Memory Lane: Rav Alter Yechezkel Horowitz

Rav Horowitz served as the esteemed Viener Dayan of the Kehillah in Boro Park. A ga’on in Torah and yiras Shomayim, he became beloved and revered by the entire kehillah and to the Boro Park community in general.

Rav Yechezkel was born in the town of Bistric, Romania, to his father Haga’on Rav Elisha Horowitz, in the year 1929. Rav Elisha was an ardent follower of the Rav Yechezkel Paneth, the Deezher Rebbe, known as the Knesses Yechezkel, and the Rebbe exerted himself to journey to Bistric especially for the bris—mere months before his passing. 

The boy grew up in a home steeped in Torah and yiras Shomayim, and tragically lost his mother when he was a young boy of twelve. This loss was a crushing blow to the young boy, and he later recalled the way he would pass her kever on the hill in the town’s cemetery, on the way to cheder, and shed tears of grief. 

Three years later, when he was only fifteen years of age, the Nazis descended upon Hungary and Romania, and Yechezkel—along with his father and siblings—was deported to Auschwitz, and later Mauthausen and Buchenwald. Although he rarely spoke about his experiences there, he endured terrible ordeals, including the loss of his entire family aside from one brother. 

Upon the liberation in 1945, he was broken in body but not in spirit. All he desired was to return to the Gemara. He returned to his hometown and began learning with great diligence. When he heard that the Imrei Chaim of Viznitz established a yeshiva in Grosswardein, he joined the yeshiva there. He soon became known as an exceptional ba’al kishron and an even greater masmid. In later years, he would pine for these postwar days when he had nothing in this world aside from Torah mitoch hadchak. 

He arrived in America in 1949 with the intention of enrolling in a certain yeshiva. But a chance encounter with Rav Aharon Kotler, zt”l, in a train station changed the course of his life. Rav Shneur Kotler, zt”l, once remarked about him, “Der Tatte considered him the mushlam of the yeshiva, and had a weakness towards him due to his tremendous kishronos.” 

Leading in Boro Park

He married Rebbetzin Miriam Yocheved Halberstam, a daughter of Rebbe Duvid Halberstam of Czarnów, a direct descendant of the Divrei Chaim of Sanz, an incredible personality and tremendous masmid from Williamsburg of yore. 

In the beginning, he did not want to support himself from the rabbonus—despite the impressive semichos that he had earned—and he went to work. By no means did he abandon his love for Torah during this time; he spent many hours learning every day. 

But then his rebbetzin fell very ill, and the doctors gave up on her life. He promised that if she were to emerge from danger, he would dedicate himself entirely to learning and harbotzas Torah. Miraculously, the Rebbetzin made a full recovery (she lived another 51 years, until the age of 88), and Rav Yechezkel returned to full-time learning and delivering shiurim. 

The family moved to Monsey, where, in addition to his founding the Sanzer Kloiz, and delivering many shiurim to balebatim there, he was a major force in the fledgling Monsey community. He was among the founders of the mosdos Yeshiva Beis Dovid and Beis Rochel girls’ school which endure and thrive to this day. 

His entire essence was Torah, and he would learn with tremendous hasmodoh, abhorring bittul zeman. The good fortune of others brought him tremendous joy, and when he would farher yeshiva students, he always ensured that they should walk away with a good feeling of ahavas haTorah and success in learning. 

In 1984, he was asked by the Viener Rov, Rav Ezriel Yehuda Lebovitz, to assume the helm of the kehillah in Boro Park, and with the blessings of gedolei Yisroel, he accepted the position. 

In Boro Park as in Monsey, he worked non-stop for the welfare of the Viener mosdos, and he was a featured ba’al darshan at many events in Boro Park and beyond, where he inspired crowds with his clear Torah oratory. The Machon Beis Yaakov high school regularly turned to Rav Horowitz with their chinuch questions. 

Back in 1981, he fell ill, and with the acquiescence of the Admorim of Skulen and Ribnitz, the name Alter was added. His illness returned in 1989, and from that time he was unwell. Although he was unable to lead them as before, the Viener kehillah nevertheless continued to exhibit the same reverence and respect towards their great rov until his passing on 16 Shevat, 1994.