Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
Brooklyn, NY – Rabbi Refoel Shmuel Birnbaum, zt’l, passed away Sunday afternoon at the age of 87. The Jewish world has lost one of the greatest sages of our time. The levaya will take place 8:45 AM Monday morning at Mir Yeshiva, 1795 Ocean Parkway.
Rabbi Berenbaum was a son-in-law of the founder of the Brooklyn branch of the Mir Yeshiva, Rabbi Avraham Kalmanowitz
Mayor Bloomberg issued the following statement: “Today we lost Rabbi Shmuel Birnbaum, who led the Mir Yeshiva for nearly 50 years and built it into one of the largest centers for Torah study in the world. A Holocaust refugee who, as a young man, sought shelter in Shanghai from Nazi persecution, Rabbi Birnbaum’s love of learning and wealth of wisdom will live on through his tens of thousands of students worldwide. May his family be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.” [VIN]
U/D 8:00 AM
NYC officials estimate the funeral will be attend by approximately 20,000 people. Avoid driving in the area of Ocean Parkway and Ave. R.
U/D 2:00PM
Thousands of mourners turned out for the levya. The Oran will be flown to Israel on for burial in Jerusalem,
Anonymous said…
Mir Yerushalayim, I hope you stay there. It’s an honor for the Mayor to make a statement about a
Gadol; don’t underestimate it. The fact that this Jewish mayor made a public declaration shows he’s comfortable being Jewish and proud of it.
January 7, 2008 1:21 PM
==============================
what else is new? its all a political ploy. smell the coffee guys. if Obama was smart enough to do this hesped he woulda been there too. Dont under estimate a polotician!! Bloomberg is no different.
the levaya was a huge kiddush hashem! there must have been over 50000 ppl there! every mesivta in the tri state area and beyond were there-buses were lined up all the way down OP and even more on coney island. yehi zichron baruch
I was there. It appeared to me to be somewhere between 24,000 – 36,000. O.P. was loaded from R – T while they were being melave the meis.
OP is 72 ft wide. Each block is about 900 feet long. Some spots were very crowded other slightly less so. Also some on the side roads and sidewalks. Do the math yourselves.
according to loudspeakers going around yerushalayim the levaya is at 10:30 am at the mir. then their going to the cemetery in sanhedria.
levaya scheduled tomorrow at mir yerushalyim 830am
To add to Anon 3:06,
They say that R’ Chatzkal Levenstien said that they (the mir yeshiva) were only saved (in Shanghi China) through the tremendous hasmada of R’ Shmuel. He used to learn almost non-stop throughout their stay. The heat in the summer months was so hot that almost everyone broke out with rashes, yet he still ‘plugged’ on and didn’t stop. It was on one of those days that R’ Chatzkal is quoted as saying the above statement. His statement was made to give some other bochurim chizuk.
Yehi Zichron Baruch.
the world doesnt know what we lost
who knows how much tzoros the world was saved from due to the unceasing hasmodo of this adom hamushlom hazadik reb shmuel ztl
3 sick calls. All very minor.
At least 50,000 people. Ocean PW from Kings HWY to Ave U. From house to house on both sides of the street.
Is Mayor Bloomberg one of the tsadikei hador? Gevalt! Did he do teshuva?
Mir Yerushalayim, I hope you stay there. It’s an honor for the Mayor to make a statement about a
Gadol; don’t underestimate it. The fact that this Jewish mayor made a public declaration shows he’s comfortable being Jewish and proud of it.
Towards the end there were well over 5000 people, probably more than 10,000. Sefardim, chassidim,
litvish and everything in between.
is it possible to drive down coney island?
baruch dayan emes…
what does it make a differance, he was the gadol hadar even if 5,000 people came to the levaya
mir will find a new godel, not a godel hador….please keep the comments real….
There is no Mitzvah to exagerate. I was there. There were alot of people but NOT 200,000 or 40,000people. I would truthfully say perhaps 5-6 thousand.
Yes B”H everything is now ok.
It was at the main door, but right now he was taken to the ambulance and its under control.
Can you find out if everyone is okay?
There was just a scream and shout for Hatzolah and Medic.
since when is Bloomberg the spokesman for the MIR? only when someone dies??
Boruch Dayan Haemes! An immeasurable loss to Klal Yisrael!
to Avigder. R’Birnbaum ZTVK”L was the mirrer Rosh Hayeshiva, was a gadol Hador, but was quiet and unassuming and definitely personified Hatznea Leches Im Hashem Elokecha.
May HKB”H Comfort Klal Yisrael in this very difficult time!
Shlomah could you please tell me a bit more who he was. And I’m very serious with this question, why did I never hear of him before, was he a public figure, and well known?
s and ocean parkway to kings highway and ocean parkway. east 8th to east 5th streets. aprox. 40 to 50 thousand expected.
Baruch Dayan Ha’Emes!!
A true Torah Giant in every aspect! משרידי דור הישן that can not be replaced ….
levaya will be at the yeshiva at 845 AM
THE ARON IS IN HIS SHIUR ROOM TONITE
THE ARON WILL LEAVE AT 1100 AM SHARP TO CATCH A 100? FLIGHT AT KENEDY
“A DEMUS FUN KI NHEIM CHAYENU”
Baruch dayan emes!
Moshiach is even closer now.
When we lose such amazing leaders and nobody to fill the gap it’s even a bigger loss and closer to the redempsion which we should soon be part of. Bimheira biyameinu….
Amen.
my heart goes out to all of his students and famely… may we all follow in his torah ways and may we brinng our brothers closer together and put a stop to “Machlokes”!!
its a sad sad day for klal yisroel, baruch dayan haemes…..