Belzer Kehillah Holds Hachnosas Sefer Torah in Memory of Dayan Rav Shloime Gross, zt”l

YS GOLD

The Belzer Kehillah in Boro Park held a Hachnosas Sefer Torah on Monday evening, dedicated in memory of Rav Shloime HaKohen Gross, zt”l, the esteemed chief dayan of the Belzer Kehillah in America and the Rov of the large Belzer shtiebel on 43rd Street.

A grand celebration bringing together the entire Belzer community will take place on Motzei Shabbos, in honor of the Torah and in memory of the esteemed dayan, marking his decades of service and dedication to the kehilla.

Rav Gross was a central figure in the kehilla for decades, serving as a dayan, providing guidance to the community, and taking a leading role in important community events.

Born in Switzerland to the noted Belzer chossid Rav Moshe Gross, z”l, he traveled to Eretz Yisroel in his youth to learn in Yeshivas Belz in Yerushalayim. Following his marriage, he was among the first avreichim in the kollel established at the court of the Belzer Rebbe, shlit”a.

As the Belzer community expanded in America, Rav Gross was sent by the Rebbe to serve as a dayan. He helped establish the kehilla first in Williamsburg and later in Boro Park. Around 1990, he was appointed Rosh HaDayanim of Machzikei Hadas Belz in the United States.

Boro Park residents recall the many large events graced by the presence of the Belzer Dayan. In his booming voice, he would inspire the crowds with his Torah, tefillah, and achrayus for the Klal.

Rav Gross was also known for his involvement in chessed, helping establish numerous gemachim to assist members of the community. Three of his sons-in-law serve as dayanim in the Belzer Kehillah, continuing the family’s connection to its rabbinic leadership.

The Motzei Shabbos celebration will bring together the wider Belzer community to honor the Sefer Torah and pay tribute to the enduring legacy of Rav Gross, whose life was devoted to Torah, dayanus, chessed, and the needs of the community.