Rabbi Noach Weinberg

Among the many memories being shared about Rabbi Noach Weinberg, founder of Aish HaTorah who passed away last Thursday, let me share these two from two of his nieces.

Dr. Aviva Weisbord, the daughter of Rabbi Noach’s brother Rabbi Yaakov Weinberg, said that her father told her that after the Six-Day Way, while Rabbi Noach was already living in Israel, he had sent his older brother a letter. Rabbi Noach had seen an article stating that no miracles had taken place, but rather everything was natural. The letter, Rabbi Yaakov told his daughter, was soaked in tears.

Another daughter of Rabbi Yaakov Weinberg, Mrs. Yehudis Zwick, said that after her father Rabbi Yaakov passed away in 1999, Rabbi Noach wanted to sit shiva in Israel, but that he saw that he could not leave Rabbi Yaakov’s children and grandchildren. A granddaughter of Rabbi Yaakov told me that during the shiva her great uncle Rabbi Noach would sit with all the grandchildren and tell them stories about their zeidy.

Mrs. Zwick also said that her father and uncle were so close that even in their 60’s, they would sometimes walk hand in hand.

(This is part of reporting I did for an obituary that did not end up being published. We ran the JTA obituary.)