erusalem – The commandment to “be fruitful and multiply” the Krishevsky family follows quite closely. Last Saturday, the great grandmother, Rachel Krishevsky passed away at the age of 99, leaving behind no less than 1,400 children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and even great-great-grandchildren.
Join our WhatsApp groupSubscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
Krishevsky got married to her cousin, Yitzhak, just before turning 19. The couple brought seven sons and four daughters into the world. In accordance with haredi custom, Krishevsky brought up her children to see children as a great joy. Her children subsequently adopted her outlook and produced 150 children of their own.
These 150 children continued the commitment to be fruitful and multiply and themselves had no less than 1,000 children. From here, the lineage continued even further, and Rachel Krishevsky was blessed with a few hundred great-great-grandchildren.
Rachel Krishevsky died on Saturday surrounded by loving descendents.
Due to their great numbers, the family is not quite clear on precisely how many descendents there are. “The estimate in the family is that we are about 1,400 people since almost all of those from the family line were blessed with many children,” said one of the grandchildren Wednesday.
Though she lived a full and long life, the family is saddened by Rachel’s passing. Krishevsky lived nearly her whole live next to Jerusalem’s Mahane Yehuda open-air market.
“Grandma was a God-fearing woman her whole life, and her door was always open to the homeless and poor near the market who were looking for a place to eat,” added the grandchild.
“She knew the entire book of Psalms by heart, and participated in all the family events, happy and sad, up until two years ago. She knew all of her descendents. We are sad about her death, but proud of what she achieved in her life and her righteousness and compassion.”
Though Krishevsky certainly produced many offspring, she did was not a record-breaker. In the haredi sector, there are two well-known cases of living people having great-great-great-grandchildren. One such case is in a Hassidic family living in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Mea Shearim. Another such family is that of Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, the leader of the Lithuanian branch of haredi Judaism. A few months ago, his great-great-grandson had his first child.
Wowsers! Amazing!
Wow it probaly costed her a nice buck on chanaka gelt
This is precisely why the number 6 million is a huge understatement. Had she been lost in the holocaust we would have lost at least 1400 with her. BD’H and enjoy your nachas from shamayim.
What a beautiful accomplishment!!
Ken Yirbu. This is so beautiful, I agree with #3 about the Holocaust. Because of it,we have an additional imperative to have kinderlach. Ken Yirbu!!
Thanks VIN for an inspiring pre-RH story!!
Very inspirational. BDE.
boruch dayan haemes
i wonder if they are fighting over the yerusha (inheritence)
KN”H!! Can you even fathom that number?? 1400?? Amazing!! What a story!
I have only 22 einiklach, and if they didn’t have multiple names I couldn’t remember them all.
I bet there will be lots of little “Rochel’les” within weeks, if not days, if not already.
how wonderful. thank you for sharing this, VIN!
BDE. May her neshama have and aliya and lots of nachas form her family, and may they keep growing both in number and in Yiras Shamayim.
BTW, sorry, es pass nisht, but I can’t resist: Since when does VIN publish photos of women?!
She’ll be sorely missed. Grandparents keep the family together. May she be a melitzah yeshura for her family and all of klall yisroel.
Reply to#12
I hope a pic from a 99 y/o won’t bring any hirhirim
She was a bas yechida to her parents
“Krishevsky brought up her children to see children as a great joy.” WHAT do others see CHILDREN as ???
this is a tremendous inspiration to us all
the mitzvah of reproduction is the first listed in the torah and for very good reason
BDE I’m sure there must be many others in the Cheredi world who produced so many generations too.
Beautiful, and no, today’s mothers are absolutely not on the same level. Whatsoever.
I wish that me and my wife should be zocha also.
I know a very large family in Brooklyn who make chanuaka party in a big hall , and they all have name tages , cause the family is so large they do not know all the little ones are growing up, so in simchas they do not see always the kids , and this way all the cousins get to know each other and all share gifts and food, its a very nice way to keep with the family,
may all those who need yeshuas with kids be zoch to have this year what they wish for ,
Wow that is AMAZING – I wish I belonged to such a CLAN!