Chaim Mordechai Katz
Encyclopedia
Chaim Mordechai Katz was an Orthodox
rabbi
, the Rosh Yeshiva of the Telshe Yeshiva
in Cleveland, and among American Jewry's foremost religious leaders.
, Lithunania. As a young man, he studied in the yeshiva in Shadova, under the tutelage of the town's rabbi and Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Yosef Leib Bloch. In 1910, he went to study in the Knesses Beis Yitzchak yeshiva in Slobodka for a year, following which, in 1911, he returned to study under Bloch, who had been appointed as Chief Rabbi
and Rosh Yeshiva
in Telz
.
In 1914, Katz went to the Volozhin Yeshiva
for two years where he was ordained by Rabbi Refael Shapiro
, the son-in-law of the Netziv. In 1916 he studied under Rabbi Shlomo Polachek
, the renowned "Maitziter Illuy". In 1918 he returned to Telz, where he married the Perel Leah, Bloch's daughter.
In 1920, Katz assisted his father in law in the founding of a preparatory school for young men (Mechina), which would prepare younger students for study in the yeshiva proper. Katz was appointed director of the Mechina. In 1922, a postgraduate institute (Kollel
) was founded in Telz and he was appointed Head of the Institute.
In 1930, Katz's father, wife, third oldest child (Shmuel, aged six) and father in law died. The following year he married Chaya Kravitz, Bloch's niece.
In 1934, Katz was one of the founders of the Zeirei Agudath Israel in Lithuania and he served as the head of the Board of Action (Va'ad Hapoel). Together with his brother in law, Rabbi Eliyahu Meir Bloch, he also served as one of the editors of the Agudah
newspaper in Lithuania: "Dos Yiddishe Lebben".
He participated in the first Knessiah Gedolah of the Agudath Israel
in 1923 and at the third Knessiah Gedolah in 1937 he was appointed a member of the International Action Committee (Va'ad Hapoel Ha'olami).
In October 1942 Katz and Bloch re-established the Telz Yeshiva in Cleveland, Ohio
. Together, in 1943 they established a Jewish day school: The Hebrew Academy of Cleveland
.
Towards the end of the war Katz discovered that his wife and 10 children had been killed by Nazi forces in Telz in 1941. Bloch's family suffered a similar fate.
In 1946 Katz married Esther Mindle Mandel. In 1947 Katz and Bloch established a Hebrew School for girls in Cleveland called Yavneh, under the framework of the Hebrew Academy of Cleveland
.
).
In addition to running the yeshiva, Katz remained very communally active, both locally, nationally and internationally.
Katz served as a member on the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah
of the Agudath Israel
. Together with Rabbi Aharon Kotler
, he undertook to ensure the financial needs of the Chinuch Atzmai
(religious education network in Israel) were met, encouraging the students of the yeshiva to raise funds for Chinuch Atzmai
in their vacation period. In 1957 the yeshiva
moved from downtown Cleveland to its present-day location in Wickliffe
, Ohio
, on the outskirts of Cleveland.
In winter of 1958 he was hospitalized for a serious heart attack. Despite his health, he continued to actively run the yeshiva and remained active in the wider community.
In 1960 he established Telshe Chicago - a branch of the yeshiva
in Chicago
, Illinois
.
On Tuesday morning, January 1 1963, a fire broke out in one of the three dormitories at the yeshiva
. Two students died in the fire and local authorities closed the remaining two dormitories as a safety measure. Katz guided the yeshiva through the difficult period, again, rebuilding. That year he participated at the Knessiah Gedolah of the Agudath Israel
in Jerusalem, where he spoke on numerous occasions.
On November 17, 1964 Katz suffered a massive heart attack and died. He was intered on Har HaMenuchot
.
His son Rabbi Yaakov Zev (Velvel) Katz founded and leads the Cedar-Green Community Kollel in Beachwood Ohio, officially named Kollel Yad Chaim Mordechai, after his father.
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
, the Rosh Yeshiva of the Telshe Yeshiva
Telshe yeshiva
Telshe yeshiva was a famous Eastern European yeshiva founded in the Lithuanian town of Telšiai. After World War II the yeshiva relocated to Wickliffe, Ohio, in the United States and is currently known as the Rabbinical College of Telshe, It is one of the most prominent Haredi institutions of Torah...
in Cleveland, and among American Jewry's foremost religious leaders.
Pre-War Years
Katz was born in 1894 in ShadovaŠeduva
Šeduva is a city in the Radviliškis district municipality, Lithuania. It is located east of Radviliškis.Shadova-Šeduva was an agricultural town dealing in cereals, flax and linseed, pigs and geese and horses, at the site of a royal estate and beside a road from Kaunas to Riga. The population...
, Lithunania. As a young man, he studied in the yeshiva in Shadova, under the tutelage of the town's rabbi and Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Yosef Leib Bloch. In 1910, he went to study in the Knesses Beis Yitzchak yeshiva in Slobodka for a year, following which, in 1911, he returned to study under Bloch, who had been appointed as Chief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities...
and Rosh Yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva, , , is the title given to the dean of a Talmudical academy . It is made up of the Hebrew words rosh — meaning head, and yeshiva — a school of religious Jewish education...
in Telz
Telšiai
Telšiai , is a city in Lithuania with about 35,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of Telšiai County and Samogitia region, and it is located on Lake Mastis.-Names:...
.
In 1914, Katz went to the Volozhin Yeshiva
Volozhin yeshiva
The Volozhin Yeshiva, also known as Etz Chaim Yeshiva, was a prestigious Lithuanian yeshiva located in the town of Volozhin, Russia, . It was founded by Rabbi Chaim Itzkovitz, a student of the famed Vilna Gaon, and trained several generations of scholars, rabbis, and leaders...
for two years where he was ordained by Rabbi Refael Shapiro
Refael Shapiro
Rabbi Refael Shapiro was the famed Rosh Yeshiva of the Volozhin yeshiva and a son-in-law of Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin . After the Volozhin yeshiva was closed down in 1892 by order of the Russian government, he reopened it, albeit on a smaller scale in 1899...
, the son-in-law of the Netziv. In 1916 he studied under Rabbi Shlomo Polachek
Shlomo Polachek
Shlomo Polachek was born in Sinichinitz, near Meitchet, Grodna. He was an important Talmudic scholar and one of the earliest rosh yeshivas in America....
, the renowned "Maitziter Illuy". In 1918 he returned to Telz, where he married the Perel Leah, Bloch's daughter.
In 1920, Katz assisted his father in law in the founding of a preparatory school for young men (Mechina), which would prepare younger students for study in the yeshiva proper. Katz was appointed director of the Mechina. In 1922, a postgraduate institute (Kollel
Kollel
A kollel is an institute for full-time, advanced study of the Talmud and rabbinic literature. Like a yeshiva, a kollel features shiurim and learning sedarim ; unlike a yeshiva, the student body of a kollel are all married men...
) was founded in Telz and he was appointed Head of the Institute.
In 1930, Katz's father, wife, third oldest child (Shmuel, aged six) and father in law died. The following year he married Chaya Kravitz, Bloch's niece.
World Agudath Israel
World Agudath Israel , usually known as the Aguda, was established in the early twentieth century as the political arm of Ashkenazi Torah Judaism, in succession to Agudas Shlumei Emunei Yisroel...
newspaper in Lithuania: "Dos Yiddishe Lebben".
He participated in the first Knessiah Gedolah of the Agudath Israel
World Agudath Israel
World Agudath Israel , usually known as the Aguda, was established in the early twentieth century as the political arm of Ashkenazi Torah Judaism, in succession to Agudas Shlumei Emunei Yisroel...
in 1923 and at the third Knessiah Gedolah in 1937 he was appointed a member of the International Action Committee (Va'ad Hapoel Ha'olami).
World War II and relocation to the USA
In 1940, Katz and Eliyahu Meir Bloch managed to travel out of Soviet occupied Lithuania and make their way to the United States, in the hope of re-establishing the Rabbinical College of Telshe and bringing over its faculty and student body. Both Katz and Bloch were unable to bring their wives and children, the fate of whom remained unknown to them until 1944.In October 1942 Katz and Bloch re-established the Telz Yeshiva in Cleveland, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. Together, in 1943 they established a Jewish day school: The Hebrew Academy of Cleveland
Hebrew Academy of Cleveland
The Hebrew Academy of Cleveland is a private, Orthodox Jewish day school in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.The Hebrew Academy was established in 1943 by the Telz Yeshiva. It was the first Jewish day school founded off the east coast. In 1947 a girl's division, Yavne, was added...
.
Towards the end of the war Katz discovered that his wife and 10 children had been killed by Nazi forces in Telz in 1941. Bloch's family suffered a similar fate.
In 1946 Katz married Esther Mindle Mandel. In 1947 Katz and Bloch established a Hebrew School for girls in Cleveland called Yavneh, under the framework of the Hebrew Academy of Cleveland
Hebrew Academy of Cleveland
The Hebrew Academy of Cleveland is a private, Orthodox Jewish day school in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.The Hebrew Academy was established in 1943 by the Telz Yeshiva. It was the first Jewish day school founded off the east coast. In 1947 a girl's division, Yavne, was added...
.
Telz Cleveland
In 1954 Rabbi Eliyahu Meir Bloch died, and Katz became head of the yeshiva (Rosh YeshivaRosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva, , , is the title given to the dean of a Talmudical academy . It is made up of the Hebrew words rosh — meaning head, and yeshiva — a school of religious Jewish education...
).
In addition to running the yeshiva, Katz remained very communally active, both locally, nationally and internationally.
Katz served as a member on the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah
Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah
Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah refers to the supreme rabbinical policy-making council of any of several related Haredi Jewish organizations....
of the Agudath Israel
Agudath Israel
Agudath Israel can refer to any of several related organizations, including:*World Agudath Israel, an international movement*Agudath Israel of America, an American organization*Agudat Yisrael, an Israeli political party...
. Together with Rabbi Aharon Kotler
Aharon Kotler
Aharon Kotler was an Orthodox Jewish rabbi and a prominent leader of Orthodox Judaism in Lithuania, and later the United States, where he built Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood Township, New Jersey.- Early life :...
, he undertook to ensure the financial needs of the Chinuch Atzmai
Chinuch Atzmai
Chinuch Atzmai was founded in 1953 by the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah to serve as an alternate school system for Orthodox children in Israel. It was initially led by Rabbi Zalman Sorotzkin....
(religious education network in Israel) were met, encouraging the students of the yeshiva to raise funds for Chinuch Atzmai
Chinuch Atzmai
Chinuch Atzmai was founded in 1953 by the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah to serve as an alternate school system for Orthodox children in Israel. It was initially led by Rabbi Zalman Sorotzkin....
in their vacation period. In 1957 the yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
moved from downtown Cleveland to its present-day location in Wickliffe
Wickliffe, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there are 13,484 people, 5,604 households, 3,754 families residing in the city. The population density is 2,898.2 people per square mile . There are 5,787 housing units at an average density of 1,243.8 per square mile...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, on the outskirts of Cleveland.
In winter of 1958 he was hospitalized for a serious heart attack. Despite his health, he continued to actively run the yeshiva and remained active in the wider community.
In 1960 he established Telshe Chicago - a branch of the yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
.
On Tuesday morning, January 1 1963, a fire broke out in one of the three dormitories at the yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
. Two students died in the fire and local authorities closed the remaining two dormitories as a safety measure. Katz guided the yeshiva through the difficult period, again, rebuilding. That year he participated at the Knessiah Gedolah of the Agudath Israel
Agudath Israel
Agudath Israel can refer to any of several related organizations, including:*World Agudath Israel, an international movement*Agudath Israel of America, an American organization*Agudat Yisrael, an Israeli political party...
in Jerusalem, where he spoke on numerous occasions.
On November 17, 1964 Katz suffered a massive heart attack and died. He was intered on Har HaMenuchot
Har HaMenuchot
Har HaMenuchot is the largest cemetery in Jerusalem, Israel. It is located at the western edge of the city adjacent to the neighborhood of Givat Shaul, with commanding views of Mevaseret Zion to the north, Motza to the west, and Har Nof to the south.-History:...
.
His son Rabbi Yaakov Zev (Velvel) Katz founded and leads the Cedar-Green Community Kollel in Beachwood Ohio, officially named Kollel Yad Chaim Mordechai, after his father.