Following are heartfelt expressions of sorrow for R. Avraham Goldberg, R. Aryeh Kupinsky and R. Kalman Levine who along with R. Mosheh Twersky, were murdered in Bet Knesset Bnai Torah in Har Nof on Tuesday, November 18.
Avraham Goldberg הי”ד
Avraham Goldberg was born in Britain and made aliyah in 1991. He usually davened in the neitz (sunrise) minyan and so he was among those in Bnai Torah when the attack occurred on Tuesday, November 18. He was an educational advisor in the ultra-Orthodox community.
Friends say that he was committed to the time he dedicated to learning, and always exerted himself to advance in his comprehension.
He is survived by his wife and six children.
Aryeh Kupinsky הי”ד
Aryeh Kupinsky was born in the US and moved to Israel with his family in the summer of 1982 at the age of 11. The family lived in Kiryat Arba.
He learned in Yeshivat Kerem Beyavne and then Yeshivat Heichal Hatorah under Rav Tzvi Kushlevski. He served in the IDF Rabbinate in the Casualty Identification Unit. He also learned in a variety of kollelim and worked as a Kashrut supervisor.
Aryeh and his wife, Yaakova had six children. One daughter passed away in her sleep two years ago at the age of 13.
Volunteering and chessed were part of the essence of his being. He was known throughout his community as the one to offer help whenever help was needed. When community members had smachot, he would help every step of the way – setting up, cutting kugel, helping throughout the event and staying until the hall was clean and everything was in place.
He served as volunteer crossing guard and helped the children of Har Nof get to school safely. He recently founded a gemach (free loan society) for freezers. This was in memory of his daughter, Chaya Chana ז”ל. The freezers are meant for families who have smachot and other events. He would transport them himself for each special occasion.
Aryeh constantly volunteered in the in the shul he loved. The shul where the attack took place. He organized sefarim, took care of the geniza, and set up tables and chairs.
He was dedicated to his family and all that he encountered. He expressed a true concern for others and would offer to help with their problems. He approached every person with “How can I help you?”
He had a joyous smile which all could see, particularly at Purim. To bring simcha (joy) during the month of Adar, he would dress up as a clown on Rosh Chodesh Adar while helping children cross the street. For the past two years he also gave out candy in memory of his daughter.
Everyone who met R. Aryeh was affected by his radiant smile, his love of fellow Jews and his abundant acts of chessed.
His death will leave a vacuum among the family and the community. May his memory always be a blessing.
Kalman Levine, הי”ד
By Rivka Segal, Program Director, L’ayla, OU Israel’s Women’s Initiative
Last Tuesday (November 18) was among the most tragic days I have ever experienced. Rabbi Kalman Levine הי”ד , the husband of my good friend Chaya Levine, along with three of Har Nof’s finest men, was brutally murdered while in shul.
Rabbi Kalman Levine was a significant talmid chacham. Where others may be moved to study Torah through diligence and application, he did so because he simply loved to learn Torah. His joy was infectious. Whenever he shared Torah with others, it was with so much enthusiasm that one couldn’t help feeling what he was saying was truly exciting, even if it was complex. R. Kalman often fell asleep late at night over his sefarim, but that never stopped him from getting up for netz every morning.
As much as he cared for Torah learning, he also cared for his fellow Jews. One person, now a rabbi, wrote that he arrived in R. Kalman’s yeshiva barely able to read Hebrew. R. Kalman adopted him, studied with him every day, and built him up to where he is now. He dedicated significant time to shalom bayit, and was an expert in resolving difficult marital issues. He could talk to anyone of any age and on any level of Jewish affiliation because he was genuinely interested in the physical and spiritual well being of all Jews.
Chaya Levine, who is the director of the Women’s Division of Ner L’Elef, an international kiruv training organization, is very influential in the field of kiruv rechokim. She travels around the world to assist communities in their kiruv programming for women. Her husband, R. Kalman, ז”ל, was truly her partner in all that she did at home and in the international arena.
May Hashem give her and her family koach to cope with their loss, and may she continue to give chizuk and direction to Klal Yisrael around the world.