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Lot 98:
The Bilka District Rabbanus Issue, sharp letter from Ha’Gaon Rabbi Eliezer Tzuker Ba’al Damesk Eliezer 1909
Sharp letter from the Gaon Rabbi Eliezer Tzuker AB"D of Beregszasz, requesting the help of Ha’Gaon Rabbi Meir Yisrael Israel, AB"D of Bilka, to come to his aid against the incoming Rav who wanted to encroach on his jurisdiction of the towns near Bilka, where Rabbi Eliezer served as a Rav for twenty-four years.
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The dispute over the Rabbanus in Bilka
The city of Bilka in Carpathian Russia is surrounded by many villages that were under the jurisdiction of the Rabbanus of Bilka. The first Rav of Bilka was Ha’Gaon Rabbi Yakov Kopel, son of the Tzadik Rabbi Shmuel Shmelke of Salish, After his passing in 1874, Rabbi Meir Yisrael Israel was appointed as Rav. To save the children of the town from conscription, he would register many boys in the community register as girls, thus exempting them from conscription to the Russian army. Due to a moser he burned the archives and had to flee Bilka. He planned to move to EY and sold the Rabbanus of Bilka to Rabbi Aharon Weiss of Bendkovitz, RAVA"D of Munkatch, the brother of the Imrei Yosef of Spinka and author of Midrash Aharon, who bought it for his son-in-law, Ha’Gaon Rabbi Menachem Weiss hy"d member of the beis din in Munkatch.
It is known that this Rabbonus did not come into effect since the village of Orsheve (Irshava) (one of the villages near Bilka), the residents chose the Satmar Rebbe Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum as Rav and other villages from the Bilka district followed them. Since the Rabbanus was no longer economically viable for Rabbi Menachem, he gave up the position. (See Amudei Eish by Betzalel Weiss pages 54-55).
From this letter, it appears that there were shared Rabbanus positions in the villages of the Bilka district under the leadership of Rabbi Eliezer Tzuker, and since the Beregszaszer Rav wanted to buy these rights and Rabbi Meir Yisrael was moving to EY. Rabbi Eliezer implores Rabbi Meir Yisrael to sell him the rights to all the villages.
At the beginning of the letter, Rabbi Eliezer writes that Rabbi Menachem Weiss was by him and claimed that he was not interested in the Rabbanus position in the villages since Rabbi Aharon Yeshaya of Muzhay wants this position for his son-in-law Rabbi Michal (the names are referring to Rabbi Aharon Yeshaya Steinberger of Muzhay, and his son-in-law the Ha’Gaon Rabbi Yechiel Michal Cohen Fried, the son and successor of the ‘Pnei Meivin’ Rabbi Nesanel Ha’Cohen Fried, ABD of Oivarash); however, Rabbi Eliezer writes that this did not materialize since these villages are far from their place of residence.
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The writer of the letter Ha’Gaon Rabbi Eliezer Tzuker, ABD of Beregszasz (1858-1920), was one of the leading Rabbonim in Hungary. He was a talmid and son-in-law of Ha’Gaon Rabbi Avraham Yehuda Ha’Cohen Schwartz, author of Kol Aryeh; he was also very close to the Divrei Chaim of Sanz. All the gedolim of his generation respected him. "… There is no replacement for a talmid chacham of his stature…" (from the hesped of the Minchas Elazer). In 1884, he was appointed as ABD of Beregszasz. He was the uncle of the Ha’Gaon Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Ehrenreich, ABD of Shimlau (Şimleu), author of Lechem Shlomo, who called him Sar Ha’Torah. He authored Shu"t Damesek Eliezer and Magdonos Eliezer. (For more details about his gadlus, see the hesped of the Minchas Elazer in his sefer Divrei Torah)
The recipient of the letter, Ha’Gaon Rabbi Meir Yisrael Israel (passed away on the 17th of Tishrei 1918) was a disciple of Ha’Gaon Rabbi Asher Anshel Jungreis, author of Menuchas Asher in 1874 he was appointed ABD Din of Bilka, in 1909 was forced to flee due to the actions of a moser. He moved to EY, where he was part of the Badat"z Eidah Ha’Charedis of the Ashkenazi communities until his passing. He corresponded with the Maharam Schick (see responsa Maharam Schick Even Ha’ezer). More details about his life can be found in the Sefer Zikaron of Kidoshei Bilka Community’ (page 65).
3 pgs. Official stationery.
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