Baruch Sorotzkin

Rabbi Raphoel Baruch Sorotzkin (1917-1979) was the Rosh Yeshiva of the Telz Yeshiva in Cleveland and among American Jewry's foremost religious leaders.

Rabbi Sorotzkin was born on Monday 5th February 1917 (13th Shevat 5739) in Zhetl, Lithuania. His father, Rabbi Zalman Sorotzkin was the town's rabbi.

As a young man, Rabbi Sorotzkin studied under Rabbi Elchonon Wasserman in Baranovich, and then under Rabbi Baruch Ber Lebovitz in Kamenitz.

In 1940, Rabbi Sorotzkin married Rachel Bloch, daughter of the Telzer Rav and Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Bloch. Rabbi Sorotzkin and his wife fled Europe at the start of World War Two and made their way to the United States. There, they joined his wife's uncles (and his own cousins) Rabbi Eliyahu Meir Bloch and Rabbi Chaim Mordechai Katz who had re-established the Telz Yeshiva in Cleveland, Ohio.

In 1943 Rabbi Sorotzkin began delivering classes in the yeshiva.

In 1953 Rabbi Sorotzkin was appointed associate dean of the yeshiva.

In 1962 Rabbi Sorotzkin became dangerously ill and the name Raphoel was added to his name.

In 1964, when the Telz Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Chaim Mordechai Katz died, Rabbi Sorotzkin together with Rabbi Mordechai Gifter assumed the leadership of the yeshiva.

In the Telzer tradition, Rabbi Sorotzkin extended his sphere of activities to include even more areas of communal responsibility, such as working for Chinuch Atzmai, Torah Umesorah and Agudath lsrael of America where he served as one of the youngest member of its Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah - Council of Torah Sages.

In 1977, with the establishment of the Yehiva in Israel Rabbi Mordechai Gifter left to head the Yeshiva in Israel.

Rabbi Sorotzkin died on Saturday 10 February 1979. The Hebrew date - 13 Shevat - was the same date as his birthday.

He is survived by three sons and three daughters.

His daughter Rebetzin Rassia Busel died in March 1998.

His sons, Rabbi Yitzchok Sorotzkin serves as dean of the Telz Yeshiva and Mesivta of Lakewood, New Jersey. Rabbi Binyomin Sorotzkin is dean of Ateres Shlomo in Israel, Rabbi Eliyahu Meir Sorotzkin is dean of Yeshiva Tiferes Boruch Of Springfield, New Jersey. His sons-in-law, Rabbi Yaakov Busel is dean of RJJ of Edison, New Jersey, Rabbi Aryeh Schulman is rabbi of Kiryat Telz-Stone,Israel, Rabbi Nosson Boruch Herzka is a Rabbi in Lakewood, New Jersey, Rabbi Yisroel Brog is dean of Tiferes Avigdor Wickliffe, Ohio.

Many of his lectures on Talmud have been posthumously published by his children.

Rabbi Sorotzkin's wife died in November 2006.