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The Wandering Jew
The Wandering Jew Eretz Yisroel November 2022
Part I
By Hershel Lieber
Rabbi Pesach Moshe Grossman with his single sons. The chosson, Yisroel Zev, is to his right. In front of our apartment, L-R, Pesi, Debby and Heshy Daum, Mechel and Ezriel Lieber
Combine members of our mishpacha with a family chasunah that takes place in Eretz Yisroel and we have a perfect formula for two weeks of ecstasy. This is what we experienced this past November. To get a clearer picture, an introduction to our family and a bit of history is in order.
Our second daughter Faigy is married to Rabbi Pesach Moshe Grossman. They have, ka”h, eleven children, eight boys and three girls. Moishe, as he is called by our family, went to Yeshiva Yagdil Torah as a child, which was followed by Mesivta at Telz Riverdale. He later went to learn at the Bais Medrash of Rav Avrohom Yehoshua Soloveitchik of Brisk. All the time he had a strong sense of his family’s Gerer background and was drawn towards this chassidishe way of life. By the time Faigy met him, he was fully committed to the chassidus of Gur and set his life goals in that direction. After a few years in Kollel in Eretz Yisroel, Faigy and Moishe returned to Lakewood where he started the well-known chassidishe Yeshiva Mesoras Avos which has been a huge success and a contributing factor in the growth of chassidus in Lakewood. He is an esteemed member of the Lakewood Gerer Shtiebel and had a connection with the Lev Simcha, zt”l, the Pnei Menachem, zt”l, and currently with, ylb”ch, the present Gerer Rebbe, shlita.
When it came time for his children to start shidduchim, his three oldest boys married into Gerer mishpachos from Eretz Yisroel, though all of them have American backgrounds. The two oldest daughters married Gerer bochurim from the States. Four of these five married children live presently in Israel. His fourth son, Yisroel Zev, was getting married into a Gerer family from Yerushalayim, which also has American roots. This was the chasunah that we went to this past November.
Besides Moishe and Faigy and their married children with their spouses, we were fortunate to rejoice together with their grandchildren, our great-grandchildren. Moishe’s parents, Avrohom Chaim and Chanie Grossman, and Moishe’s four siblings with three of their spouses joined the festivities. Other relatives from abroad or who are living in Israel were part of the simcha as well.
From our side of the family, our oldest daughter, Itty Klein, came. Her husband, Levi Yitzchok, could not participate since his father, my mechutan, was niftar only two weeks before this wedding. Our third daughter, Chavi Feldman, also joined without her husband Volvi. His sister in Montreal was marrying off a child the same night as our simcha. My son Mechel came with his son Ezriel on the same day that we arrived, a week before the chasunah. His wife Leah arrived with their daughter Tzippy and their baby Esther Rochel a few days later. Ezriel was becoming bar mitzvah within days after we would return to the States, and this trip was part of his preparation for kabbalas ol mitzvos. Leah’s parents, Yossi and Gitty Ostreicher, were in Eretz Yisroel at the same time and joined us at the chasunah. Last but surely not least, my brother-in-law Heshy Daum and his wife Debby, who is Pesi’s sister, came as well. They have joined us for all previous Grossman family chasunahs in Israel. We have an extremely close relationship with them, and we live together in the same community in Lakewood.
We arrived in Israel late Wednesday afternoon, the week before the Aufruf. Our grandson Yeedel from Beit Shemesh promised to get us a driver to take us from Ben Gurion Airport to Yerushalayim. Instead, he surprised us by renting a car and coming in person to meet us. He even picked up some snacks for us to eat on the way! Having someone so close and dear greeting us upon arrival gave us a true feeling of welcome.
By the time we arrived in the city, it was already nighttime. Mechel and Ezriel walked in soon after we arrived. I had rented an apartment on Rechov Minchas Yitzchak, very central to the various locations where our simcha would be celebrated. I had seen photos of the
On the streets of Meah Shearim A Geula street scene A street scene in Meah Shearim
apartment online but was still surprised how beautiful it was when we saw it in person. The apartment was spread over the two top floors of the five-story building. There were five bedrooms and four baths. Mechel needed two bedrooms, Heshy and Debby one, Itty and Chavi one, and the master bedroom was for us. There was a spacious dining room, a roomy living room, and a large kitchen/ dinette area with all the modern appliances. A very large terrace overlooked the neighborhood with great views of the Ir Hakodesh. The apartment was not cheap, but the value for us was immeasurable. It was definitely cheaper than five hotel bedrooms.
The location was also great. We were two blocks away from Yirmiyahu, around the corner from Shamgar, in close proximity to Gur, Boyan and Belz, and within walking distance to Geulah. The only downside was the steep, uphill climb to reach most destinations. Looking back, though it was a good opportunity for exercise, it made us think twice before taking a trek. The was a local grocery and fruit store on our block but they were also a bit uphill. Another great feature was the Beis Yehoshua Shul, which was on the corner, a two-minute walk from our
building. There were many minyanim throughout the day, both nusach Sfard and Ashkenaz. A very large impressive Kollel used the main sanctuary on a daily basis, and the kol Torah was seductive in beckoning us to sit and learn there. Right near the shul was a nice mikvah, which was also very convenient for us.
After davening Shacharis there on Thursday, I found out that the famed maggid shiur Rav Menashe Yisroel Reisman gave shiurim there daily. His morning Chumash shiur started at 9:15 and
was over at 10:30. I had never heard of Rav Reisman before, but evidently, he is quite famous. He is Belzer chassid and his heimishe Yiddish, combined with his vast knowledge, original thoughts, and sense of humor, attracts a large following. His shiurim can also be accessed online. I joined the Thursday morning class, which consisted of mainly older and retired people, and was blown away! I was mesmerized by these lectures and attended them daily throughout our stay in Eretz Yisroel.
After shopping at the local grocery store to stock up our apartment, we had breakfast while waiting for Heshy and Debby to arrive from the airport. We began our day by all of us heading to Geulah. Pesi loves this stretch of blocks with the lively atmosphere that permeates that area. I personally am more attracted to Meah Shearim’s quaint alleys and pathways. I love taking photos of the street scenes and its local residents. Bottom line is that we both found ample pleasure in our outing. After a salad at Uri’s Pizza, we took a taxi to Goldie’s in the Ezras Torah section. That store specializes in Shabbos food with a mouthwatering selection of everything one can possible need to make the Shabbos seudos special. We bought food for our Friday night seudah and for that evening’s supper. Shabbos day we would anyway be eating at the Aufruf seudah. We shared the delicious dinner with Mechel
Getting ready for Shabbos in Geula
Friday afternoon in front of the Kosel
and his children and Heshy and Debby. This was followed by an impromptu visit from Moshe, Faigy, their five younger children with the chosson, Yisroel Zev. They stayed a short while, and then we immediately succumbed to our jet leg and went to sleep.
Friday was a very short day, with Shabbos starting a bit after four. Our itinerary was to go to the Kosel and daven Mincha there. We did not want to stay too long, but by joining a minyan in a very private area within the Kosel tunnels, we were treated to a Mincha on the style of Yom Kippur. There was a Sephardi mekubal there whose shtille Shemoneh Esrei took over a half an hour.
We rushed back home with an Arab driver during the height of traffic. I suggested that he go through the East Jerusalem Arab Silwan neighborhood, which saved us some time. We were rushing to have a pre-Shabbos to’ameha buffet at our grandson Azriel and his lovely wife Chayele’s house, which we had gladly accepted. Their five children are all adorable but the oldest two, Gitty and Yakov Shloma, are so mature and open that they immediately connect with us, though we see them at most only once a year.
The clock was ticking away, so we ran back to the apartment. I went with the men and Ezriel to the mikvah, and we all got dressed for Shabbos. Pesi and Debby then lit the Shabbos candles as we headed to shul.
To be continued…
Together with Azriel Grossman and his children
Hershel Lieber has been involved in kiruv activities for over 30 years. As a founding member of the Vaad L’Hatzolas Nidchei Yisroel he has traveled with his wife, Pesi, to the Soviet Union during the harsh years of the Communist regimes to advance Yiddishkeit. He has spearheaded a yeshiva in the city of Kishinev that had 12 successful years with many students making Torah their way of life. In Poland, he lectured in the summers at the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation camp for nearly 30 years. He still travels to Warsaw every year – since 1979 – to be the chazzan for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur for the Jews there. Together with Pesi, he organized and led trips to Europe on behalf of Gateways and Aish Hatorah for college students finding their paths to Jewish identity. His passion for travel has taken them to many interesting places and afforded them unique experiences. Their open home gave them opportunities to meet and develop relationships with a variety of people. Hershel’s column will appear in The Jewish Home on a bi-weekly basis.
