 2, 2000) "Symbolic Line Divides Jews in Borough Park; A Debate Over Strictures for Sabbath Observance", The New York Times
  18. ^ Oppenheimer, Mark (January 3, 2011) "Religious Divorce Dispute Leads to Secular Protest", The New York Times
  19. ^ Shin, Annys (2011-09-27). "Man who won't grant religious divorce to ex-wife is given rabbinical sanction". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
  20. ^ https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/nyc/164491/yeshiva-torah-vodaath-dinner-to-pay-tribute-to-horav-yisroel-belsky-shlita.html
  21. ^ Israel, David. "Torah Vodaas Dean in Serious Condition". The Jewish Press. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
  22. ^ "Rabbi Chaim Yisroel Belsky zt'l Passes Away | Everyday Jewish Living | OU Life".

Sources

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