Dov Tzvi Heller (1862 – 1935) commonly called by his

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...

name, Ber Hirsch Heller, was a

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

and

mashgiach ruchani A mashgiach ruchani ( he, משגיח רוחני; pl., ''mashgichim ruchani'im'') or mashgicha ruchani – sometimes mashgiach/mashgicha for short – is a spiritual supervisor or guide. He or she is usually a rabbi who has an official position wit ...

at the

Slabodka Yeshiva Slabodka yeshiva may refer to: * Hebron Yeshiva, a branch of the Slabodka Yeshiva in Hebron, relocated afterward to Jerusalem * Slabodka yeshiva (Bnei Brak), a branch of the Slabodka yeshiva in Bnei Brak * Yeshivas Knesses Yisrael (Slabodka) Yes ...

in Europe, as well as the father-in-law of Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetzky and Rabbi

Avraham Grodzinski Avraham Grodzinski (c. 1884 - July 13, 1944) was a rabbi who served as the mashgiach ruchani (spiritual supervisor) of the Slabodka yeshiva in Lithuania. He is best known for being the primary disciple of Nosson Tzvi Finkel, the Alter of Slabodka" ...

Life

Dov Tzvi Heller was born in 1862 in Shilel (Šilalė),

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

, then part of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

, to Eliezer Yitzchak and Hasseh Gisseh Heller. In 1890, he became the

in the Yeshiva Knesses Yisrael Slabodka under Nosson Tzvi Finkel, where he was known for his sweet personality, gentleness, and love of his students, which was so strong, that he would often fast for their success. During World War I, the yeshiva escaped to

Minsk Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...

, and later many of them

Kremenchug Kremenchuk (; uk, Кременчу́к, Kremenchuk ) is an industrial city in central Ukraine which stands on the banks of the Dnipro river, Dnipro River. The city serves as the Capital city, administrative center of the Kremenchuk Raion (Raio ...

, and Heller came with the yeshiva on these travels. Shimon Reuven Dvoretz, who was teenager in Kremenchug, described Heller as "a saint, a Chafetz Chaim in his simplicity," comparing him to

Yisrael Meir Kagan Rabbi Yisrael Meir ha-Kohen Kagan (January 26, 1838 – September 15, 1933), known popularly as the Chofetz Chaim, after his book on lashon hara, who was also well known for the Mishna Berurah, his book on ritual law, was an influential Lithuan ...

, who had been the greatest rabbi of the time until his death a few years prior.

Family

Heller was married Feiga Esther Heller née Blankfield (c. 1862-1942). They had five children, four of which lived to adulthood (one son and four daughters). Their son was Avraham Meir Heller (1887-1979). Their oldest daughter, Chasya (1891-1944), married

, who later served as ''

'' of the

as well. Their second daughter, Ita Ettel (1895-1954), married Yaakov Kamenetzky, a student of her father and Finkel, and future ''

rosh yeshiva Rosh yeshiva ( he, ראש ישיבה, pl. he, ראשי ישיבה, '; Anglicized pl. ''rosh yeshivas'') is the title given to the dean of a yeshiva, a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primar ...

'' of

Yeshiva Torah Vodaath Yeshiva Torah Vodaas (or Yeshiva and Mesivta Torah Vodaath or Yeshiva Torah Vodaath or Torah Vodaath Rabbinical Seminary ) is a ''yeshiva'' in the Kensington neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. History The yeshiva was conceived in 1917 and for ...

. Their third daughter to live adulthood, Sara (1899-1941), married Shabsi Vernokovsky, and they both were murdered in the

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...

. They had another child, named Kayle, who was born in 1897 and died two years later.

Death

Heller died in 1935 in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heller, Dov Tzvi 1862 births 1935 deaths 20th-century Lithuanian rabbis Haredi rabbis in Europe Mashgiach ruchani Lithuanian Haredi rabbis Academic staff of Slabodka yeshiva Rabbis from Kaunas 19th-century Lithuanian rabbis