New York – Preserving The Legacy: A Guide to ‘kivrei tzadikim’ In North America

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    Makarov Rebbe of Chicago Rebbe Yaakov Yitzchak Twersky who died in 1945  is one of the 600 listed by Kevarim.comNew York – Countless people travel to Eastern Europe and Eretz Yisroel to visit the kevarim of various tzadikim, yet most are not aware just how many illustrious rabbonim are buried much closer to home. Thirty three year old Baruch Amsel of Kew Gardens Hills founded Kevarim of Tzadikim of North America approximately three years ago when he was shocked to find out that the Chofetz Chaim’s Rebbetzin was buried nearby. Amsel, who had always been interested in kevarim, began to research which Rabbanim were buried in North America. While his original intention was to compile a book with his findings, Amsel decided to post them on the internet and kevarim.com, an online directory featuring the locations of the kevarim of over six hundred Gedolei Yisroel was born.

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    The project was founded with the dual goals of preserving the memory of prominent rabbonim, while at the same time, giving people the opportunity to daven at the tzion of a tzadik during their time of need, without having to undertake the large expense of traveling abroad. The site, which is constantly being updated with more details, features information including date of yahrtzeit, cemetery location and phone number, plot information, short biographies and pictures of the actual matzayvos. While much of the information comes from Amsel’s painstaking research, very often relatives will contact him and provide him with pictures or more details.

    Aside from an alphabetical index to the many gravesites listed, kevarim.com is also indexed by chassidus and by state, and in some cases, even by cemetery. Additionally, the site’s “Send A Kvitel Service” provides an online means of hand delivering a kvitel to any one of twenty different kevarim, including those of Reb Shimon Schwab, Reb Yaakov Kamintezky, The Lubavitcher Rebbe among others. People who live near certain cemeteries voluntarily deliver the kvitelach and Amsel has people in various locations including Detroit and Rochester who are happy to perform this mitzva for free.

    kevarim.com gets approximately one hundred thirty unique hits a day and Amsel told VIN News that Kohanim, in particular, appreciate being able to see the gravesites online, given that they can’t visit them in person. Sadly, Amsel finds that over fifty percent of the descendants of these Rabbonim are no longer shomrei Torah u’mitzvos and his greatest pleasure is locating a descendant who is sitting in Kollel. Just this past week, Amsel discovered eight descendants of a Rabbi Yaakov Yosef Joseph, who was thought to have no living descendants at all.

    Amsel told VIN News “There are so many big tzaddikim, buried right here in America. My goal is to preserve their history.” Amsel hopes to one day run out of kevarim in America and is contemplating the possibility of expanding his horizons to include both Eastern and Western Europe.


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    52 Comments
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    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    he is doing great work mr amsel may the zchus of oll the tzadikim be meigin on him
    also lets not forget reb yona landau who arranges the rides to the kvorim, and makes sure that people actully go may all be blessed

    iish emmes says
    iish emmes says
    13 years ago

    This is a class act- Really super. I have visited Rabbenu rav Pam’s a’h Kever in Queens, Rabbeni yaakov Yosef a’h visited by many chassidim and a relative of rav zundel salant who was here in US as a shaliach during WWII but died of a heart attack when the family he left was killed.
    Many more,
    Really great service for Klal Yisroel. Thanks–Email to all your freinds the site! Kivrey Tzadiikim!!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    I was looking for a kever of a tzadik last month, when googled the name of the tzadik the above mentioned web site appeared,its a great web sight, and what a great zchus for mr.Amsel

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    What were the circumstances that the rebbetzin of the Chafetz Chaim came to America? I seem to remember reading somewhere that the Chafetz Chaim had a son who lived in Manhattan.

    BERNIE
    BERNIE
    13 years ago

    Reb Baruch is a great guy and a mentsch.(Groiser Mentsch). Great web site

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    is Boruch Amsel the son of Mayer Amsel of Hamoar magazine?

    Heshy
    Heshy
    13 years ago

    20 yrs ago I had an idea to do tours of Kivrei Tzadikim in Toronto. The Stretner Rebbe is there among other hailege yidden.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    My question is how could the graves of tzadikim in North America be lost to history when most of them are 19th/20th century and not hundreds of years old as many lost graves of tzadikim in Europe or Middle East.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    Great job. ashreichem shzuchisem lekach. I am sure alot of these holy rebbes havent had visitors mispallim at their holy graves for years and now in your zchus its startin again. I love your site visit it for new entries almost daily

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    we have to thank rabbi yuna landau who is making nashias to al the tzadikim of the previous centuries what they lived here in america or in canada with msiras nafash and no one went to them till rab yoina stood up and searched for them and for there history and gave out 2 books as a good talent writer he is wroting in the newspaper the yid or the news report and give interviews on great kol maveser (a popular news hot line for heimishe listeners). and make the people interested to go and his making almost every chodesh big nasiahs I went with him 2 times to buffolo and 5 times to rav hakolel who is buried in queens he is making the whole nasiah interesting with his knowledge THANK YOU RAB YONA

    Hopefully
    Hopefully
    13 years ago

    Lets hope that israel doesnt decide for any reason to dig out these kevarim!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    How about trying to visit daily the living gravesite known as a gemorah. That is buried by many people. They don’t look into it. Cut the business of running around looking for kvorim. Sit and learn.

    Everybody complains about the Hasids that they go to tishen which is a waste of time. These same people are running around days and days looking for new graves to visit. Common alittle achdus with the living while learning.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    Rav Burech Amsel, Shlita, is a huge mentch and a grosse Talmid Chuchum. He is probably one of the Lamed Tes Tzadidkim of this generation yet no one realizes it. People should go to him for bruchos.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    Who decides who qualifies as a tzadik?

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    There are many who believe that the Ebeshter will listen to our tfilot from wherever we daven…the time and resources invested in traveling to daven at some kever of a “great tzadik” whose information you found on the internet would be better spent on davening with true intent and kavanah (and staying off an airplane or the LI expressway).

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    Is there any pictures of the Chafetz Chaim’s son?

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    Will Rabbi Amsels family please stop putting in the nice comments about him. Enough please

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    I have a serious question. A Rav once told me that a Yid should not look at or read the TZION of those burried in a Bes Kever because you could damage your memory. I didn’t ask for a clarification, but does that mean reading the Tzion can physically damage a person? Can someone in NY ask a Posek? Serious question. Only reply with serious answers.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    Sorry, but again i feel someone has an underlying reason with this site which is to make money, or else why have the kvittel part on the website. Funny too to list people who were niftar about 30 years ago. I am sure they have family and visit the kevarim.
    What should be taken into consideration and help is kevarim that are noticeably abandoned and not visited. On one of my trips to N.J., near the kevarim of the Rabbonim of Bobov( we are not Bobov) , amongst some branches are several matzaivos that are noticeably not visited and falling those should be looked into. What we saw was horrible, someone parked practially on the kever !!!!!
    My father Z”L was a noted askan and involved in tzorchei zibur after the war here and in Europe. He was niftar over 40 years ago and so were others too. Will we start showing photos, listing their names and some people will be naive enough to send the website owner $ for a kvittel !?!?!?!?!?

    webmom
    webmom
    13 years ago

    i was looking for info about Rabbi Yakov Yosef–and stumbled upon this site…what a great idea! I even had them send a kvitel…yasher koach!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    Rabbi Yona Landau of willi. is doing alot to bring people to those kevarim.

    a friend
    a friend
    13 years ago

    shkoiach to Reb Baruch – really a great guy – known him for years before he started the site – he did wonderful work – i’ve been visiting this site since it started

    Bina.
    Bina.
    13 years ago

    He should have lots of brocho and shalom

    David
    David
    13 years ago

    It’s so fitting that Nuchem & Rifkie are rewarded with a son in law who follows in their ways of being Oiskim Betzorchei Tzibbur.

    25
    25
    13 years ago

    millhouse- the ran in drashos haran says that its completely assur to ask a niftar to daven for you (its a form of avodah zarah). Rather, just as anything a tzadik uses in his life is holy (he quotes a gemara about the stick of a tanna having kedusha) and therefore can bring one closer to hashem, even the resting place of his earthly body is holy and its resting place can be used as a way of getting closer to hashem. However onee must be careful to be aware that they are not requesting anything from the tzadik, rather they are using the place since it itself has more kedusha than other places.